Image: Premises for Self-Rule, 1994, Robert Houle at NMAI

Description: Picture of Robert Houle's mixed media work Premises for Self-Rule: The Royal Proclamation, 1763 (1994) at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in 2023. A large abstract blue painting hangs on a wall, directly adjacent to a large block of text applied to the gallery wall in black vinyl lettering, with a black and white photograph mounted in the center left, covering a portion of the text. The painting is gestural, with visibly applied strokes creating a field of deep midnight blues; the right and top portions of the painting are darker than the rest, and several short, faint squiggles of white paint can be seen scattered throughout these portions. The text on the wall contains the beginning of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, a proclamation issued by King George III that is considered the first legal recognition of Aboriginal title, rights and freedom for First Nations peoples in what is now Canada. The photograph mounted over the text is a black and white image of several Tipis in a field, taken from an early 20th century gathering of Blackfoot (Niitsitapi) peoples in Fort Macleod, Alberta.
Title: Premises for Self-Rule, 1994, Robert Houle at NMAI
Credit: Own work
Author: Original work: Robert Houle Depiction: 19h00s
Usage Terms: Fair use of copyrighted material in the context of Robert Houle
License: Fair use
License Link: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Premises_for_Self-Rule,_1994,_Robert_Houle_at_NMAI.jpg