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Four Directions
Four Directions
Four Directions
Photograph and Ditital Image © Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Not for reproduction or publication.
On View
Not on view
Object number2003.2

Four Directions

Maker (American, 1940-)
Date1994
Mediumlithograph, chine colle and linocut
Dimensionsimage flush: 49 3/8 × 30 1/8 in. (125.4 × 76.5 cm)
Credit LinePermanent Collection Fund
Exhibition History"Unmasking Masculinity for the 21st Century: The Remix," KIA Galleries 2&5 (January 7 - March 12, 2023)Label TextThe work of Native American artist Jaune Quick-To-See Smith invites multiple levels of meaning by juxtaposing language and images inspired by personal experiences, history, myth, and indigenous and mainstream culture. Sometimes playful but often serious in tone, she aspires to stimulate a new level of consciousness in the viewer. The titular four directions (north, south, east, and west) are traditionally represented by the colors black, red, yellow, and white; all are present in this print, alongside brown and blue. The earth’s four directions have deep spiritual meaning, and can variously stand for the stages of life, nature’s cycle of seasons, even the world’s diverse humanity. The prominent bird’s speckled breast calls to mind the cactus wren—native to Smith’s home in the Southwest. A Southerner might recognize a brown thrasher, Georgia’s state bird, perched on a cotton boll. Or is it a spotted common starling, a European invader whose range now spans the continent? Smith’s ambiguous imagery asks us to plumb our own experiences to draw meaningful associations. Smith’s collaged images represent aspects of Native American stories. The coyote is a clever but reckless trickster whose behavior cautions listeners against greed, arrogance, and socially inappropriate behavior. A fish-man harkens to beliefs that water and sea life make life on land possible and sustain human existence. She reveals a critical reflection of mainstream tales of the American West. A child on a rocking horse emulates a television cowboy. A faded blue sketch of an Indian with ceremonial paint offers an unreadable expression. Cartoonish faces with “Mohawk” hairstyles and headdresses more pointedly illustrate our caricatures of Native peoples—but with a light touch that notes their absurdity. With the phrase “Batteries not included,” the artist further contrasts today’s world—powered by manufactured energy cycles—with the battery-free, seasonal rhythms that sustain nature and traditional Native culture. [Collection Highlight]

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