THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ART IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb ii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM Issues in Southwest Archaeology Edited by John Kantner Issues in Southwest Archaeology features volumes that critically evalu- ate current archaeological research in the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico. Titles investigate pervasive themes both in the archaeology of the region but also in contemporary anthropological inquiry, such as ethnicity, gender, migration, and violence. Authors discuss not only what archaeolo- gists already know about the prehistory of the Southwest, but they also consider issues that impact the practice of archaeology today, including the roles of cultural resource management, oral history, and cultural property rights. Each contribution to the series is ultimately synthetic, comparative, and fully engaged in broader anthropological interests. Editor John Kantner may be contacted at the following address: Vice President for Academic and Institutional Advancement School for Advanced Research P.O. Box 2188 Santa Fe, NM 87504-2188 Books in the series: Living Histories: Native Americans and Southwestern Archaeology, by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh (2010) The Archaeology of Art in the American Southwest, by Marit K. Munson (2011) 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb iiii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF ART IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST MARIT K. MUNSON ALTAMIRA PRESS A Division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Lanham (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb iiiiii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM Published by AltaMira Press A division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 http://www.altamirapress.com Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom Copyright © 2011 by AltaMira Press All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Munson, Marit K. The archaeology of art in the American Southwest / Marit K. Munson. p. cm. — (Issues in Southwest archaeology) (Introduction : art and other practicalities — The problem of art in archaeology — Artists — Audiences — Images — Aesthetics — The future of art in archaeology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7591-1077-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-7591-2025-9 (electronic : alk. paper) 1. Archaeology and art—Southwest, New. 2. Indian art—Southwest, New. 3. Southwest, New—Antiquities. 4. Material culture—Southwest, New. 5. Indians of North America—Material culture—Southwest, New. I. Title. N72.A56M86 2011 709.79—dc22 2010049878 ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb iivv 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM C ONTENTS Acknowledgments vii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 The Problem of Art in Archaeology 21 CHAPTER 3 Artists 43 CHAPTER 4 Audiences 71 CHAPTER 5 Images 95 CHAPTER 6 Aesthetics 121 CHAPTER 7 The Future of Art in Archaeology 143 v 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb vv 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM vi CONTENTS Notes 157 References 161 Index 195 About the Author 207 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb vvii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM Acknowledgments I n 2005, John Kantner asked if I would be interested in contributing something on art and iconography for the series Issues in Southwest Archaeology. Without his prompting, I never would have dared to start such a project. The structure and content of the book owe a great deal to Candace Greene, who has shaped my thinking about anthropology, art, and museums, and to the students in my classes on the anthropology of art at Trent University. I wrote most of this manuscript while on sabbatical as a visiting re- search associate at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe. The SAR is an amazing place to work, with lots of peace and quiet, plus a whole community of marvelous people for interesting conversations and welcome distractions. Many thanks to James Brooks and all of the staff at SAR, to scholars Danny Hoffman, Tim Pauketat, Dean Falk, Wenda Trevathan (Jessie thanks you too), Audra Simpson, and Susan Alt, and to artists Cedar Sherbert and Pat Courtney Gold. I would like to acknowledge my great debt to the thoughtful, creative, and sometimes provocative work of Patty Crown, Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Jerry Brody, Steve Plog, and Steve Lekson, and Howard Morphy. This manuscript benefited from formal reviews by Michelle Hegmon, John Kantner, and an anonymous reviewer. Many thanks to Wendi Schnaufer and everyone else at AltaMira. I also greatly appreciate the comments and feedback of Linda Cordell, Cam Cocks, Willow Powers, and Wolky Toll. Finally, thanks to Bruce Munson for wanting to know how we recognize the difference between a dog and a cat and to Barbara Munson for reining him in. vii 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb vviiii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb vviiiiii 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM 1 Introduction [R]ather than fleeing from the word “art,” . . . researchers . . . would benefit from considering the concept. (Morales 2005:70) M imbres bowls are known and celebrated worldwide as mas- terpieces of ancient art (figure 1.1). Painted around a thousand years ago, the bowls came to light in the Mimbres Valley of southwestern New Mexico in the early 20th century. They were intro- duced to the wider world through the work of anthropologist J. Walter Fewkes, who wrote several reports that publicized the amazing images on the newly excavated artifacts—scenes of men and women, of birds and fish, of farming and ceremonies and even human sacrifice. Often dubbed “story bowls,” Mimbres ceramics charmed and engaged viewers, tantaliz- ing them with the promise of a glimpse into the past. Today, the bowls’ incredible display value is both a blessing and a curse. They are featured in museum exhibits and collections around the world; they inspire contem- porary artists. Thanks to contemporary art markets, the bowls also have great monetary value, along with the attendant problems of looting, illegal trade, and forgery (Brody 2005:xvi; Lekson 1992). Mimbres pottery is the quintessential example of ancient Southwestern art. But what if the Mimbres bowls are not art? While art historians and collectors have readily claimed these bowls as art, many archaeologists are fundamentally uneasy with extending such a concept to 1,000-year-old artifacts, beautiful or not. Archaeologists may use Mimbres images for lo- gos, book covers, and T-shirt designs (Lekson 1992), but we shrink from the implications of calling Mimbres pottery art. How, we worry, can we 1 1100__668844__BBooookk..EEPPUUBB..iinnddbb 11 11//2244//1111 33::0000 PPMM