Native artists are breaking through glass ceilings

PULLMAN — Vivid color instantly drew audience members to the back of Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibit, aided by hanging elk hide drums and neon garments representing the turning point of the artist’s career.

World-renowned artist Jeffrey Gibson visited the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art on Tuesday to debut his exhibit “They Teach Love.” The installation is available for viewing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays until March 9, 2024.

Gibson, 51, is all the rave in the art world as of late. He was recently selected to represent the U.S. in the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, being one of few Indigenous artists to show at the cultural exhibition.

His work primarily takes elements from cultural and artistic traditions in his Cherokee and Choctaw heritage, as well as themes from pop and queer culture.

Gibson’s exhibit at Washington State University puts 15 years of his career into perspective, showing 35 artworks spanning from 2008 to 2023.

The centerpiece, “To Name An Other,” showcases 51 screen printed elk hide drums, 50 wearable garments and a video of past performances.

Gibson said the idea for the piece came to him in 2019 when the phrase “she speaks up to take him down,” popped into his head. He was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution to produce a performance, and wanted it to focus on how people “name” themselves.

He said the performance marked a point in his career when he began to pursue collective-based projects while empowering communities in which he works. The piece challenged how people identify themselves in the world, while working toward a future beyond current narratives.

Ryan Hardesty, executive director and curator at the museum, said the exhibition had been in the works about a year before Gibson was announced to show at the Venice Biennale. He added the museum was worried he’d be too busy to come, but he proved them wrong.

Jordan Schnitzer, founder of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, has been following Gibson’s work for years. The foundation has collected more than 40 pieces of his work, and owns the largest private collection of Gibson’s art.

“I like art that either, one, is aesthetically just is nice to look at, or work that grabs you and doesn’t let you go,” Schnitzer said. “This work for me does both.… His work transcends, for me, time and place, and deals in a contemporary way with issues facing our country.”

Gibson said over the years his vision has become more solidified. He said he’s very fortunate having the opportunity to be more selective with his projects now, working toward a future that makes the marginalized feel central.

Schnitzer said artists like Gibson are breaking through glass ceilings in the art world. He said going back in time, art that was seen in galleries and museums was basically all from white men. Over the past 30 years, however, he said there’s been an explosion.

“The best art being done today is art being done by artists of color,” Schnitzer said. “Now is this something (implying that) those artists today have more talent than other folks of color? No. There were those biases and prejudices.…We’re fortunate that the doors of most museums in the world are stepping out and letting us see artists’ work we previously were not being exposed to.”

To learn more about Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibit, “They Teach Love,” visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art’s website at museum.wsu.edu.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com