The Arrow Dance

Louis McClellan Potter

1907 · Bronze · The American Wing

Potter studied in Paris in the late 1890s before setting up a studio in New York. Beginning in 1904, he traveled to the American West and to Alaska, producing statuettes based on his interactions with Indigenous peoples. He completed several sculptures interpreting Sioux rituals, including The Arrow Dance, in which a solitary figure points to an arrow lying on the ground. The pose implies rhythmic movement and a thorough absorption in the ceremonial dance.

Artist

Louis McClellan Potter

Date

1907

Medium

Bronze

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin C. Stephens, in memory of Helen Tresch, 1986