Episode 18: Curating Native American Art

Darienne Turner

Assistant Curator of Indigenous Art of the Americas

Baltimore Museum of Art

For centuries, the narrative of “American Art” in U.S. museums centered around works produced during the English colonial era. Many institutions that present their collections of “American Art” chronologically begin with decorative arts inspired by European models and portraits, sculptures, and history paintings documenting figures central to the 18th century founding of the United States of America. In the last decade, museums have started to expand this narrative to include works of art produced by indigenous populations, whether from populations living in the colonies of New Spain, New France, or what is now considered the United States. This expansion of the definition of so-called “American Art” is part of a movement to make museums more inclusive socially and intellectually. Hiring native curators, posting land acknowledgments, and incorporating objects made by native makers in presentations of their permanent collections is a watershed moment in the history of U.S. museums. “America” is more than just the United States, it includes Mexico and Canada, and we’re delighted to see North American institutions.

In 2020 the Baltimore Museum of Art appointed their first native curator, Darienne Turner, Assistant Curator of Indigenous Art of the Americas. Her hire signaled a commitment by the museum to promote and interpret the art of indigenous peoples of the Americas. A member of the Yurok Tribe of California, Darienne is one of the few native curators of native art in U.S. museums. In our conversation, she discusses her role and the challenges in presenting and collecting native art in an institutional context and her responsibility to tell the stories of native peoples thoughtfully and reverently.  

When we spoke with Darienne in December 2020, the museum was partially closed. The only spaces open to the public were the gift shop and a portion of the first floor where her first exhibition at the museum, Stripes, and Stars: Reclaiming Lakota Independence (October 11, 2020 — March 28, 2021), was installed. The exhibition presented a small selection of objects from the museum’s collection produced by the Lakota peoples of South Dakota. Confined to reservations by the late 19th century, the makers of these objects incorporated the American flag in their detailed beadwork. On caps and vests worn by children, boots, pouches, and a monumental hood for a horse, these emblems of the flag served as a talisman and a way for the Lakota youth to participate in cultural activities which had previously been outlawed. Her exhibition was the first in what we hope will be many that celebrate the achievement of native makers of the Americas. 

 The Baltimore Museum of Art is one of the leading U.S. encyclopedic museums committed to collecting and promoting inclusivity. Being a majority-minority city, Baltimore and the museum is a model for the future of U.S. culture and institutions.

Installation video of Stripes and Stars: Reclaiming Lakota Independence, (October 11, 2020 — March 28, 2021) .

Talk with Darienne Turner and Sheldon Raymore, member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation and multidisciplinary artist and performer, on the occasion of the exhibition Stripes and Stars: Reclaiming Lakota Independence at the BMA.

About Darienne:

Darienne is the Assistant Curator of Indigenous Art of the Americas at the Baltimore Museum of Art, is a member of the Yurok Tribe of California, and has taught in MICA's Graphic Design Department since 2017. She earned a BA in Comparative Literature from Stanford University and an MA in Design History & Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center. She is the curator of Stripes and Stars: Reclaiming Lakota Independence (2020), and has contributed to exhibitions at the Bard Graduate Center, Walters Art Museum, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and Yellowstone National Park. Her essay “Terrestrial Gateways to the Divine” was featured in the Ex Voto: Agents of Faith exhibition catalog, which was named one of the Best Art Books of 2018 by the New York Times.

Baltimore Museum of Art:

Over 100 years ago, The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) was founded on the belief that access to art and ideas is integral to a vibrant and healthy civic life. This belief is at the heart of the BMA and remains our core value.

The BMA has long focused on acquiring the art of the present moment, while maintaining and deepening a historic collection made relevant through vigorous development and reinterpretation in all collecting areas. Through the courageous and risk-taking vision of previous Museum leaders, the BMA assembled and presented one of the most important collections of 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century art in the United States. These visionary actions established the fundamental character of this Museum.

Building on this legacy of excellence, the BMA will form an equally compelling collection for the 21st century. Socially relevant, cutting-edge acquisitions, exhibitions, and programs will lead the way both locally and globally—and historical accuracy, merit, and equity will become the basis for a new canon across our Museum. Through collecting, researching, presenting, and interpreting the Museum’s rich and varied collection, and by listening to the needs of our audience, the BMA will embody its commitment to excellence, fairness, relevance, and social justice. Every Museum policy and practice, strategic decision, as well as the composition of the Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers will be driven by these responsibilities. Bold, brave, and essential, it is the unwavering vision of The Baltimore Museum of Art to be the most relevant publicly engaged museum in the United States and a dynamic model for all others.

Press: ‘We Were White and Sleepy Before’—The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Radical Makeover – Wall Street Journal, 11/22/19.

Recorded on December 16, 2020.

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