Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Kimowan Metchewais [McLain] Collection, Box and Folder Number; National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from National Museum of the American Indian Archive Center. Please submit a written request to nmaiphotos@si.edu. For personal or classroom use, users are invited users to download, print, photocopy, and distribute the images that are available online without prior written permission, provided that the files are not changed, the Smithsonian Institution copyright notice (where applicable) is included, and the source of the image is identified as the National Museum of the American Indian.
Scope and Contents
This subseries contains general works from various points in the artist's career. Of special note are the Polaroid works and the works on paper. These materials document the process McLain often used: playing with the format of Polaroid images, turning them into paper objects, and staining them with various processes, including tobacco. The objects in this collection have notes indicating the various scales and enlargements he experimented with when creating his large, wall-sized pieces. Some of his earliest oil on canvas paintings are also pictured in slides, 4X6 prints, and negatives, giving insight into his early career.
Collection Restrictions
Access to NMAI Archive Center collections is by appointment only, Monday - Thursday, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. Please contact the archives to make an appointment (phone: 301-238-1400, email: nmaiarchives@si.edu).