Spokane is a city built upon tribal land: the land of the Spokane Tribe of Indians and its people. It may not be a topic in everyday conversation, but it's important to acknowledge. Despite efforts to erase the past, this fact cannot be altered. Through artistic expression, however, this message can be conveyed to an audience open to learn.
Gonzaga University's Urban Arts Center, also known as the GUUAC, is currently displaying "Land Acknowledgement," an art exhibition curated by Charlene Teters, a Spokane tribal member. On display through Dec. 3, this contemporary show features art from 17 Native artists representing Indigenous tribes across the Pacific Northwest.
Margeaux Abeyta, Taos Pueblo and Diné
Joseph Arnoux, Piikani/Sp'q'n'i
Shawn Brigman, Spokane, Sinixt, Kalispel, Sanpoil, Shuswap
Brianna Bruce, Spokane Tribe
Leanne Campbell, Coeur d'Alene, Colville, Nez Perce
Diane Covington; Sanpoil Band of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Spokane Tribe
Olivia Evans, Blackfeet and Cherokee
Jeff Ferguson, Spokane Tribe
George Hill, Spokane Tribe
Ryan! Feddersen; Confederated Tribe of the Colville Reservation, Okanogan and Arrow Lake Band
Ric Gendron, Umatilla Wenatchi Sinixt
Tiffanie Irizarry, Ihanktonwan Dakota Tribe
Roin Morigeau, Flathead Salish Tribe of Montana
Sulustu (Barry Moses), Spokane Tribe
Annette Peone, Coeur d'Alene Tribe
Charlene Teters, Spokane Tribe
Chad "Little Coyote" Yellowjohn, Shoshone Bannock/Spokane ancestral line
The art itself ranges from paintings to sculptures to a 20-foot-long canoe by Shawn Brigman that was recently featured in a movie. While a wide variety of media is showcased, all the pieces reflect a deeper meaning. The overarching theme of "Land Acknowledgement" is a sensitive topic, but it is a necessary one, as its participating artists seek to rectify misinformed views fostered by the past.
Today, land acknowledgements are becoming commonplace before events, forums and talks that take place upon historically Indigenous land. The recognition of such is meant to be challenging, and fills a void in the American education system.
"Land acknowledgements have become a pro-forma act almost required of U.S. Indigenous speakers, whose original intent has been suffocated by the tsunami of historical, feel-good fiction about the origins of European empire building in North America," Teters said in a statement.
Lenora Lopez Schindler, the co-curator of the exhibit, is a faculty member in Gonzaga's Art Department. Faculty members who collaborate with the GUUAC rotate as exhibit curators throughout the calendar year, and in this instance, Teters and Lopez Schindler worked in tandem to gather the artists and decide on the layout of the gallery.
Located in the heart of downtown Spokane, two floors above Berserk bar, the GUUAC space is being leased by Gonzaga for five years. While faculty shows and Gonzaga's 2021 and 2022 graduating classes were able to be featured in the space during its first two years, this season is the first giving faculty free rein. The downtown space aids in Gonzaga's community outreach efforts.
"The GUUAC is truly significant because Gonzaga's campus does not have a space to show either student work or for faculty to choose exhibitions to showcase," says Lopez Schindler. "While the Jundt Art Museum is an amazing collection, they are a separate entity from the art department."
During "Land Acknowledgement's" opening reception last week during First Friday events, all artists who were able attended to showcase and comment on their displayed artwork. A subsequent panel was held in Gonzaga's Hemmingson Ballroom on Nov. 8.
"We are so grateful to the donors and artists who brought this important exhibit together," Lopez Schindler says. "Both Charlene and I are excited to share it with a greater community." ♦
Land Acknowledgement • Through Dec. 3, open Fri 4-7 pm and Sat 10 am-3 pm • Gonzaga University Urban Art Center • 125 S. Stevens St., third floor • gonzaga.edu/gonzaga-university-urban-arts-center
