My Grandmother's Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork
Saturday, September 14, 2024 - Sunday, February 2, 2025
This exhibition featured prints by artists Dyani White Hawk, a member of the Siċaŋġu Lakota Nation and Wendy Red Star, a member of the Crow Nation. The prints were created at Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, where they “envision a world that is illumined and elevated through the genius of Indigenous creativity.” Founded in 1992, Crow’s Shadow is a nonprofit arts center focused on contemporary fine art printmaking. Located on the Umatilla Reservation in the Pacific Northwest, Crow’s Shadow is known for their printmaking residencies, where a handful of Indigenous artists from across North America are selected annually to explore and realize individual printmaking projects. Also on view were five beaded objects from the Loeb’s collection. Artists include Lorna Hill (Cayuga, 1937–2012) and Samuel Thomas (Cayuga, 1964–2024) while others are currently unknown. These pieces shed further light on the networks of matrilineal and ancestral knowledge that are central to many Native American tribes.
Themes such as sovereignty, agency, identity, culture, tradition, and community unveil themselves within the exhibition's title, "My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork." The title is meant to be all-encompassing, allowing Indigenous history and creativity to be at the forefront of the conversation as many of the artists in this exhibition also do. The title also sheds light on the exhibition’s matrilineal framework. It is often knowledge that is passed down from mothers, grandmothers, and many matriarchal figures in Indigenous communities. While these traditions are no secret, they are sacred and to be shared amongst few. "My Grandmother’s Whispers" is not only a story of shared experience and knowledge, it is also a story of an unforgettable past.
In this space, ancestors are called upon in an array of freedom and self-expression. Let there be an acknowledgement of the land which is stood upon, and those who were forced to leave it. Let there be an acknowledgement of the pain, erasure, love, care, and everything in between that has brought one to this very moment. We invite you into a repository of dreams, lessons, and shared space not only to explore what was, but more importantly to explore what is to come.
—Kaniah Pearson, Loeb Summer Curatorial Intern and Spelman College class of 2025
This exhibition was organized by Loeb Summer Curatorial Interns Julia Pippenger, Vassar College class of 2025 and Kaniah Pearson, Spelman College class of 2025. Kaniah Pearson’s summer internship at the Loeb was sponsored by Kianga Ellis. Support for Spotlight is provided by Mary Ellen Weisl Rudolph ’61, P’98 and James N. Rudolph P’98.
Themes such as sovereignty, agency, identity, culture, tradition, and community unveil themselves within the exhibition's title, "My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork." The title is meant to be all-encompassing, allowing Indigenous history and creativity to be at the forefront of the conversation as many of the artists in this exhibition also do. The title also sheds light on the exhibition’s matrilineal framework. It is often knowledge that is passed down from mothers, grandmothers, and many matriarchal figures in Indigenous communities. While these traditions are no secret, they are sacred and to be shared amongst few. "My Grandmother’s Whispers" is not only a story of shared experience and knowledge, it is also a story of an unforgettable past.
In this space, ancestors are called upon in an array of freedom and self-expression. Let there be an acknowledgement of the land which is stood upon, and those who were forced to leave it. Let there be an acknowledgement of the pain, erasure, love, care, and everything in between that has brought one to this very moment. We invite you into a repository of dreams, lessons, and shared space not only to explore what was, but more importantly to explore what is to come.
—Kaniah Pearson, Loeb Summer Curatorial Intern and Spelman College class of 2025
This exhibition was organized by Loeb Summer Curatorial Interns Julia Pippenger, Vassar College class of 2025 and Kaniah Pearson, Spelman College class of 2025. Kaniah Pearson’s summer internship at the Loeb was sponsored by Kianga Ellis. Support for Spotlight is provided by Mary Ellen Weisl Rudolph ’61, P’98 and James N. Rudolph P’98.