Coming Together to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day

This year the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Native American Student Union (NASU), UO Libraries/Special Collections, and artist Steph Littlebird came together to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.  The day was full of diverse and unique offerings, from a campus art walk celebrating Indigenous art and Steph Littlebird’s recent campus installations, to a “landback through art making” event, and ending with an exhibition and reception in Special Collections & University Archives curated by student and NASU co-director, Marisol Peters.

 

The genesis for the partnership started with the inaugural Museum of Natural and Cultural History’s visiting Indigenous artist program, of which Steph Littlebird (Kalapuyan/Grand Ronde) was the first recipient. Emily Hartlerode of the Oregon Folklife Network and Lauren Willis of MNCH, who both helped spearhead the program, reached out to staff at the JSMA and SCUA to consider ways to expand the impact of the residency through strategic campus partnerships.  This resulted in commissioned work by Steph Littlebird from the JSMA, MNCH, and Knight Library.

The project expanded when former Design Librarian, Morning Star Padilla, was able to procure a Thomas Internship for student Marisol Peters (Karuk).  When Morning Star left the library in June of 2024, Marisol transferred to Special Collections and mentored with curator Danielle Mericle on creating her own exhibition to be held in Special Collections in 2024/2025.  The resulting exhibition, The Land We Have Always Known, explores the intersections of land, art, culture, and Indigenous histories, and will be on view through spring of 2025. The exhibition invites the audience to cultivate a deeper relationship with the place where they live, regardless of cultural heritage, and to learn to listen to our more-than-human relatives and engage the profound teachings of the people who have lived here for thousands of years.  

The day’s festivities began with the campus art walk led by Steph Littlebird and JSMA McCosh Curator Danielle Knapp.  Site visits included JSMA, Design Library, MNCH, the Ford Alumni Center and the Many Nations Long House. After the tour, SCUA hosted an art event wherein participants could activate the landback movement through drawing over colonial maps.  Inspired by the work of the Raven Gallery’s Homeland Collection, students, staff, and visitors took time to remap their connection to the land through art.

The day concluded with an exhibition reception and story telling event with NASU co-chairs Tiera Garrety and Marisol Peters. Peters spoke about her curatorial experience and Garrety told a creation story from her home tribe, the Chehalis People of the Sands, located in central-western Washington.

It was amazing opportunity to work together in community to celebrate our shared dreams for a better world.  We are learning how to de-silo our institutional corners and hope to do similar programming going forward.  Be sure to notice the new Steph Littlebird land acknowledgement banners on the facade and lobby of JSMA, as well as the new Littlebird banners at MNCH.  Come by Special Collections to see The Land We Have Always Known exhibition and Steph’s work on permanent display in our SCUA classroom, and pick up a free coloring book featuring Steph Littlebird’s work.

CREDITS & THANKS:

This event was co-sponsored by JSMA, SCUA, and the Library Diversity Committee. Special thanks to Debbie Williamson and Danielle Knapp for their collaborative spirit.
Thanks to Emily Hartlerode and Lauren Willis (MNCH) for bringing us all together. 

Within the libraries, much appreciation to Emily Moore, Kate Conley, and Mandi Garcia for their work on event planning, outreach and promotion, and Victoria Wong and her student Alaina Kucera for their amazing exhibition preparation and framing. 

Steph Littlebird Knight Library commissions supported by Library Administration.

UO Print services graciously printed our coloring book and a large portion of the exhibition labels in short order. 

Special thanks to Marisol Peters and Tiera Garrety for their amazing contributions, and of course to Steph Littlebird for all her incredible work.