Jessica Crabtree

Image from National Geographic.

Putting Together an Art Portfolio

Professional artists and gallery owners alike would agree that one of the most important steps for an artist hoping to pursue an art career is making an art portfolio. If you plan on showing your work in a gallery or organizing an exhibit, you’ll need to have at least one copy ready. Here are a few tips on putting one together.

Presentation

The first thing you’ll need is something to put it in. Art supply stores usually offer ready-made portfolio kits but these can be considerably more expensive than buying the binders and sleeves yourself. You can get a very nice binder at an office supply store for only a few dollars along with a pack of clear plastic sleeves for prints of you artwork. Make sure to choose a binder with pockets and a window for displaying your business card.

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May 7, 1763: Pontiac’s War begins with the siege of Fort Detroit by a coalition of Native American forces

The war is named for Pontiac, an Ottawa chief who led a coalition army in an all-out war to eradicate British influence from the Northwest frontier.

Background

The major result of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the changeover of colonial power in North America from French to British hands. The commander in chief of British forces in America was General Jeffrey Amherst, who like many of his peers viewed the Native Americans contemptuously, and this was reflected in the new British policies. Amherst put an end to ceremonial gift giving traditionally used between Indians and their allies, placed strict limits on the sale of weapons to Indians, and severely regulated trade between colonists and Indians.

The French, in contrast to the English, had been less interested in mass-colonization, and thought of Native Americans more as business colleagues. French trappers and fur traders often lived among the Indian nations who were their trade partners, marrying into or being adopted by Indian families; French settlements existed side by side with Native villages. Many of the nations of the “Old Northwest Territory,” comprising the highly desirable land around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley, were formerly French allies and found the changes of this new regime alarming.

In addition, peoples of the Old Northwest such as the Ottawa, Miami, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ojibway, and Wyandot suffered greatly from the pressures of colonial encroachment. The effects of European diseases, the introduction of liquor through trade, and intertribal conflicts over resources all contributed to a breakdown of family groups and traditional culture. In this setting religious leaders such as Neolin, of the Lenape nation, actively promoted a campaign to shun European customs and embrace traditional values. As with other nativist movements, including those of Tenskwatawa and Wovoka, the religious message became a platform for political unity and eventually a resistance movement – often spearheaded by a charismatic military leader.

Click image for larger view. Image source: University of Omaha website

Legacy

The war ultimately lasted three years and was possibly the most violent and destructive conflict to take place between Native Americans and English colonists since King Philip’s War nearly a century earlier.

It resulted in the fall of several important forts, including Detroit and Michilimackinac, and the death, displacement, or capture of thousands of settlers throughout the Upper Midwest.

The most infamous event during this war was the British use of biological warfare against the Indians, by distributing smallpox-infected blankets among them. Exactly who was responsible for this policy is still controversial, although it is now believed that Amherst alone was not solely responsible.

Although the uprising failed to remove British power from the region, the British were unable to defeat the Native alliance, which led to the revision of many overbearing policies. The ratification of the Proclamation of 1763 barred English expansion into the Old Northwest and recognized the sovereignty of its Native American nations – a decision which outraged American colonists and became a contributing cause of the Revolution. When Americans began expansion into the Northwest Territory after the Revolution – disregarding the Proclamation Line – the British by and large kept the agreements made with Indian nations during Pontiac’s War. They later fought together as allies against the American expansion during the War of 1812. Pontiac’s War set the stage for later pan-Indian movements, such as those led by Tecumseh.

Right: Lord Jeffrey Amherst, 1765 (Wikipedia)

Links

Ohio History Central – related articles

We Shall Remain: Tecumseh’s Vision – (you can watch the American Experience docudrama online here)

The War That Made America – PBS mini-series on the French and Indian War

Michigan State University: History of the Northwest Territory

Wikipedia: Pontiac’s Rebellion

About.com European History: “Pontiac’s War”

About 1966 or so, a NASA team doing work for the Apollo moon mission took the astronauts near Tuba City where the terrain of the Navajo reservation looks very much like the lunar surface. With all the trucks and large vehicles there were two large figures that were dressed in full lunar spacesuits.

Nearby a Navajo sheep herder and his son were watching the strange creatures walk about, occasionally being tended by personnel. The two Navajo people were noticed and approached by the NASA personnel. Since the man did not know English, his son asked for him what the strange creatures were and the NASA people told them that they are just men getting ready to go to the moon. The man became very excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts.

The NASA people thought this was a great idea so they rustled up a tape recorder. After the man gave them his message they asked his son to translate. His son would not.

Later, they tried a few more people on the reservation to translate, and every person they asked would chuckle and refuse to translate. Finally, with cash in hand, someone translated the message:

“Watch out for these guys, they come to take your land.”

Note: Snopes.com has this story classified as an urban legend; but it’s witty enough to bear repeating!