"Indigenous Strength and Wellness"

March 10 – June 4

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art , 550 Winslow Way E. Open: Wed-Mon 10am-4pm. Tue 10am-3pm. Bainbridge Island Museum of Art is free, open 7 days a week and a short walk from the ferry.

In Memory of Steve Charles.

Steve Charles, Curator of Sacred Circle Art Gallery from the late 1980s to 2002, pioneered solo exhibitions of many now highly regarded contemporary Indigenous artists some of whom are included in this exhibition. One example is Gail Tremblay (Mi’kmaq and Onondaga) also a curator of the exhibition with Robin Sigo (Suquamish) and Chief Curator Greg Robinson. Others famous artists you can see in this exhibition are Marvin Oliver (Quinault, Isleta Puebla and Laguna Puebla), Joe Feddersen (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Omak), John Feodorov (Mixed Navaho (Diné) and European), Preston Singletary (Tlingit), and Lillian Pitt (Wasco, Warm Springs and Yakama Nation).

“Indigenous Strength and Wellness” invites us to think about the huge contribution contemporary native tribes and artists are making to offering solutions to our current environment crises. Native peoples deeply understand our precious planet, its animals and plants, its intersections with humans and the threats facing us.

I will focus here primarily on artists with whom I am less familiar, all of whom demonstrate intriguing innovation in interpreting traditional media, forms and stories.