Description

The Barnes Foundation (TBF) was established in Merion, PA, in 1922 by Dr. Albert C. Barnes to promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture. TBF holds a world-class collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Modernist paintings, as well as examples of Native American, African, American, and ancient art. Relocated to a state-of-the-art Center City Philadelphia facility in 2012, the Barnes welcomes 255,000 visitors annually.
 
TBF seeks funding for the collection-based exhibition “Water, Wind, Breath,” the first exhibition of Native American art organized by the museum and the opening event of TBF’s centennial celebration in 2022. Drawn from holdings of Southwest Native ceramics, silver jewelry and textiles acquired by Albert Barnes in 1930 and 1931, the exhibition will present 100 Pueblo and Navajo artworks as manifestations of continuous artistic traditions that have been central to the beliefs and well-being of Native communities across centuries and generations. Several loaned works by contemporary Native artists will underscore the spirit and purpose that guided their predecessors. The co-curators are Lucy Fowler Williams, Penn Museum, and Antonio Chavarria (Santa Clara Pueblo), Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe. A major accompanying publication will serve as a permanent collection catalogue documenting and contextualizing these previously unpublished works.
The exhibition installation will evoke the Pueblo/Navajo conception of the Southwest landscape bounded by four sacred peaks around a center place or plaza. Sections will explore the ongoing, generative practices of Southwest Native ceramic, jewelry, and textile arts. Additional sections will trace Barnes’s experiences in the Southwest, where he met artists and activists who defended Native rights and religious practices; and explore dance as an enduring practice essential to Pueblo renewal. 
TBF is taking every opportunity to engage Native scholars, specialists, and artists in the interpretation and presentation of the collection. The project team will include term research assistant Hailee Shá ń d íí n Brown (Navajo), who will communicate with Native communities about the exhibition and artworks and produce new content for TBF’s Collection Online.
Extensive programming will include: public lectures and performances; teacher workshops; school visits; free days; community partner programs including the Barnes West partnership with People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation to engage underserved West Philadelphia audiences; and an undergraduate course at the University of Pennsylvania.