Light and Legacy: The Art and Techniques of Edward Curtis

In the late 1890s, Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) saw a way to use his talent as a photographer to help Indigenous Peoples preserve and maintain their cultures and traditions. For three decades, Curtis traveled the length and breadth of the American West, Western Canada, and Alaska, taking thousands of photographs of Native Americans. Postcards, illustrated magazine articles, books for young readers, lecture series, a “musicale,” and the very first feature-length film with an all-Indigenous cast, In the Land of the Head-Hunters (1914). Curtis’s project—what would become the 20 volumes of The North American Indian—would become the most ambitious ethnographic enterprise ever undertaken in the United States. Come see this stunning exhibition for yourself!

Details

  • Date:
    January 29 – February 6
    (Closed Monday, January 31)
  • Location:
    Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West
    3830 N Marshall Way, Scottsdale AZ 85251
  • Cost:
    $20 per person
  • Website