Art & Art History
This guide is intended to help you get started with your art research.
Effective Searching
To find the most relevant resources on Indigenous artistic practices in our library catalogue or in other search engines or databases, think about what you'd like to search for:
- Indigenous art may also be listed as First Nations art, Aboriginal art, Native art, or Indian art. While a broad search may be a good first step in your research, these different terms are not always cross-referenced.
- If possible, try searching with specific terms (artist name, community or region, artistic medium or practice, etc.)
- Cree art
- Dene beading
- Inuit soapstone sculptures
- Chipewyan carvings
Databases for Indigenous Materials
The following databases focus on Indigenous topics and can be a good place to search for resources about Indigenous art and artistic practices.
- iPortalThe Indigenous Studies Portal (iPortal) is a database of full-text electronic resources such as books, articles, theses and documents as well as digitized materials such as photographs, archival resources, maps, etc. focusing primarily on First Nations and Aboriginals of Canada with a secondary focus on North American materials and beyond.
- Indigenous Peoples of North America This link opens in a new windowIndigenous Peoples of North America provides users with a robust, diverse, informative source that will enhance research and increase understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada. Researchers will explore the impact of invasion and colonization on Indigenous Peoples in North America, and the intersection of Indigenous and European histories and systems of knowledge through the use of manuscripts, monographs, newspapers, photographs, motion pictures, images of artwork, and more. These are the primary sources that take students beyond the facts and figures of history and into a deeper understanding of Indigenous Peoples. This digital collection fortifies the more general resources, by providing an opportunity for students to “dig into the past,” to discover the background of the ideas and cultures that have defined Indigenous societies, tribal organization, and Indian-white relations. The collection also features indigenous-language materials, including dictionaries, bibles, and primers.
- Bibliography of indigenous peoples in North America This link opens in a new windowBibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America (BIPNA) is a bibliographic database covering all aspects of Indigenous culture, history, and life in North America. This resource covers a wide range of topics including archaeology, education, the gaming industry, religion, folklore, economic development, acculturation, mythology, missions, tribal governments, and ethnohistory. BIPNA contains more than 350,000 citations for newspapers, magazines, academic journals, books, reviews, and trade publications from the United States and Canada with expanded content from Great Britain and Australia. Dates of coverage for content range from the sixteenth century to the present.
- First Nations art: an introduction to contemporary Native artists in Canada This link opens in a new windowThis Introductory Guide is intended to facilitate access to relevant biographical and bibliographic information pertaining to contemporary First Nations artists.
- Inuit Art Quarterly - ProfilesThe Inuit Art Quarterly Profiles highlights the contributions of historical and contemporary Inuit artists to the cultural and artistic heritage of their communities, Canada and the world through a centralized online resource. An extension of the Inuit Art Quarterly, the world's only magazine dedicated to Inuit and circumpolar art, the IAQ Profiles are published by the Inuit Art Foundation.
- Artists in Canada This link opens in a new windowArtists in Canada, compiled and maintained by the National Gallery of Canada Library, is a bilingual union list that identifies the location of documentation files on Canadian artists. Twenty-three libraries and art galleries across Canada have contributed biographical information and lists of their documentation files to create this resource which contains information for over 42,700 artists.
Indigenous Art Journals
You can use the following subject headings to browse journals and magazines in our library database that may contain materials related to Indigenous arts and artistic practices:
Research Guides
Want more help researching Indigenous topics? Check out these research guides.
- Indigenous Studies
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Indigenous Topics
by Bennett Jones Law Library Last Updated Jun 10, 2022 47 views this year
- Métis Studies
- Last Updated: Jan 5, 2023 10:34 AM
- URL: https://libguides.ucalgary.ca/guides/art
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