Acquiring Hinushi 10

The Fall 2024 PhotoFutures Student Committee made their recommendation to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art to acquire Hinushi 10 by Sarah Sense in the below letter:

October 30, 2024 

Dear Dr. Joe Becherer, 

We, the students of Fall 2024 PhotoFutures, are writing to recommend the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art acquire Hinushi 10, a piece from Sarah Sense’s photography series Hinushi. Our class was tasked with distinguishing a contemporary photograph that embodies the theme of Indigenizing photography. After extensive and thoughtful deliberation, we have concluded that Hinushi 10 best encapsulates the notion of Indigenizing photography. Photography has served as a means of forwarding colonial ambitions since the invention of the art form. Staged, inauthentic photographs allowed for a commodification of the Indigenous image that further entrenched racist stereotypes. The mission of Indigenizing photography taken up by Indigenous artists is deeply significant, as it reclaims a historically discriminatory art form and revitalizes it in the name of identity, community, and justice. 

Sense incorporates allotment papers – historical documents used to alienate Indigenous Peoples from their lands, communities, and cultures – into a woven tapestry that recontextualizes this history and juxtaposes it with contemporary Indigenous representations. Hinushi 10 weaves the people and their histories back together with a traditional weaving pattern. Weaving patterns are an important part of the cultural heritage of many Indigenous Peoples, a cultural heritage the policies expressed within the allotment papers attempted to erase. Through her meticulous layering of personal and historical images, Sense demonstrates the resilience of Indigenous culture and the growing strength of their future. One of the photographs included in the piece depicts Sense’s son, who represents a new generation of Indigeneity. This generation is the result of decades of adaptation and evolution in both times of persecution and revitalization. The son looks outward at the landscape and towards a future that includes the memories of the past but is not defined by them. 

Sarah Sense’s Hinushi 10 adds immense value to the Raclin Murphy as the piece affords the museum a meditation on the intermixing of traditional art practices of the past with contemporary photography. While there are contemporary works in our collection that utilize traditional weaving practices, we stress the importance of expanding this collection with Sense’s piece. This revolutionary form employs both weaving and photography to demonstrate the innovation and resilience that is foundational to Indigenous art. Sense’s piece articulates how cultural practices evolve and are not a figment of the past, but instead a means of advancing modern ideas and identity. Sense’s piece fits seamlessly into the mission of our Indigenous Gallery, both supporting and advancing our commitment to illuminating contemporary artists working in unique ways and demonstrating a strong and dynamic art tradition. No matter where this piece finds a home in our museum, it will provide students and patrons with the opportunity to reflect on the modernity of Indigenous art and the vitality of visual sovereignty.

Acquiring this piece effectively aligns with Notre Dame’s mission statement. As a university, Notre Dame prides itself on the “pursuit and sharing of truth for its own sake.” This piece conveys a truth that has been hidden by Western misconceptions and a Western washing of Indigenous history. Communicating this message is particularly pertinent to the University of Notre Dame as the institution stands on Native land. Presenting this work would serve as a means of acknowledging Indigenous history and specifically addressing Notre Dame’s long and complex history concerning Indigenous Peoples and their land. The University also seeks to instill into its students a “disciplined sensibility to the poverty, injustice, and oppression that burden the lives of so many.” This piece addresses how Indigenous Peoples have been oppressed throughout history and exemplifies how this history is so intimately intertwined with their present. By displaying this work, visitors to the Raclin Murphy will ponder and come to understand Indigenous history and culture, which is the first step of possessing a sensibility to the injustice and oppression that Indigenous communities face, which can spur the pursuit of justice. Ultimately, by showcasing Sense’s Hinushi 10, Notre Dame’s aim “to create a sense of human solidarity and concern for the common good that will bear fruit as learning becomes service to justice” will be achieved. 

This work complements the goal of the University’s Native American Initiatives to increase intellectual and cultural knowledge about Indigenous Peoples through an understanding of history and their current being. Concurrently with Native American Initiatives, this piece strives to acknowledge the presence of Indigenous Peoples in society and their physical occupation of land. This is particularly significant as the controlling and designating of Indigenous land has historically been a means of separation and isolation aimed towards the eventual erasure of a people and culture. Hinushi 10 conveys the past and present realities of Indigenous Peoples in society, showcasing their resilience despite displacement and dispossession, and their continuity in art and society. 

Sincerely, 

PhotoFutures 2024 

Kathleen Healey ’26, Shari Smith ’27, Gabrielle Canzoniero ’26, Kiara Taylor ’27, Emmelia Kromkowski ’26, Mary Ann Sleece ILI Affiliate, Grace Gao MFA ’27, and Elsa Cox ’25 …with the invaluable support of Bridget Hoyt, Zada Ballew, Jared Katz, Professor Ashlee Bird, Tara Kenjockety, and David Acton