A century later, Navajo photographer and installation artist Will Wilson decided it was time to update the antiquated Curtis images with new ones reflecting indigenous peoples in modern terms. To do that, he turned to a classic look, using wetplate techniques combined with digital processes to create The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange, a body of work that updates native culture to modern times.
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But all this week, through Sunday, Wilson will be in the Denver Art Museum's artist-in-residence studio in the American Indian Galleries (third floor of the North Building) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, making tintypes of anyone who walks in. Reservations are not needed, but expect to wait your turn. (Wilson says that on a good day, he can process about five tintypes in an hour.) And after you've posed for his antique camera and he's disappeared into the red, Eskimo ice-fishing tent that serves as his portable darkroom to conjure the image, you'll receive the plate as a free memento.If five straight hours of photographic alchemy sounds like a grind, don't worry. "This is like a working vacation for me," Wilson notes cheerfully, as he applies chemicals to the tin plates that will hold the images. It's an imperfect technique -- during our studio visit with Wilson, he wasn't getting images as clear as he'd like -- but a fascinating one.
As part of his residence (backed by an NEA grant received by the DAM in November), Wilson will also be available for chatting from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, March 29, at an Insider Moment with Will Wilson (seventh floor photography gallery, North Building). And from 6 to 10 p.m. that night, he'll be part of the DAM's Friday-night Untitled #55 (Bound), during which a pop-up gallery of work created during Wilson's residency will appear; it will stay up through April 7.
All events and exhibits in conjunction with Wilson's DAM stay are included in the regular museum admission price; visit the DAM online for information.Find information on hundreds of other arts and entertainment events in our online Calendar.
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