By Outside of the Museum of Fine Arts stands “ ,” a statue that has stood at the museum’s entrance for over 100 years. Opinions on the statue from museum visitors are . Some people see it as a symbol of freedom and strength, and others view it as an inaccurate and stereotypical portrayal of a Native American man.
Last week, the MFA a series of annual commissions that will serve as a form of “response” to “Appeal to the Great Spirit.” The first project will be an exhibit called “The Knowledge Keepers” by artist Alan Michelson, a Mohawk member of Six Nations of the Grand River. “In 2024, I hope my site-specific installation will challenge ingrained stereotypes and racial myths by presenting a story of survival and agency, not defeat or appeal, and I thank the museum for supporting this work,” Michelson said in a statement.
The statue was installed at the museum’s front entrance on Huntington Avenue in 1912 and has assumed that position since. “Appeal” was never meant to be a permanent fixture of the MFA’s lawn, but it eventually became an icon of the museum, according to the on the MFA website. The MFA says that critics praised “Appeal” at the time it was created, but has since said that the statue perpetuates stereotypical portrayals of Native people.
“Today, the MFA’s interpretation recognizes that the ‘Appeal’ is based on an inaccurate accumulation of Native symbols and ultimately capitalized on the degrading myth of the ‘vanishing.