iNational Museum of the American IndianNational Mall
Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe
The first major retrospective of Hoocąk sculptor Truman Lowe: nearly 50 works in willow, feathers and pigment that evoke the rivers, waterfalls and canoes of the Wisconsin woodlands.
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Truman Lowe noted that when he peeled willow saplings, liquid streamed out of them, and concluded that "the wood is water." Much of this show is built on that idea. Feather Canoe is peeled willow, feathers and copper wire, 74 inches long, and it still looks more seaworthy than the Tidal Basin paddle boat you once regretted.
It is the first major retrospective of the Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) artist, who lived from 1944 to 2019. Nearly 50 sculptures, drawings and paintings are grouped into four themes: Moving Water, The Land Holds Memory, Woodland Structures, and Memory and Shared Knowledge. Twenty-eight of the works come from the museum's own collection, and charcoal and pastel drawings hang alongside the wood pieces.
We found no reviews of the show, so this comes from the museum's own account. Admission is free, and the show closes in January 2027.
Editor's pick
Feather Canoe is a canoe outline of peeled willow saplings with white feathers suspended inside. Nearly 50 works by the Hoocąk sculptor in willow, feathers and pigment, standing in for the rivers and waterfalls of his Wisconsin woods.
Look for
Feather Canoe
A small canoe of peeled willow saplings, feathers and copper wire, about 74 inches long.
Ottawa and Waterfall VIII
Two sculptures, from 1992 and 2011, that turn wood into the movement of water.
The Water Reflections drawings
Charcoal and pastel studies of ripples on the water's surface and its changing colours.
Shadow Canoe
A 1996 sculpture that takes the design of the Woodland canoe as its form.
The ribbonwork drawings
Sauninga, Ribbon Appliqué and Untitled (Ribbonwork) honour Lowe's mother, Mabel Davis Lowe, and the story of her Hoocąk name.
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Image credits
8
- Water's Edge: The Art of Truman LoweCourtesy of National Museum of the American Indian
- American Icon: The US Flag in ArtChilde Hassam / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
- In the Library: Reimagining America by DesignNational Gallery of Art
- National Museum of the American IndianCarol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
- National Air and Space Museumajay_suresh via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- National Gallery of Artajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenGryffindor, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
- National Archives MuseumDavid Samuel (Hellodavey1902) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0