In 1994, Fred Hagstrom conducted a somewhat subversive public art experiment. He created several books and shipped them as gifts to high schools in rural Minnesota, including some on reservations. Who We Are is one of those books. In it, Hagstrom addresses social and cultural issues of Native Americans, and his hope was that the students would find relevance in the pages of his work.
Now, nearly twenty years after its publication, the issues that Hagstrom raised and depicted through photographic
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imagery and text are still pertinent: tribal sovereignty, offensive stereotyping, continuing prejudice and the struggle to maintain Native American cultural identity.
Even though equality and civil rights were legally granted several decades ago, Native Americans remain among the most disadvantaged people in the United States. Who We Are brings to light the still daunting struggle of America’s indigenous people.
Who We Are
Fred Hagstrom |
