'We're Still Here' Showcases Native Artists From Chief Seattle Club Starting Nov. 7
release date: October 31, 2019
Native American artists affiliated with Chief Seattle Club will showcase their works at We’re Still Here, a new art exhibit that opens with a public reception from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7 in the Level 8 Gallery of Seattle’s Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 206-386-4636.
The artists, who have been crafting and creating at the club’s art room in Pioneer Square, submitted a wide range of works for the exhibit, including a marker drawing of a Lakota warrior by Jason Runnels (Lakota tribe); a leather war shield with a traditional sand painting design by Donovan Wauneka (Diné tribe); and a beaded design of a couple by Louisa (LouAnne) Olebar (Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nation), who was taught this craft by her mother and grandmother. The show will also include photographs, linocut greeting cards, woodwork and paintings.
Jeremy Beliveau, art room coordinator for Chief Seattle Club, said the exhibit was a way to showcase talented Indigenous artists who are working with a wide variety of materials and inspirations.
“These are talented folks who don’t have access to a platform,” he said. “We wanted to give members an opportunity to show off what they’ve got.”
Beliveau said that the art room is the longest-running program at Chief Seattle Club, a human service agency for Native and Alaska Native people that is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of its members, many of whom are experiencing homelessness.
The theme of the show, Beliveau said, “is a reminder to the world in general that Native people are still here. They bring the traditional with them, but it’s not relegated to the past. We’re still here, we’re still making art.”
For centuries, art-making has been a way for Native peoples to share traditional knowledge and culture, celebrate the human spirit and showcase their resilience.
The exhibit grew out of a partnership between the Library and Chief Seattle Club to create Library programming and outreach that reflected Native voices and vision.
“To help an Indigenous population with something this visible has been very positive and powerful. It’s been a real community-building experience,” said Supervising Librarian Tess Wilder-Cervantes. Wilder-Cervantes helped manage the partnership for the Library and is affiliated with the Karuk tribe.
OPENING EVENT AND EXHIBIT DETAILS
Opening event and exhibit hours: We're Still Here opens with a public reception from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., in the Level 8 Gallery. Meet Chief Seattle Club members, see their art and learn more about this organization.
The exhibit will be displayed through Sunday, Dec. 15. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday - Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday - Saturday; and noon to 6 p.m., Sunday.
MORE INFORMATION
Chief Seattle Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to physically and spiritually supporting American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Located in Seattle’s Pioneer Square district, it provides food, medical support, housing assistance, the Urban Indian Legal Clinic, a Native art program and gallery, frequent outings to tribes, pow wows, museums and much more.
The Seattle Public Library brings people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community. We support universal access to information and ideas, and form strong partnerships to offer art, lectures and films that are accessible to all.