CHICAGO.- The Art Institute of Chicago presents Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South, through January 30, 2005. This major exhibition presents a full-scale exploration of the art, ritual, ceremonial places, and settlements of the ancient peoples who lived in the central part of the United States, north and south, between 5000 B.C. and A.D. 1600. These ancient cultures formed a large branch of Pre-Columbian civilization in the Americas, yet their art and societies remain largely unknown to the general public. Along the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers, and in adjacent parts of the Midwest and Southeast, the archaeological remains of earthen pyramids, plazas, large towns and communities, and related works of art and artifacts testify to the early forms of civilization created by diverse Native American societies over a 7,000-year period. Evidence has emerged from archaeology and the various artistic styles showing important unifying patterns of visual imagery and cultural themes widely shared by these various cultures—such as those of “the hero,” “the hawk,” and “the open hand.” These and other recurrent forms suggest a provocative and unexpected continuity of thought across time and geography in the ancient American world concerning the themes of life, death, and renewal. Such deep-seated motifs continue to shape the traditional world view among many tribes today whose ancestry stems from the ancient societies.
Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand presents an array of some 300 masterworks of stone, ceramic, wood, shell, and copper in a rich exhibition enhanced by informative large-scale plans and new reconstruction drawings of the major archaeological sites throughout the Midwest and South where the objects have been found. Highlights include sculptures with a wide range of human, animal, and botanical motifs, as well as composite imaginary creatures, abstract shapes, embellished vessels, implements, and ritual objects. Innovative scholarship is a vital aspect of the show and its splendidly illustrated catalogue, as is the incorporation of contemporary Native American views on specific themes and individual perspectives on matters of cultural survival and revitalization suggested by the ancient objects and archaeological sites.

Sponsors: The Chicago presentation is generously sponsored by The Boeing Company.

This project is supported by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art. Additional support is provided by the Community Associates of The Art Institute of Chicago and a generous gift from the Thaw Charitable Trust.

Organizer: Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South is organized by The Art Institute of Chicago.

Other Venues: Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South travels to the Saint Louis Art Museum (March 4–May 30, 2005), and the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (July 1–Sept. 25, 2005).