Our new exhibit, The Cinematic West: The Art That Made The Movies, examines the connection between artists Frederic Remington and Charles Russell and the birth of Hollywood’s Western film genre. Today, many are familiar with the behind-the-scenes stories of the famous directors and actors of these Westerns, like John Ford and John Wayne. How much do you know about the stories and perspectives of the Native actors in these films?

In this talk, Liza Black will draw heavily on her book Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, 1941-1960. She will delve into the experience of American Indian actors on the sets of classic Western films. She will address issues such as life on film sets, pay scales for extras and actors, and Native men who lived and worked as actors in Los Angeles. She will also take us to the Navajo Reservation to unpack the experiences of Navajo people on film sets with directors such as John Ford. Lastly, she will engage with the complicated mess of Native people playing Native characters to fit Hollywood’s vision and non-Native men working as technical advisors who earned extra pay to teach Hollywood’s version of Native-ness to Native people.

Speaker:

• Dr. Liza Black, Associate Professor, History & Native American/Indigenous Studies at Indiana University

**Please note that this is a virtual program that will take place on Zoom.**

Registration Required – Opens April 22

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation may be provided during this event upon advance request.

Ages: 18+

Contact: Director of Adult Programs at adulteducation@SidRichardsonMuseum.org or 817.332.6554 if you have any questions or would like to be added to the wait list when registration is full.