For centuries, humor has played a vital role among many Native American tribes as an important form of artistic expression. Native artists past and present employ humor in a wide variety of ways, using a range of artistic media. Laughter is universally appealing and relatable. We all want to laugh and be less worried or serious. Laughter or rather, the opportunity to do so, is attractive or desirable. Laughter and Resilience: Humor in Native American Art will inspire an appreciation and better understanding of Native Art through the introduction of the concept of how humor, telling jokes, being light-hearted, and taking a less serious approach to life (especially during times that require or have required acts of resiliency), is central to many Native American groups.

A majority of the artists in this exhibit are from Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, as well as California; with a few additions of artworks from the Eiteljorg’s permanent collection. Representations from the Ojibwe, Lakota, and Haudenosaunee will be included, thus rounding out a more North American Native perspective on humor.

Visit the Eiteljorg and experience this fascinating and surprising exhibition — curated by the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, N.M. — that examines Indigenous humor in all its forms.