Turning the Feather Around: The Life and Work of George Morrison

Dr. Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, Curator of Native American Art at the Muscarelle, will present the final talk in our spring Muscarelle Explorations series, Modern Masters at the Margins, with a talk about artist George Morrison.

Born and raised near the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Minnesota, George Morrison (Ojibwe) had a long and distinguished career as an Abstract Expressionist painter and sculptor. This presentation will follow Morrison’s life story and his foray into the inner circle of some of the most prominent American expressionists of the day, including Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, and his return to Minnesota during the rise of the American Indian Movement in 1970. A recipient of numerous accolades during his lifetime, some scholars argue that Morrison’s work has been overlooked. However, Morrison’s work is currently receiving new attention. This presentation will also highlight two newly acquired works by George Morrison, further expanding the Muscarelle Museum of Art’s collection of prominent Native American artists.

This talk will take place in Tucker Theater on the first floor of Tucker Hall. Parking will be reserved for registrants on James Blair Drive, and street parking is available on Richmond Road.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Danielle Moretti-Langholtz is the Director of the Thomasina E. Jordan American Indian Resource Center and administrator of the interdisciplinary Native Studies minor at William & Mary. Her research focus is on the political resurgence of Virginia Indians. As the Curator of Native American Art at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, Danielle has curated four major exhibitions, including a retrospective on the work of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (2007) , In Reach of Memory Still:  the Legacy and Artwork of Kiowa Five (2011) , A Life in Costume,  an exhibition of the costumes of Glenn Close (2013), and Building the Brafferton: The Founding, Funding and Legacy of America’s Indian School (2016-17). She is also working to expand the collection of Native art at the Muscarelle.