Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists is an extraordinary exhibition, and I was lucky to visit immediately after its opening at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.
Only a few weeks later, the Renwick has been temporarily shuttered by the global health crisis that is now impacting all of our lives. I am left hoping for a more settled time when visitors can again be allowed access to this powerful work – as a beautiful testament to resilience, growth, community, and creativity, Hearts of Our People is a profound exhibition for these times.
I took just a few photographs of pieces that particularly struck me, but this is just a tiny representation of the work on view.
Nora Naranjo Morse (Santa Clara Pueblo) ‘Our Homes, Ourselves’
The artists in this exhibition represent cultures and communities from across North America. They draw on a variety of cultural and artistic traditions, and employ all manner of media.
Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Inupiak/Athabaskan) ‘Idiot Strings, The Things We Carry’
I’ve made no effort here to represent the depth and breadth of the work on view – happily for those who are interested in the full exhibition, there is a beautiful, thorough catalogue available and I would suggest ordering one if you can.
Marianne Nicolson (Kwakwaka’wakw, Dzawada’enuxw First Nations) ‘Baxwana’tsi: The Container For Souls’
Evelyn Vanderhoop (Haida, Gawaa Git’ans Gitanee of Massett) ‘Qingi-Monarch of the Sea, Naaxiin Robe
Lisa Telford (Haida) ‘PochaHaida’
In addition, where I’m able to find current websites for the artists represented in Hearts of Our People, I’ll provide those links below. I look forward to exploring further and learning more about their art:
Keri Ataumbi (Kiowa, Comanche) * D.Y. Begay (Navajo) * Christi Belcourt (Michif) * Rebecca Belmore (Ashinaabe) * Andrea Carlson (Ojibwe) * Kelly Church (Ottawa, Pottawatomi) * Dorothy Grant (Haida) * Jamie Okuma (Luiseno, Shoshone-Bannock) * Cherish Parrish (Ottawa, Pottawatomi) * Ramona Sakiestewa (Hopi) * Evelyn Vanderhoop (Haida) * Kay Walkingstick (Cherokee) * Robert Davidson – collaborated with Dorothy Grant – (Haida, Tlinglit)
Christi Belcourt (Michif) ‘ The Wisdom of the Universe’
Hearts of our People: Native Women Artists was organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.