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Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Beyond Cultural Labeling, Beyond Art Versus Craft
By MARGO JEFFERSON
"Snail Trail Quilt" by Mary Maxtion. Vibrant and, more important, abstract, quilts like this one now have the imprimatur of high art.
Once upon a time (not long ago), what people called primitive art was rarely seen in major museums. Now we see a fair amount, and it has acquired the standard museum perks: handsome exhibitions, critical raves, academic studies and eager audiences. It is called non-Western art. And this is not a squeamish politically correct term. It is a bland, functional one, just like "Western art." Both kinds can be organized according to continent, country, ethnic group, period or style. The word "primitive" trumped all such categories. It didn't mean ancient or civilized. It meant primal, instinctual and ahistorical. ...