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Harbor History Talk - Odawa Art in Austria

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Thursday, April 18, 2019
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm (Expired)
Harbor Springs Area Historical Society
349 E. Main Street
Harbor Springs, MI 49740 (231) 526-9771
Cost: Admission is $5 for Historical Society members and $10 for non-members
Contact & More Info
http://www.harborspringshistory.org
Contact: Beth Sylak
Email: info@harborspringshistory.org
Phone: (231) 526-9771

The Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, Austria recently added a remarkable collection of Odawa art to its permanent exhibition on North American history. How Anishnaabek art from Middle and Cross Village ended up in Vienna is the topic of the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society’s next Harbor History Talk on Thursday, April 18 with presenter Eric Hemenway.

The story begins in the 1850s when a Bavarian painter named Martin Pitzer came to the area. Pitzer traveled to various missions and churches on the Great Lakes, adding decorative paintings to many of them. During his travels he collected items from many Indian communities, including the Odawa of Little Traverse Bay. Pitzer returned to Austria in 1853 and his collection eventually ended up at the Museum of Ethnology.

These important artifacts reflect the immense changes the Odawa were experiencing in the 1800s as they faced government policies of assimilation and removal. Many of the artifacts show a melding of Christian ideology and Odawa art. Remarkably, the collection is in pristine condition despite being close to 200 years old.

Eric Hemenway, Director or Archives and Records for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, has been working with the Museum of Ethnology for several years to provide historic context and a tribal perspective on the time period the artifacts come from. He also helped connect the museum with Odawa artists in the community today, provided primary sources for their exhibition and flew to Vienna to consult on the final stages of the installation of the artifacts.

Hemenway's talk will take place at 5:30 pm on the second floor of the Harbor Springs History Museum. Admission is $5 for Historical Society members and $10 for non-members. Refreshments will be provided.  Due to limited seating at the museum reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made by calling (231) 526-9771.