Indigenous Influences

Indigenous Influences is an exhibition curated by Regan Shrumm, through the Dana and Toni Ann Rust Curatorial Fellowship at MoNA. The exhibition looks at works from MoNA’s permanent collection that are influenced by Pacific Northwest Indigenous communities.

Known as the ‘Mystics,’ Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson sought to create art that consciously responded to the world around them, including referencing the local regional landscape and cultures. These artists began to collect Native American art, visit local Indigenous ceremonies, and befriend anthropologists, all of which made a major impact on the artists’ styles, colors, and spiritual outlooks. However, the influence of style came at a cost to the local Indigenous nations. The exhibition examines the problematics and complexities of the artworks adopting Indigenous styles.

Exhibition overview from museum website