Gar Crispell

Artist on VibrantCast

Having earned a BFA from the University of Michigan, I have explored different mediums through the years. My current work focuses on the Subjugation of Native American Tribes. This series explores the commodification of traditional indigenous arts and crafts through the mid-century tourist trade. While bright, colorful, and appealing, they represent the simplification and erasure of richer cultural meaning. My pieces zero in on the tiny details of the objects, removing their larger context in parallel to how these belts were themselves removed from the context of the history and art of Native beadwork.