Curated by Robin Reisenfeld, former curator of works on paper at the Toledo Museum of Art, and faculty member in modern and contemporary art at Christie’s Education, New York. 

Giving VOICE: Native American Printmaking showcases recent Native American prints from Crow's Shadow Institute of Art, located on the Umatilla Reservation in northeastern Oregon. With its roots in collaborative practice and community, Crow’s Shadow was established in 1992 by James Lavadour (Walla Walla) and Phillip Cash (Cayuse and Nez Perce) to foster economic and cultural development for Native American artists. Since its founding the Institute has grown into an internationally acclaimed printmaking atelier that is widely recognized for its role in sustaining contemporary indigenous visual art.

Featuring 40+ works created by many of today’s leading artists, Giving VOICE portrays a variety of experiences and themes found within contemporary indigenous art. Created through diverse styles and processes, works range from Marie Watt’s recent woodcut designs that symbolically allude to the war protests and anti-hate content of the 1960’s, to Raven Chacon’s lithographic series of musical notations dedicated to Indigenous women composers. Other artists such as James Lavadour, Kay Walking Stick and Emily Arthur make the natural environment and the connection to the land their focus. Alternatively, Wendy Red Star’s and Jim Denomie’s ironic depictions address communal history and identity to reclaim their indigenous heritage and counter misunderstandings about Native people. Though highly individual in approach and content, collectively these works display what Choctaw/Chickasaw art historian heather atone has termed “an active sense of presence,” and attest to how Crow’s Shadow’s artists innovatively utilize printmaking to powerfully convey indigenous cultural and social values and a communal sense of belonging.

Gallery Hours

Monday:  CLOSED

Tuesday - Saturday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Closed University Holidays