New Contemporary Native Art Exhibit At Wash. Historical Society

From the Washington State Historical Society

TACOMA, WA — What is happening in the Indigenous art world in our region? Find out at the 14th annual IN THE SPIRIT Contemporary Native Arts Exhibition. The exhibition opens on Third Thursday, June 20, at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma and will be on view through Sunday, August 11. If you are in need of a new work of art for your home or business, note that many of the original works on view will be available for purchase.

“This year’s exhibition features 30 works of art by Native artists. Some of them have exhibited in previous years, including RYAN! Feddersen and Linley B. Logan. We’re honored to feature artists who are new to the show as well, including Dan Friday’s works in glass, and Robin Lovelace’s stainless steel mask sculpture,” said the History Museum’s Lead Program Manager Molly Wilmoth.

Get free admission on June 20 from 3:00-8:00 PM and meet some of the artists during the artist awards ceremony at 6:30 PM. Awards include Best in Show, Honoring Innovation, Honoring the Northwest, and Honoring Tradition.

“This juried exhibition is a way for us to connect the Historical Society’s Native collections with today’s thriving Indigenous art scene,” said Mary Mikel Stump, WSHS Director of Audience Engagement. Each spring, artists submit work for consideration by a jury. In addition to Stump, the 2019 jury included artist Charles Bloomfield, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Saanich and Lummi; Todd Clark, director of IMNDN, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the advancement of contemporary Native art and artists; and WSHS Head of Collections Lynette Miller.

Artworks on view will include mixed media, paintings, beadwork, textiles, sculpture, carving, and basketry. Throughout the run of the exhibition, visitors can vote for their favorite work on view; the top two People’s Choice awards will be announced at the free IN THE SPIRIT Northwest Native Festival on August 10, held in collaboration with Tacoma Art Museum and the Museum of Glass.

IN THE SPIRIT Contemporary Native Arts is generously supported by the Bamford Foundation and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

Image credits (from top to bottom, left to right):

• IN THE SPIRIT logo designed by Jeffrey Veregge, Port Gamble S'Klallam.
• Lily Hope, Tlingit, Little Watchman Chilkat Weaving Ensemble, 2018. Wool jacket, hand spun merino wool warp, merino wool weft yarns, .22 magnum bullet shells, beaver fur.
• Robin Lovelace, Tlingit, Predator Cannibal, 2011. Stainless steel, abalone, 14 × 6 inches.
• Dan Friday, Lummi, Full circle Totem, 2017, Glass, 42 × 6 × 12 inches.
• Earl Davis, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, Coastal Mjolnir, 2019. Red cedar, etched glass, paint, LED lighting, 27 inches diameter.
• Heather Johnson-Jock, Jameston S’Klallam Tribe, Four Elements Salish, 2019. Hand-spun wool yarn, commercial yarn, 23 × 90 inches.