E. S. Curtis The North American Indian: The Kwakiutl

News Image An intriguing segment of Edward S. Curtis’s Photogravures of The North American Indian is the focus of a year-long curatorial project for Marc Jablonksi '15.

 Tuesday, March 10, 2015 11:29 AM

Volume X: The Kwakiutl was first published in the United States in 1915. Using 23 of the 36 large-plate prints from that volume, Jablonski takes viewers on a rich and intimate journey of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

His approach to the project was underpinned by a sensitive balance between contemporary scholarship and an understanding for Curtis’s intent and the prevailing stereotypes and romanticized depictions of the early-20th century. From a technical point of view, he selected photogravures that attest to the quality of Curtis’s photographic abilities, his passion and dedication to the peoples he documented and the enduring aesthetic qualities of the photogravure process.

Marc, Class of 2015, is pursuing a major in anthropology and a double minor in French and studio art. E. S. Curtis The North American Indian: The Kwakiutl opens Wednesday, March 11 with a reception, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m., to meet student-curator Marc Jablonski and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of these large-plate prints. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Gallery hours: Tuesdays - Saturdays, noon – 8:00 p.m. and by appointment.