Exhibition of Indigenous Artwork Shares Connections to Thriving Communities

For many Native communities throughout the High Desert, works of art are imbued with spirit, tied to purpose and intrinsic to thriving communities. Art is at once utilitarian and ceremonial, as well as part of the continuation of Native traditions.

Creations of Spirit, an original exhibition opening Saturday, January 28 at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon, immerses visitors in the Indigenous Plateau, reflecting knowledge systems of tribes along the Columbia River and its tributaries.

Six Native artists commissioned for this new exhibition created artwork that was used in Native communities before arriving at the Museum. A seventh artist created an interactive piece for the center of the gallery. Creations of Spirit is a one-of-a-kind, celebratory experience featuring the stories of these artists and living works of art. Videos, audio and large projections immerse visitors in the landscapes and communities in which these objects are used. Some items will bare dirt from root collecting or stains from huckleberry gathering. 

The original works are supplemented with nine cultural items on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

“The works offered by these deeply gifted and knowledgeable artists will be used in their communities to teach and share traditions,” said Museum Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D. “And the objects will continue to be available to Native communities to use even after Creations of Spirit closes as part of the Museum’s collection. We plan for community members to continue to access these objects.”

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