The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky

Recently opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky unites Plains Indian masterworks found in European and North American collections, from pre-contact to contemporary, ranging from a two-thousand-year-old human-effigy stone pipe to contemporary paintings, photographs, and a video-installation piece. Works of art collected centuries ago by French traders and travelers will be seen together with those acquired by Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition of 1804–06, along with objects from the early reservation period and recent works created in dialogue with traditional forms and ideas. The distinct Plains aesthetic—singular, ephemeral, and materially rich—will be revealed through an array of forms and media.

For more information, visit the exhibition's official website.

Robe with Mythic Bird, ca. 1700–40. Mid-Mississippi River Basin, probably Illinois Confederacy. Eastern Plains.

Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art