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The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

Upcoming Exhibition

September 24, 2023 – January 15, 2024

Curated by artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation), this unprecedented exhibition brings together works by an intergenerational group of some 50 living Native American artists practicing across the United States. Their powerful art reflects a shared worldview that draws on thousands of years of reverence, study, and concern for the land.

Through diverse mediums—weaving, sculpture, beadwork, painting, performance, drawing, video, and more—these artists visualize Indigenous knowledge of land/landbase/landscape. Selected by Quick-to-See Smith, the dynamic presentation underscores the self-determination, survivance, and right to self-representation of Indigenous peoples.

Explore Selected Works

The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

Cara Romero, Indian Canyon, 2019, archival pigment print, Courtesy of the Artist. © Cara Romero.
The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

Gerald Clarke Jr., Native American Art, 2019, charred watercolor paper, overall: 76.2 × 55.88 cm (30 × 22 in.), Courtesy of the Artist
The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

G. Peter Jemison, Sentinels (Large Yellow), 2006, acrylic, oil and collage on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Funds from Sharon Percy Rockefeller and Senator John Davison Rockefeller IV, 2022.22.1
The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

Marie Watt, Antipodes, 2020, vintage Italian beads, industrial felt, and thread, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Funds from Sharon Percy Rockefeller and Senator John Davison Rockefeller IV, 2022.32.1. Image courtesy of the artist, Photograph by Kevin McConnell
The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans

Emmi Whitehorse, Fog Bank, 2020, mixed media on paper on canvas, overall: 129.54 × 198.12 cm (51 × 78 in.), National Gallery of Art, Washington, William A. Clark Fund, 2022.41.1

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Other venues
New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut, April 18–September 15, 2024

Sponsors
The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation has provided major support for the exhibition. 

Additional funding is provided by the Director’s Circle and the Tower Project of the National Gallery of Art.

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required

Banner detail: Cara Romero, Indian Canyon, 2019, archival pigment print, Courtesy of the Artist, © Cara Romero.