The Class of 1971 recently reaffirmed its dedication to Dartmouth's embrace of Native American studies with the gift of a painting by T. C. Cannon for the Hood Museum of Art. Cannon, who was Kiowa, Caddo and Choctaw, is enjoying renewed attention through two major solo exhibitions, one of which traveled the nation. He was known for his bold use of color and patterns as well as combining recognizable scenes with abstraction. His career was tragically struck short by a car crash at the age of thirty-one.
As Dartmouth's second Native American artist-in-residence (in 1975), Cannon has a special place in the hearts of College alumni. The Class of 1971 has an equally special affinity for supporting projects promoting Native American life and culture, as they graduated during the first years of Native American studies at Dartmouth.
Members of the Class of 1971 approached Hood Museum Associate Curator of Native American Art Jami Powell with the offer of acquiring a painting. After an extensive search, Powell found the little-known Cannon work in a private collection, and the Class of 1971 moved swiftly to bring Taos Winter Night, as the painting is known, to Hanover, where it joins a T. C. Cannon woodcut, Collector No. 5, that is also in the museum's collection. At a class dinner on Friday, October 11, class leadership will formally present John Stomberg, the Hood Museum's Virginia Rice Kelsey 1961s Director, with the gift.
Powell states, "Cannon's Taos Winter Night represents a significant addition not only to the Native American collection at the Hood Museum but also to our strong collection of American modernist art." The painting will be on view at the Hood Museum of Art soon; watch the website for details.