About

Created by Andrew Finegold (Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Illinois Chicago), this site aims to document and analyze modern representations of and allusions to Pre-Columbian cultures and their material remains. Such appropriations are found across media, with examples occurring in both artistic and popular contexts and reflecting a wide range of motivations and attitudes. By bringing them together in one place, individual instances can be situated in relation to broader trends in the ways the ancient Americas have been characterized and represented. In addition to being of general interest, it is hoped that this archive will prove useful to educators, both as a reminder of the manner in which the Pre-Columbian past circulates as a signifier in the contemporary popular cultural milieus encountered by students, and as a resource of material to use in class as potential entry points for discussions related to the issue of cultural appropriation.

Contact: andrewfinegold(at)gmail(dot)com