AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Contemporary Art from Oregon’s Umatilla Indian Reservation

A compact exhibit highlights the work of seven contemporary Native American artists at New York’s Gustav Heye Center

Leah Binkovitz
Wendy Red Star, enit, 2010. Lithograph on paper with archival pigment ink photograph.
Wendy Red Star, enit, 2010. Lithograph on paper with archival pigment ink photograph. Image courtesy of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts

In the shadow of the Blue Mountain foothills on the Umatilla Reservation in Orgeon, Crow’s Shadow Institute of Art has been nurturing and cultivating American Indian artists from across the country. The works of seven of those artists are now on display at the American Indian Museum’s Gustav Heye Center in New York City.

“Making Marks: Prints from Crow’s Shadow” will feature pieces from Rick Bartow (Wiyot), Phillip John Charette (Yup’ik), Joe Fedderson (Colville Confederated Tribes ), Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne/Arapaho), James Lavadour (Walla Walla), Wendy Red Star (Crow) and Marie Watt (Seneca).

Check out a preview of some of the work from the show:

Rick Bartow, Facing Left Raven, 2008. Monoprint on paper.
Rick Bartow, Facing Left Raven, 2008. Monoprint on paper. Image courtesy of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts
James Lavadour, Ghost Camp, 2002. Variable edition lithographs with graphite pencil on paper.
James Lavadour, Ghost Camp, 2002. Variable edition lithographs with graphite pencil on paper. Image courtesy of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts
Marie Watt, Mend, 2005. Woodcut on paper
Marie Watt, Mend, 2005. Woodcut on paper Image courtesy of Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts

“Making Marks: Prints from Crow’s Shadow” is on view through January 5, 2014 at the American Indian Museum Gustav Heye Center in New York.

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Leah Binkovitz

Leah Binkovitz is a Stone & Holt Weeks Fellow at Washington Post and NPR. Previously, she was a contributing writer and editorial intern for the At the Smithsonian section of Smithsonian magazine.