Jennifer McLerran Talks About New Deal Art

Jennifer McLerran, Photograph by Michele Mountain

JM: John Collier, Commissioner of the BIA during the New Deal, worked with a wide array of federal agencies to assure that American Indians would be included in their programs. He was a tireless advocate for Native peoples and had established contacts and alliances with a wide network of like-minded individuals, such as Rene d’Harnoncourt and Harold Ickes, and this allowed him to accomplish a tremendous amount in a short period of time. Infusion of funds from the federal government was crucial to the success of Native arts programs. Solid commitment to funding and staffing of programs over an extended period of time was also essential.

JM: New Deal programs opened a space for professional Native artists. Through inclusion in federally funded exhibitions and other forms of public display, New Deal arts programs offered Native artists forms of professional recognition previously reserved for non-Native Artists.

JM: Although Collier and a number of others who were influential in determining New Deal Indian policy were romantic primitivists and this mind-set often worked to limit the range of expression and markets open to Native artists, the effects of federal programs of this period were by and large beneficial. Federal efforts brought the diversity and high quality of Native arts and crafts to the public’s attention through exhibitions, world’s fairs and other forms of promotion. Indian Arts and Crafts Board investigations into methods for improving production and marketing methods formed the basis for informed decisions regarding the establishment of programs to improve production and marketing. These efforts have had lasting effects into the present.

JM: Betsy Fahlman’s book New Deal Art in Arizona is an excellent scholarly source, and Kathy Flynn’s Treasures on New Mexico Trails is a good guidebook for those seeking out New Deal art and artists. Tey Marianna Nunn’s study of New Deal Hispanic art projects, Sin Nombre: Hispana and Hispano Artists of the New Deal, is a tremendous study. There is still a very limited range of publications on art and artists of this period, so it’s really encouraging to see studies such as yours. (Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist)

Jennifer McLerran is Assistant Professor of Art History and Museum Studies at Northern Arizona University. Her most recent publications include A New Deal for Native Art: Indian Arts and Federal Policy, 1933-1943 (University of Arizona Press, 2009);  Weaving Is Life: Navajo Weavings from the Edwin L. and Ruth E. Kennedy Southwest Native American Collection (University of Washington Press, 2007); and A:shiwi A:wan Ulohnanne – The Zuni World, co-authored with Jim Enote (A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center and Museum of Northern Arizona, 2011). She is currently working on a new book on New Deal Navajo weaving projects.