The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe has been widely credited with revolutionizing and revitalizing modern Indian painting. This volume, the first book-length study of the IAIA, examines the history, patronage, and ideology of the Institute. Hailed as a success story since it replaced the Santa Fe Indian Schools Studio in 1962, the IAIA met with enthusiastic response from the popular press, the federal government, and the international arts community. Many of the most successful Indian artists were connected with the IAIA either as faculty or students, including Fritz Scholder, T. C. Cannon, Allan Houser, and Dan Namingha, to name a few.
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Until now there has been a large void in critical writing on this influential institution and on the role of the federal government in mainstreaming Native peoples at a time when Indian art was coming to be viewed as uniquely American. This book provides an important contribution to current dialogues regarding the role of education in cultural change, government patronage of the arts, and Native artistic autonomy versus cultural imperialism.
