Mining the Museum at the Maryland Historical Society, Fred Wilson (1992-1993)

Anna Ghadar turns back against colonial archives of Native American peoples, via Fred Wilson's 1992 exhibition at the Maryland Historical Society, Mining the Museum. Amidst precisely whittled arrowheads, and expertly crafted tools, five Cigar Store Indians in feathered bonnets stand dressed for battle. But beyond confrontation, they turn away from their viewers, engaging in conversation with portraits of modern Native American individuals instead. These figures comprise some of 100 objects in Mining the Museum, artist Fred Wilson's 1992 exhibition at Baltimore’s Maryland Historical Society. Established as one of England's thirteen colonies in 1632, the state has struggled with a fraught narrative which prioritises post-settler narratives, and others pre-contact, Native, and non-white histories. Redressing their absence in the archive, these objects reveal how European settlers relied on Native peoples as educators, leaders, and guiders, turning their backs against outdated visions of the past. Understanding the exhibition itself as the artwork, Mining the Museum also pushes the boundaries of contemporary curation, and speaks to modern legacies of colonialism in Baltimore's racial and environmental politics today. PRESENTER: Anna Ghadar, History of Art and Visual Culture MSt graduate from Lady Margaret Hall College, University of Oxford. She is an art historian and contemporary arts administrator in New York. ART: Mining the Museum at the Maryland Historical Society, Fred Wilson (1992-1993). IMAGE: 'Portraits of Cigar Store Owners'. SOUNDS: Ketsa. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES at: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines