Burke Book Club | Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast
Date & Time
Thursday, January 21, 2027
6:30 p.m.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
This event is in the past.
Tickets
FREE and open to the public;
Registration required.
Join us for a relaxing evening with the Burke Book Club!
Each meeting, we’ll hear from Burke staff about a book they recommend. Feel free to read the book ahead of time, or join us to learn more about the selection.
Our January selection is Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast edited by by Katie Bunn-Marcuse and Aldona Jonaitis.
Discussion will be led by Burke Museum Curator of Northwest Native Art and Bill Holm Center Director Katie Bunn-Marcuse.
All book club titles are available for purchase in the Burke Store.
About Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast
Inseparable from its communities, Northwest Coast art functions aesthetically and performatively beyond the scope of non-Indigenous scholarship, from demonstrating kinship connections to manifesting spiritual power. Contributors to this volume foreground Indigenous understandings in recognition of this rich context and its historical erasure within the discipline of art history.
By centering voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, integrating the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders about their artistic heritage, and questioning current institutional practices, these new essays "unsettle" Northwest Coast art studies. Key themes include discussions of cultural heritage protections and Native sovereignty; re-centering women and their critical role in transmitting cultural knowledge; reflecting on decolonization work in museums; and examining how artworks function as living documents. The volume exemplifies respectful and relational engagement with Indigenous art and advocates for more accountable scholarship and practices. (From University of Washington Press)
Upcoming Book Club Events
Thursday, February 18
Unmaking the Bomb: Environmental Cleanup and the Politics of Impossibility
Thursday, March 18
Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature
