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Artist/Maker
Tom Huff
(Native American [Seneca-Cayuga], born 1952)
Date1989
MediumVirginia steatite and wood
DimensionsComposition: 47.3 x 26.7 cm (18 5/8 x 10 1/2 in.)
Credit LinePurchased with funds donated by William G. Roehrick, Class of 1934, H1971, in honor of Chief Skenandoah
Object number1995.7
Not on view
DescriptionTom Huff’s artwork brings together traditional Native American iconography and materials with contemporary techniques in stone carving. Of Seneca and Cayuga descent, Huff is part of a movement that began in the 1970s in which artists of Native American ancestry reclaimed appropriations of their heritage. This piece was carved from Virginia steatite, also known as soapstone, a soft and workable stone found in the Appalachian and Chesapeake region. Historically, Native American craftsmen used this stone to create pots, bowls, and pipes. The sculpture’s form resembles a tree, complete with bark and protruding branches, referencing the natural materials that inspired it. (SOURCE: Wellin Museum permanent collection label, Summer 2016).
Additional Details
Exhibition History
2012
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Archive Hall: Art and Artifacts," October 6, 2012 - Present (no cat.);
1995
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "Dreams and Visions from the Woodlands: Contemporary Artists of the Iroquois and Ojibwa," January 16 - February 19, 1995 (needs to be confirmed).
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Archive Hall: Art and Artifacts," October 6, 2012 - Present (no cat.);
1995
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "Dreams and Visions from the Woodlands: Contemporary Artists of the Iroquois and Ojibwa," January 16 - February 19, 1995 (needs to be confirmed).
Provenance
1995: Hamilton College (Emerson Gallery), by purchase from the artist.
Published References
Emerson Gallery, Hamitlon College, "Gallery Acquires Contemporary Native American Art", FRIENDS OF ART NEWSLETTER (August 1995).
Signature
Signed on bottom of wooden base: Tom HUFF 1989
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