Beyond Sweetgrass: The Life and Art of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

Abstract

This dissertation is a brief monographic study of noted American Indian artist-Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. No such study of Smith has been completed to date. This particular study is different because it consists of a Native woman looking at another Native woman's art as well as the desires and intents that go into the production of her artwork. The document is comprised of six chapters and a glossary. The first chapter is a brief introduction followed by a literature review. It is a synopsis of a variety of sources--journals, newspaper articles, and texts. Smith's popularity has been on the rise since the 1980's but little writing exists on her outside of reviews. I attempted to give a chronological examination of writings on Smith on various sub-sets, including Smith's predecessors in "Native American Modernism," then on to Smith with "Identity and Influence," Smith's "Success as a Native American Artist," "Smith's Evolution of Style," "The Debate Over Chief Seattle," and finally a brief segment on "Feminist Art and Smith." I examine the evolution of Smith's style and the subtle inter-relationships produced between her works with both a summary and synthesis of these relationships and influences. Chapter two gives insight into Smith's biography: her father and his influence, her childhood, teenage years, education. And it also includes a brief look into her adult life. Chapter three discusses Smith's activism, her involvement in artistic cooperatives, and her earliest works. Smith formed two cooperatives that were integral to the art communities' recognition of American Indian work as a viable form contemporary art and not just crafts and tourist trinkets. It considers reviews written about the group exhibitions that Smith formed some of them the first of their kind. Chapter four analyzes Smith's works and her style's evolution from "nomad art" and landscapes to political art, her appropriation of commercialism and other art styles and how she incorporates her unique form of Native humor to extol how humor has assisted the Native population to survive, flourish and give new insight into the culture, its politics and art. Chapter five examines the historical and cultural influences of American Indian art and culture on Smith's work. Included is a discussion of gender and its role in Smith's art. Also discussed are traditional art forms and their impact and integration into Smith's work. Religion, assimilation and decolonization, and manifest destiny are also parts of the Anglo or White world that affect Smith's work. Chapter six is about public works of where Smith was involved in the creation and construction. Smith is one of very few Native artists selected to design and be involved in the actual construction of public art. [There were a number of problems writing this chapter due to a lack of information and some confusion over what are public art and commissioned artwork.] Finally, in the appendix is a glossary of Native terms that some may need to fully interpret and understand Smith's work. It proves to be one of the most invaluable parts of the document.