T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America

One of the most influential, innovative, and talented Native American artists of the 20th-century, T.C. Cannon embodied the activism, cultural transition and creative expression that defined America in the 1960s and 1970s. 

Cannon’s work—as an artist, poet, and aspiring musician—is deeply personal yet undeniably political, reflecting his cultural heritage, experience as a Vietnam War veteran, and the turbulent social and political period during which he worked. Cannon preferred bold color combinations, mash-ups between Native and non-Native elements and never shied away from the complexity and nuance of identity politics. Cannon interrogated American history and popular culture through his Native lens, and exercised a rigorous mastery of Western art historical tropes while creating an entirely fresh visual vocabulary. 

T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America celebrates Cannon’s creative range and artistic legacy through numerous paintings and works on paper, as well as his poetry and music.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website

T. C. Cannon (1946–1978, Caddo/Kiowa), Two Guns Arikara, 1974–77. Acrylic and oil on canvas. Anne Aberbach and Family, Paradise Valley, Arizona. © 2018 Estate of T. C. Cannon. Photo by Thosh Collins

Whether you go or not, the exhibition catalog,  , is vividly illustrated and meticulously researched.  Cannon's paintings, prints, and drawings are illuminated alongside his poems and song lyrics. It provides an intimate glimpse into the artist's life and work through art historical and interdisciplinary essays from scholars, painters, and those who knew him, and includes newly published personal ephemera, photographs, and both handwritten and typewritten manuscript pages. A special selection of original poetry from Native poets Joy Harjo, Sherwin Bitsui, Joan Naviyuk Kane, and Santee Frazier celebrate the artist's legacy and his ongoing inspiration.

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