In Our Hands

A groundbreaking exhibition catalogue of Native, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit photography from the nineteenth century to the present day

Photographs of and by Native people have long been exhibited in museums. All too often, however, such exhibitions have misrepresented vital cultural and historical contexts, neglecting the depth of practice, supporting scholarship, and Native perspectives relevant to the work. By developing a broadly representative curatorial council of prominent academics and artists, more than half of whom represent Native communities in the United States and Canada, this book significantly expands the traditional discourses of photographic history.

With incisive contributions by individual curatorial council members, In Our Hands presents Native photography in three thematic sections that underscore the following: Native people are present in all facets of American life; their role is transformative in the larger society; and their view of, and connections to, the land and all living things is holistic and fundamental. The publication features 130 photographic works by Native photographers from the late nineteenth century to the present, ranging from documentary photographs to family snapshots to conceptual works. Illustrated in full color, the photographs in this book offer diverse perspectives spanning geographic, chronological, and artistic experience, and shed new light on the extraordinary contributions of Native, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists to the art of the Americas.

Distributed for the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Exhibition Schedule

Minneapolis Institute of Art (October 2023-January 2024)