Fritz Scholder

Dartmouth Portrait #15

Dartmouth College was established in 1769 to provide a Christian and liberal arts education to Native Americans. However, in the span of two centuries, only nineteen Native students graduated from the school. In the absence of Native American representation in its student body, Dartmouth adopted the “Indian” as its mascot. Later, the school removed the offensive symbol in response to mounting criticism and rededicated itself to its founding mission of educating Native American students. In 1973, Dartmouth invited Fritz Scholder to lecture and participate in a new artist-in- residence program, which led to his Dartmouth Portrait series. In Dartmouth Portrait #15, Scholder draws on and away from the long history of stereotypical representations of Native Americans through his play on portrait conventions with vibrant colors and loose brushstrokes.