November is Native American Heritage Month, and in Eugene, we have some incredible art to celebrate.
First, let's visit the Don Dexter Gallery in Crescent Village, owned by Modoc leader Don Dexter. The gallery currently features two shows.
The first is the Wishing Tree Collection by Keith Atchepohl. Atchepohl’s art invites visitors to write intentions or blessings on prayer ties made from discarded canvas and fasten them to a line in the parking lot—a truly communal and hopeful art experience.
The second show features the unusual and beautiful wall sculptures of Robin Grace. This local psychotherapist creates intricate, shapely pieces by hand-stitching silk thread into felted wool, melding them with fine-gauge wire. Her abstract forms reflect the raw beauty and emotional landscape of her life in Southeast Alaska.
Don Dexter is also the curator for the Contemporary Indigenous Art Gallery at the Hult Center.
The current exhibition is G'EE'LA: Land and Creation, featuring the work of artist Ka'ila Farrell-Smith.
Her striking works, like Ghost in the Machine 019, combine traditional Klamath basket designs with contemporary elements like graffiti and text, even utilizing wild-harvested Northern Paiute lithium topsoil to highlight the urgency of land issues.
Also of high interest is the Rick Bartow exhibit at the Karin Clarke Gallery. Bartow, a Wiyot artist born and raised on the coast near Newport, achieved international fame with his vivid, striking evocations of internal spirit animals, like bears and coyotes, that simply leap off the page.
Finally, show your direct support for local Native American and Indigenous artists at the Eugene Native American Arts and Crafts Makers market the first Sunday of every month at the Eugene Farmers Market Pavilion.
This art is about more than beauty; it is about urgent messages, spiritual ties, and the deep roots that hold our community together.
