In The Spirit of The Ancestors:
The Kappmeyer Collection of Native American Art

June 28 - September 28, 1997

Exceptional silverwork, ceramics, baskets, paintings, sculptures and weavings were shown in the summer's major exhibition. The exhibit featured notable native American artists including Nampeyo of Hano, Margaret Tafoya, Maria Martinez, Helen Shupla and Virgil Ortiz. The exhibition also featured photographs by Edward Sheriff Curtis. From the matriarchs of pueblo pottery to some of today's most exciting young innovators, this was a significant collection of the work of a group of important artists. The Kappmeyer Collection demonstrates the ongoing evolution of Native American art forms: grounded in tradition, but responsive to the expressive needs of contemporary artists.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Erie Art Museum and Four Winds Gallery (Pittsburgh, PA) proudly announced a beautiful book: In The Spirit of The Ancestors: The Kappmeyer Collection. The catalog documents this outstanding group of works celebrating excellence in pottery, kachinas, weavings, basketry, metalwork, painting and sculpture, drawn from the collection of Keith Kappmeyer. Against a backdrop of beautiful full-color and vintage photographs, In The Spirit of the Ancestors documents this important collection, providing an introduction to southwestern Native American art. Over 80 photographs illustrate more than 300 works of art, most of which have not been previously seen.