Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) will open its third major group exhibition of Indigenous Artists, Indigenous Strength & Wellness, this spring to kick off the Museum’s 10th anniversary exhibitions. Featuring Native American and First Nations mostly living and working in the Salish Sea region, the exhibition offers visibility into Indigenous artists’ work addressing issues of health, mental health, personal and community strength, and well-being. Topics range from positive identities to social, economic, and racial inequities, including generational trauma and its lasting effects. Indigenous Strength & Wellness is co-curated by Robin Sigo (Suquamish Tribe), Gail Tremblay, and BIMA’s Chief Curator Greg Robinson. 

Artists include:

• Kate Ahvakana
• David A. Boxley
• Alison Bremner
• Corwin Clairmont
• Peg Deam
• Joe Feddersen
• RYAN! Feddersen
• John Feodorov
• Glenda Guilmet
• Denita Holmes
• Joey Holmes
• Myrna Johnson
• Linley Logan
• Danielle Morsette
• Ed Archie NoiseCat
• Marvin Oliver
• Lillian Pitt
• Preston Singletary
• Gail Tremblay
• Toma Villa
• Jennifer Angaiak Wood

Kate Ahvakana’s digital artwork is reproduced in very large scale, as the welcoming art in BIMA’s two-story Beacon Window Gallery, at the corner of Winslow Way and Highway 305. In addition, several artists who create wearable art are featured in a “Sovereign Style” section. BIMA is publishing a book in conjunction with the exhibition to be released this spring, available through the BIMA Museum Store in-person and online. 

BIMA previously produced two exhibitions featuring Indigenous artists—Native Hands: Indigenous Art of the Salish Sea (2016) and Canoe Journeys (2018)—and worked with regional partners including the Suquamish Tribe, guest curators, Steinbrueck Gallery, Stonington Gallery, and approximately 60 artists from the Salish Sea region.

Indigenous Strength & Wellness is in memory of Steven Charles (Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian Tribes) who was instrumental in the early promotion of contemporary Indigenous artists. He served as Director and Curator of Sacred Circle Gallery in Seattle, from the late 1980s until 2002, mostly after its move from Downtown Seattle to Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Discovery Park. In 2018, he passed away from medical issues resulting from chronic pain and addiction. 

Partners and supporters include The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Suquamish Tribe, Tulalip Tribes, WSU IReach Program — Partnerships for Native Health, and the Steven Charles Memorial Exhibition Fund. BIMA continues to raise funds for several educational and community programs this spring, including performances by Git Hoan Dancers and Seattle Cape Fox Dancers, film series, and various lectures and poetry readings — all expanding on exhibition themes, with numerous community partners.

Indigenous Strength & Wellness Exhibition Educator Resources

Image: Jennifer Angaiak Wood (Yup’ik, Indianola, WA), His X Mark, (Weapons of War series; contracts/treaties), 2022, alder, vintage ink, antique mother of pearl pens, vintage pen nibs, wire, metal letters, 19.5”h 17″w x 4.5”d. Collection of Cynthia Sears, photo provided by the artist