Distinguished Lecture in the Art of the Ancient Americas: Kelley Ann Hays-Gilpin

Description

Kelley Ann Hays-Gilpin, chair of anthropology at the Museum of Northern Arizona and professor of anthropology at Northern Arizona University, will deliver the 2025 Distinguished Lecture in the Art of the Ancient Americas titled "Artifacts and Ancestors: Exploring Archaeological Collections with Hopi and Pueblo Artists."

This event is hosted by the John Hopkins University Department of the History of Art. The lecture will be preceded by a reception in the Gilman Hall Atrium at 5:30 p.m.

Abstract:

What happens when artists and archaeologists meet up on ancient sites or amid museum collections? Here in Arizona, over a century of such encounters and collaborations have resulted in reimagining ancient imagery and techniques, from petroglyphs to pottery to mural painting. I will explore the paintings of Fred Kabotie and the Artist Hopid group, seven generations of Nampeyo family potters, and other Hopi and Pueblo artists who have reinterpreted archaeological sources. Understanding Pueblo world view, and what Artist Hopid founder Michael Kabotie called the process of "Mythical Archaeology," enhances the practice of archaeology in the Southwest and the appreciation of contemporary Indigenous art.