There is beauty in sadness, however painful it may be. There is also joy in loss, though the loss may be irreconcilable. Peace comes through arriving at the top of a mountain that it took a lifetime to climb, and appreciation of the experiences of others leads to a recognition of the artful beauty they possess. Native American art in particular purposely seeks out those moments of joy/pain, peace/war, and love/hate that fill ordinary life, and expounds on those moments. Native history is full of such experiences, both individually as well as collectively, and because of that history there will never be a lack of material from which to draw.

Of course, history continues into the future so an exciting element of Native art will be to watch it continue to evolve. Native Americans have a rich past and a developing future which holds an ever-growing canvas upon which to paint. How that looks remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly be a thing of beautiful insight.

Past generations employed greater standards of propriety in many ways than our modern American culture dictates. Art was expected to convey not only beauty and meaning, but also nobility, respectfulness, and often an air of something to be achieved. Peaceful contemplation was a frequent theme in portraits, and rolling landscapes filled quiet halls with calming images. Today, artists embrace life’s realities with perhaps more artistic license, bringing a grit and sometimes an unsettling nature to their pieces. These may not always please every art show attendee, but they are truly art, nonetheless.

Art is a creative reflection of life, simply stated, and thus its definition is ambiguous. Perhaps it should remain that way.

Why are certain items considered even remotely artistic or appealing to the eye? Perhaps because they reflect the experience of people in our current culture. Previous generations created art from the scenery around them, from industries growing up in their cities, and from the people around them. Today’s artists do the same thing by employing objects, experiences, and current events in their work. Bullet casings might not seem very artistic to a well-to-do Seattle businessman, but to a young man raised in a New York City ghetto where crime is rampant, bullet casings speak volumes about daily reality. There is beauty in reality, even when it is frightening.

Post-it notes? Well, it’s hard to see any deep meaning in those compared to bullet casings. Though, maybe the single mother of three children struggling to support her family with a boring office clerk job after her husband was gunned down in a grocery store robbery might see something meaningful even in post-it notes.

Hence, art is born.