Totems to Turquoise: Native American Jewelry Arts – Now through 08/12/07
Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art
500 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-636-WEST
Click to visit the event web site
 This amazing exhibition features a stunning array of historic and contemporary jewelry and artifacts that celebrate the beauty, power and symbolism of the tradition of Native American arts in the Northwest and Southwest.
The exhibition honors a diverse art form, the foundations of which lie in millenia of heritage. It examines techniques, materials and styles that have evolved over the past 100 or so years as Native American jewelers have adapted to technical, societal and commercial changes, transforming their traditional craft into not only a cultural, but artistic expression.
The show highlights artwork from Native tribes in the Northwest including Haida, Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit, and the American Southwest including Apache, Navajo and Hopi. The work from Northwest Coast tribes uses more fluid sculptural forms as seen in imagery displayed in totems poles, while Southwestern artists typically use strong colors and angular geometry as seen in their use of turquoise.