Modern Times, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (1940–2025)

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s sharp sense of humor comes through in her print “Modern Times,” which explores assimilation, or the process of one ethnic group being absorbed by another. Her stylized advertisement for apples references the derogatory saying that an assimilated Native person is like an apple, red on the outside but white on the inside. Disagreements within the Native community about what authentic Native representation looks like are complicated. Many Native Americans are disconnected from their cultural heritage because they were removed from their communities. By tackling assimilation and stereotyping, Smith questions what it means to be Native.