Never Retallack | Entertainment Editor
Campbell Hall currently has an exhibit up, called, “Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts: Selections from the Permanent Collection” featuring 26 artists.
The artists shown are Rick Bartow, Marwin Begaye, Pat Boas, Joe Cantrell, Corwin Clairmont, Jim Denomie, Demian DineYahi’, Vanessa Enos, Joe Feodorov, George Flett, Ric Gendron, Jeffrey Gibson, Don Gray, James Lavadour, James Luna, Brenda Mallory, Larry McNeil, Whitney Monthorn, Lillian Pitt, Wendy Red Star, Sara Siestreem, Kay Walking Stick, Marie Watt and Shirod Younker.
According to the “Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts at 25” by heather ahtone, Rebecca J. Dobkins and Prudence F. Roberts, the art institute in Pendleton, Oregon was founded by the Oregon painter and printmaker, James Lavadour (Walla Walla), who “envisioned a Native printmaking atelier on the Umatilla Reservation … that would provide a creative conduit for educational, social, and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development.”
The company started out small in 1992 and has now grown into one of the most important printmaking locations in the country that brings together Native and non-Native artists to create with the guidance of master printer Frank Janzen.
Entering the Campbell Hall gallery, the first piece is colorful and bold, featuring two young girls dressed in Native American dresses.
All of the art pieces are either lithograpic or monotype — both are forms of printmaking. The interesting factor of having a collection of different artists all doing the same form of art is the diversity in style and color. Some pieces are neutral colors while others are more bright; all of the pieces are bold in their imagery and meaning.
It is apparent that the connection to Native American roots plays a large role for the artists, showing landscapes, traditional dress and more.
The flow of the gallery is easy to follow and provides a nice contrast between each piece as a viewer walks through.
This gallery is an opportunity for people to learn about Native American culture. The art is expressive and a book is provided that gives background information about the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, which can be found on the windowsill in the gallery.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photos by Never Retallack
