Essays on native modernism : complexity and contradiction in American Indian art National Museum of the American Indian

This recent collection of essays published by the NMAI provides a good starting point for learning about contemporary Native American art, exploring the concept of “Native modernism” and how it relates to the broader world of American art.

Modern by tradition : American Indian painting in the studio style by Bruce Bernstein, W. Jackson Rushing

Features works emanating from the country's first Indian art school, the Studio, a fine-arts program founded in 1932 at the federal government's Santa Fe Indian School.  Colorfully showcases paintings in the style developed there, an attractive blend of traditional and contemporary forms.

Sisters of the Great Lakes : art of American Indian women edited by Marsha MacDowell and Janice Reed ; photographs by Douglas Elbinger.

This exhibition catalog offers biographical information on the featured artists, as well as helpful insights towards understanding their creative processes and appreciating their work.

Hands of history [videorecording] / a National Film Board of Canada Studio D production ; producer, Margaret Pettigrew ; director, Loretta Todd ; executive producer, Ginny Stikeman

An engaging documentary featuring the work and personal narratives of four Canadian artists, including Jane Ash Poitras (Chippewan), Joane Cardinal-Schubert, Rena Point Bolton (Salish), Doreen Jensen (Gitksan).

Earth songs, moon dreams : paintings by American Indian women by Patricia Janis Broder

This book introduces the reader to the artwork of ninety Native American women artist, representing fifty-seven tribes across the United States, Canada, and Alaska. Providing numerous full-color reproductions, the author focuses on both traditional and modern art while offering a historical and stylistic overview of the works.

Arctic spirit : Inuit art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum by Ingo Hessel

This handsomely illustrated catalog is a perfect complement to the exhibition of the same name. Visitors will find especially enlightening the artists’ interviews printed within.

Songs in stone [videorecording] : an arctic journey home by Triad Film Productions ; directed by John Houston ; produced by Peter d’Entremont ; written by John Houston, Geoff LeBoutillier

Shot principally on Baffin Island in the wilds of the Canadian Arctic, this film pays tribute to the sculptors and printmakers of Cape Dorset, providing a sensitive and detailed look at these unique art forms.

The Inuit imagination : Arctic myth and sculpture by Harold Seidelman & James Turner

Combining images of contemporary Inuit sculpture with the traditional stories and songs, the author’s demonstrate how closely the art and mythology of the North are interrelated.