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Art News

New Sculpture Acquisition at the KIA Showcases African-American Artist

KALAMAZOO, MI.- Just in time for the start of African American History Month, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts has put on display their latest acquisition, Edmonia Lewis’s, “The Marriage of Hiawatha”, 1872, marble. This statue was purchased through the generosity of an anonymous donor. Now on display in the lobby of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, “The Marriage of Hiawatha” is a white, marble statue reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. The piece was inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 epic poem, “The Song of Hiawatha”. The poem recounts the life of mythical Ojibwa hero Hiawatha and the lessons he taught his people. Longfellow’s Hiawatha embraced the changes brought by white men as leading to a better way of life for Native Americans. This romantic story reflected that era’s stereotypes of native people as a vanishing race of noble savages. The poem’s popularity and Longfellow’s celebrity ensured public