Into the Fray

This is the fourth in a biennial series of exhibitions and supporting catalogues begun in 1999 to bring the work of Native American fine artists to greater public attention. Following the pattern established at its inception, the 2005 Eiteljorg Fellowship honors one distinguished artist and five fellows. This year, the distinguished artist is sculptor John Hoover (Aleut). The fellows are painter Harry Fonseca (Maidu), painter James Lavadour (Walla Walla), sculptor and installation artist C. Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Muskogee), mixed media artist Tanis Maria S'eiltin (Tlingit), and painter, sculptor, and printmaker MarieWatt (Seneca). The Eiteljorg Fellowship was established to help create better public understanding of Native people and their participation in a modern world of art. The goal of the Fellowship is not necessarily to make Native fine art a part of the mainstream of the larger world of fine art, but to be part of the struggle for self-expression and to participate in the continually evolving worldwide definition of what art is.