The Archaeology of Art in the American Southwest

(Paperback)

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Archaeologists seldom study ancient art, even though art is fundamental to the human experience. The Archaeology of Art in the American Southwest argues that archaeologists should study ancient artifacts as artwork, as applying the term 'art' to the past raises new questions about artists, audiences, and the works of art themselves. Munson proposes that studies of ancient artwork be based on standard archaeological approaches to material culture, framed by theoretical insights of disciplines such as art history, visual studies, and psychology. Using examples drawn from the American Southwest, The Archaeology of Art in the American Southwest discusses artistic practice in ancestral Pueblo and Mimbres ceramics and the implications of context and accessibility for the audiences of painted murals and rock art. Studies of Hohokam figurines and rock art illustrate methods for studying ancient images, while the aesthetics of ancient art are suggested by work on ceramics and kivas from Chaco Canyon. This book will be of interest to archaeologists working in the Southwest who want to broaden their perspective on the past. It will also appeal to archaeologists in other parts of the world and to anthropologists, art historians, and those who are intrigued by the material world, aesthetics, and the visual.

Reviews

Anthropological archaeologists have long faced a contradiction: We appreciate the beauty of the objects we study, but, lacking insights into aesthetics and art, we dryly reduce those objects to artifacts and data. In this new book, Marit Munson provides us with an enlightening new perspective for understanding art - the artists, the audiences, the images, and the aesthetics - in the archaeology of the ancient Southwest. For readers interested in art in general, the book showcases insights gained from the Southwestern past. And for those specially interested in the Southwest, Munson opens eyes and minds to new ways of seeing. -- Michelle Hegmon, Arizona State University
Many people value southwestern archaeology for its art, for the beauty of its ancient pottery, enigmatic rock art and finely-made shell and stone jewelry. Archaeologists find this attraction uncomfortable, because we are trained to emphasize general patterns in material remains rather than unique achievements, and we know that we will never understand the meanings these objects - however magnificent - had for the people who made and used them. In this thoughtful and concise treatment, Marit Munson argues persuasively that archaeologists have much to learn by expanding their vision to include the art behind the artifacts considering the artists, their audiences, the imagery, and even their aesthetics, because in doing so we develop new tools to better understand the past. -- Linda S. Cordell, senior scholar, School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe; professor emerita, University of Colorado, Boulder

Author Bio

Marit K. Munson is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Trent University and director of the Trent University Archaeological Research Centre, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.