Ucross Art Gallery Exhibit Features Native American Fellows

On February 12, the Ucross Art Gallery announced the opening of “Celebrating Complexities,” on view from February 12 through May 17.

The exhibition features art by the 2022 and 2023 recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists, including Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band of Indians) of Anza, California; Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian, Haida, and Nez Perce) of Bellingham, Washington; Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota Nation) of State College, Pennsylvania; and Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Cara Romero (Chemehuevi Indian Tribe) Mikayla Patton (Oglala Lakota Nation)

“Celebrating Complexities” showcases the work of the four talented artists who work across many different mediums, including photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, beading, quillwork and basketmaking. Hailing from diverse backgrounds, geographies and tribal affiliations, they are at different stages in their careers. Each artist explores and celebrates complex ideas in their work, looking at the specific to elucidate the universal. They emphasize their connections to their families, their ancestors and their communities, presenting an Indigenous worldview that encompasses the past, the present and the future. They are reclaiming materials and techniques, narratives and identities, and their work tells rich contemporary stories about people and cultures that are vital and thriving.

Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla Band) Savannah LeCornu (Tsimshian, Haida, and Nez Perce)

The exhibition is guest curated by Brenda Mallory (Cherokee Nation) of Portland, Oregon, a recipient of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists in 2018, the first year of the program.

“I’m honored to come back now to curate this exhibition of works by these recipients of the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists,” Mallory said. “Having the opportunity to study their work closely, to listen to their public talks, to delve deeper into their thinking and motivations has been enriching and gratifying. It makes me appreciate anew what Ucross can provide to Native artists.”

Launched in 2018, the Ucross Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists was designed to support the work of contemporary Native American visual artists at all stages in their professional careers. Each year, two artists are selected and presented with a four-week Ucross residency, which includes uninterrupted time, a private studio, living accommodations, meals prepared by a professional chef, staff support and the unparalleled experience of the majestic High Plains. The fellowship also includes the opportunity to be featured in an exhibition at the Ucross Art Gallery and a $2,000 award.

“I am grateful to Ucross not only for creating the Fellowship for Native American Visual Artists and for the opportunity it affords these artists to advance their themes and careers, but also the opportunity for us, the viewers who see the work, to broaden our own thinking and worldview through their considerations and creations,” Mallory said.

“Celebrating Complexities” is on view at the Ucross Art Gallery, located at 30 Big Red Lane in Clearmont, Wyoming, through May 17. Admission is free. The exhibition is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources. Additional exhibition support is provided by the Arete Design Group and the Wyoming Arts Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming Legislature.

The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The onsite Ucross Café, which offers coffee, tea and freshly baked pastries by the Ucross artist residency chef, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

On May 3, Ucross will present an artist talk at Sheridan College’s Kinnison Hall at 11 a.m., as well as an exhibition reception at the Ucross Art Gallery at 6 p.m. Both events will be free and open to the public.

After the exhibition departs the Ucross Art Gallery, “Celebrating Complexities” will travel to the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana, where it will be on view from June 21 to October 6, 2024.

For more information, to view the exhibition’s brochure and to register for the May 3 events, visit ucross.org.

Photos courtesy of Ucross.