Honoring Modern Unidentified .4

Gina Adams, artist

born 1965

Honoring Modern Unidentified .4, 2013

Where object was made: Lawrence, Kansas, United States

Material/technique: oil; encaustic; ceramic

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 23 x 23 cm
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 31.5 x 25 x 25 cm with base
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 12 3/8 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2014.0034

Not on display

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Separate and Not Equal: A History of Race and Education in America

For her Honoring Modern Unidentified series, Adams responded to the unidentified, anonymous ways many Native people are represented in museum collections. To make this piece, she recreated beadwork designs from the Spencer’s collection that she etched onto ceramic basketballs. He work honors these unknown makers, as well as the countless other Native peoples whose names, cultural identities, and homelands have been lost because of colonialism and subsequent oppression.
Originally taught at boarding schools as part of assimilation attempts, basketball has since been reappropriated by Native communities and is today viewed as a source of resistance, opportunity, and means for survival. Sports, including basketball, can offer Native youth an escape from the often harsh
reservation conditions and provide educational opportunities through athletic scholarships.