The Magazine is a radical field guide to contemporary Indigenous art, curated by the Native Arts + Cultures Foundation (NACF). NACF is a Native-led philanthropic organization dedicated to the perpetuation of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian arts and cultures. NACF advances equity and cultural knowledge, focusing on the power of arts and collaboration to strengthen Native communities and promote positive social change with Native peoples in the United States. The latest issue of The Magazine explores Indigenous fashion and wearable culture with discussions about apparel manufacturing and environmental stewardship, and interrogations of the relationship between artists and their materials.
Once merely for protection from the elements, clothing today conveys personality, history, and purpose. The scope of the issue is broad, reaching. There are discussions about apparel manufacturing and environmental stewardship, and interrogations of the relationship between artists and their materials. This issue examines how apparel holds stories, memories, and power.
Human beings are the only creatures on the planet that clothe themselves. Not just what we wear, but that we wear is a critical part of what makes us human. Early colonizers denied Indigenous clothing, perpetuating the myth that Native people were all naked to assert their superiority—a blatant act of dehumanization. The stories in this issue reaffirm that it was Indigenous people who invented fashion; it is Indigenous people who continue to innovate on the form. It is the endurance and continuity of Native artists that propel our world forward.
