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Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass

December 15, 2023–April 7, 2024

The Thomas R. Schiff Gallery (Gallery 234)
Ticketed. Free for Members. Save $2 when purchasing tickets online.
Friends of Decorative Art & Design
Friends of Contemporary Art
Press Release

 

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass celebrates a broad range of contemporary Native American and Indigenous Pacific-Rim artists working in glass. Featuring 120 pieces by 33 artists, the groundbreaking exhibition showcases works that reinterpret Traditional Stories and iconography, express contemporary issues affecting Indigenous Nations today, and meld Indigenous Traditions and Knowledge with the aesthetics and properties unique to the medium of glass.

The exhibition emerges from the historical context of the Native Glass Art Movement which began in the 1970s when Lloyd Kiva New (Cherokee)—a founder of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico—initiated a collaboration with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to create a glass blowing program at the IAIA. RISD sent early-career artist Dale Chihuly to the IAIA for one month to assist in establishing the program and the hot shop that would grow to inspire generations of Indigenous artists to explore the expressive potential of glass.

Clearly Indigenous features artists who illustrate the lasting relationships and collaborative nature inherent within global studio glass today. Among those included are Dan Friday (Lummi), “Haila” Ho Wan Ut Old Peter (Skokomish/Chehalis), Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Tony Jojola (Isleta Pueblo), Carol Lujan (Diné), Priscilla Cowie (Māori) and Djambawa Marawili (Aboriginal Australian).

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glasswas originated by The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico, where it was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and Cathy Short. The traveling exhibition was curated byDr. Letitia Chambers, is toured by International Arts & Artists, and is accompanied by a catalog published by the Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe. 

 


Go Deeper in the Conversations Gallery

During the run of Clearly Indigenous, visit the museum’s Conversations Gallery on the first floor near the main entrance. The museum curated this gallery in collaboration with Cincinnati’s Urban Native Collective (UNC) to increase understanding and generate dialogue about the contemporary experiences of Indigenous Peoples. Presenting additional examples of glass art drawn from Clearly Indigenous and multi-media components developed by UNC, this project emphasizes the interconnected nature of the environmental and social justice activism being undertaken by Indigenous communities locally and globally. 

 


Resources

Follow the links below to learn more about contemporary Indigenous experiences and to take action to support Indigenous activism regarding climate and social justice.

 


Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass Large Print Labels Exhibition Content

Download complete Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass large print labels, optimized for screen reader.

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass Etiquetas espanolas Exhibition Content

Download complete Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass large print labels en Español, optimized for screen reader.

A clear yellow glass vessel that looks like a woven basket with white cross details with red centers Survey

Share your feedback about the exhibition.

Hear verbal descriptions of highlighted artworks and interpretive content for the exhibition, wherever you are. Content is also available on the Bloomberg Connects app.

Access the Audio Exhibition

Members Opening

Thursday, December 14, 2023, 5–7 p.m.

 

Future Artifacts: Artist Talk with Dan Friday

Thursday, February 1, 2024, 7–8 p.m.

 

CAM Kids Day

Saturday, February 3, 2024, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

 

Art Together: An Art-making Program for Families with Children Ages 3–5: Shapes and Forms

Saturday, February 17, 2024, 10:15–11:15 a.m.

 

Family Studio: An Art-making Program for Families with Children Ages 6–12: Shapes and Forms

Saturday, February 17, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

 

Gallery Talk Plus

Saturday, March 9, 2024, 1–3 p.m.

 

Sold out–The 27th Annual Kreines Lecture on Decorative Arts and Design – Glass Art: A New Interpretation of American Indian Cultures

Sunday, March 10, 2024, 2–3 p.m.

 

See the Story Book Club: There, There by Tommy Orange

Saturday, March 16, 2024, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

 

Art After Dark

Friday, March 29, 2024, 5–9 p.m.

 

Writing Workshop

Saturday April 6, 2024, 1–3:30 p.m.

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in GlassClearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass

By Letitia Chambers, Photo Editor Cathy Short

Published by Museum of New Mexico Press
10 x 11 inches, Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-13: 9780890136584

Buy Now

The expertise of Native glass artists, in combination with the stories of their cultures, has produced a remarkable artistic genre. This flowering of glass art in Indian Country is the result of the coming together of two movements that began in the 1960s―the contemporary Native arts movement, championed by Lloyd Kiva New, and the studio glass art movement, founded by American glass artists such as Dale Chihuly, who started several early teaching programs. Taken together, these two movements created a new dimension of cultural and artistic expression. The glass art created by Indigenous American artists is not only a personal expression but is also imbued with cultural heritage.

This comprehensive look at this expressive medium includes multiple photographs of the impressive works by each artist.


Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass was originated by The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The traveling exhibition was curated by Dr. Letitia Chambers and is toured by International Arts & Artists.

International Arts & Artists

 

Presenting Sponsor

FEG Investment Advisors