Native Fashion

Native Fashion features traditional garments, powwow regalia, streetwear, accessories, haute couture, photography, and contemporary art by national and local Indigenous designers alongside examples from the Spencer Museum's collection. The exhibition highlights the artistic richness of wearable artworks and their connection to historical and contemporary culture as expressions of tribal and personal identity. An accompanying runway show will showcase the talent of contemporary makers and remind visitors that display cases are not the natural context for Indigenous apparel. The exhibition examines the role fashion and adornment play in Indigenous lifeways through four themes that were developed in collaboration with a team of Native community advisors:

“Resilience” features Indigenous genius through innovation, technology, and resourceful use of materials, including how trade among Native groups and later Europeans affected craft, design, and embellishment.

“Representation” celebrates the diversity that exists among tribal nations, featuring various styles of traditional and contemporary dress while educating the public about the differences between cultural appropriation and appreciation.

“Resistance” examines the impact of colonization, government policies, and activism on Indigenous identity and dress, including the ways in which activist groups utilized wearable symbols for awareness and solidarity. 

“Relations” highlights artists, designers, and storytellers within Lawrence and the surrounding region. An interactive display will feature portraits of Indigenous community members taken by photography students at Haskell Indian Nations University. 

This exhibition and related programming are supported by the Kansas Arts Commission; the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and the City of Lawrence; the Association of Art Museum Directors; the KU Racial Equity Research, Scholarship & Creative Activity Fund; KU Student Senate; the KU Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging; Friends of the Art Museum; the Linda Inman Bailey Exhibitions Fund; the Judith M. Cooke Native American Art Fund; and generous donations from Mary Beth and Patrick Musick, Kevin and Deb Boatright, and Elizabeth Schultz.