In Judith Ostrowitz’s introduction to Interventions, she proclaims her intention to address Native American art as it is meant for worldwide audiences. In an increasingly globalized world, it is crucial to understand how one’s cultural preconceptions impact one’s reception of art—especially when the art itself is culturally minded. Her goal is a noble one, augmented by the fact that her case study for globalized reception of cultural art focuses on a historically oppressed cultural minority which has only been “allowed” a voice in the artistic community in the last twenty to thirty years. Ostrowitz’s book begins with an overwhelming focus on artists from the Northwest Coast rather than discussing Native American art from throughout the continent as her thesis initially suggests. As the Northwest Coast is Ostrowitz’s area of speciality, this focus is not surprising; however, in hindsight it seems that her monograph would generally have benefitted from focusing on this area throughout the work. In most cases her chapters lean heavily on Northwest Coast reception rather than Native American art generally, and defining this region as the primary lens for her study would help not only her thesis, but also readers who are assessing the pertinence of this book for their own research.
As it stands, the first chapter addresses the issue of tribal and clan based “micro-identity,” as presented in totem poles at Thunderbird Park in British Columbia. Ostrowitz’s concern is that the park exposes tourists to works of art without their being given adequate information for understanding them. Oddly, Ostrowitz does not provide this information herself, and thus in order to fully understand her criticism, one must already be familiar with the traditions of carving within Northwest Coast art. She continues the chapter by discussing the Queen’s Baton used in the 1994 commonwealth games, which incorporates an amalgamation of Northwest Coast designs. Her concern, again, is that there is a certain level of “outsider” reception of this aboriginal art without a comprehensive understanding of its true meaning. Unfortunately, she never directly addresses why this is necessarily a problem, excepting the general diagnosis that globalization inherently leads to a shallow interaction between cultures. While this is an arguably unfortunate consequence of globalization, Ostrowitz neglects to highlight its specific importance in relation to the works focused upon in the book.
Her second chapter briefly moves away from Northwest Coast art in order to address the fairly recent planning and execution of the National Museum of the American Indian. This chapter does not seem to fit with the rest of the book, however, and might work better as a journal article or be expanded into its own monograph. The chapter would be specifically useful for scholars of museum studies, or those interested in Native American art presentation rather than anyone specifically interested in global cultural reception. If a reader comes to this book expecting analysis on how the NMAI functions as a globalized entity, they will find that little is discussed outside of the building’s architecture. That said, the enthusiasm Ostrowitz has for the museum and its function in the world of Native American art is readily apparent. Her research on the development of the museum is well done, providing useful groundwork on the history, background, and development of the museum, and scholars should note that this is a good starting chapter from which to begin any research regarding the NMAI.
In chapter 3, the focus returns to the Northwest Coast. It begins with a brief discussion of an uncharacteristic incorporation of Northwest Coast myth into an issue of DC Comics’ Batman, but then disjointedly moves on to its main focus: Northwest Coast tribal dance celebrations. She points out that uniquely at these events, participants exhibit their clothing and explain the images to the audience. Ostrowitz seems to find this behavior odd, as it is expected that those at such an event would already be aware of the images. However, due to Ostrowitz’s excessive focus on how the event affects outsiders, she innocently forgets that these events are also useful for the edification of Northwest Coast tribal members as well. Small children and other members who have little traditional background all need to be educated on these traditions as well, and since ceremonies and potlatches traditionally function for this purpose, it is fitting that this should continue.
Chapter 4 is a very well-researched and useful chapter, focusing again on the Northwest Coast and addressing the impact of the regional Kitanmax School on traditional and contemporary Northwest Coast art. Ostrowitz gives a well-argued history and analysis of this school, its impact on the artists, and its reception in the outside world. However, much like the chapter on the NMAI, this chapter might have more influence as a longer and wider study on regional art schools and their impact on Native American art.
The final chapter addresses the use of electronic media, for the second time moving beyond Ostrowitz’s specialist knowledge of the Northwest Coast. Her discussion revolves around CyberPowWow and the NMAI’s online archive, as well as the virtual world of gaming. This chapter is less a study of critical reception and more a detailed description of technological areas where additional research might be directed. She makes some interesting observations regarding the use of these technologies to edify online audiences, and this chapter may provide readers with an interesting foundation from which they can begin a more detailed study on the use of the internet for cultural education.
This book is probably best suited for academics who already have a background in Native American art and—for a majority of the chapters—a specific interest in the Northwest Coast. The second and fifth chapters are of specific interest to museum studies scholars and/or anyone interested in the use of the internet as a culturally didactic tool. Aside from the intermittent mentions of how globalization leads to shallow cultural consumers, there is no truly overarching thesis that Ostrowitz supports throughout her chapters continuously; however, each chapter stands alone as a good underpinning for any researcher interested in exploring any of the areas she discusses specifically.
--------
[Review length: 1011 words • Review posted on March 9, 2011]