In this absurd scenario, a flat, illustrated deer becomes the model in a life-drawing class. While also a symbol in Peyote religion, here the blue deer references “Bambi” art, a style popularized by some Native artists. America Meredith pokes fun at instructor Dorothy Dunn, a white woman who holds an ambiguous place in Native art history. While she trained many young Native artists, she also deliberately refrained from teaching life drawing, perspective or color theory and only allowed students to work from memory, hoping to promote an “authentic” kind of Native art. In this painting, however, the three Native students ignore Dunn’s instructions and paint in their own styles.

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From the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery website:

“Women have long been the creative force behind Native American art, yet their individual contributions have been largely unrecognized, instead treated as anonymous representations of entire cultures. ‘Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists’ explores the artistic achievements of Native women and establishes their rightful place in the art world.”

Best to view in "Original" because other versions resized by Pbase are decidedly unsharp.

‘Blanket Stories,’ Marie Watt (Seneca), 2007, posted earlier: