Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial
July 12, 2025 – June 20, 2026
Study Gallery and Print Study Center
Natalie Ball (Klamath/Modoc, born 1980), Deer Woman’s first Tribal Council email, 2023, ed. 18, eight-color lithograph with gold leaf on Somerset Velvet Soft white paper, printed by Judith Baumann, 34 x 25 inches, Crow’s Shadow Print Archive, CSP 22-106 (CSPI 2). Photo: Dale Peterson.
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial, a popular biennial exhibition hosted by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art since 2006, will feature a selection of contemporary prints created at this important printmaking atelier in northeastern Oregon during the past two years. Organized by Rebecca Dobkins, professor emerita of anthropology at Willamette University and curator of Indigenous art at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the exhibition opens July 12, 2025 and continues through June 20, 2026, in the Study Gallery and Print Study Center.
The Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts was founded in 1992 by Oregon painter and printmaker James Lavadour (Walla Walla), who envisioned a Native American printmaking atelier on the Umatilla Reservation near Pendleton, Oregon that would provide a creative conduit and outlet for educational, social, and economic opportunities for Native Americans through artistic development. From its modest beginnings, Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts has emerged as one of the most important printmaking ateliers in the country, bringing Native and non-Native artists from around the world to make prints under the guidance of a master printer and becoming one of Oregon’s artistic treasures.
Included in this year’s exhibition are prints by Natalie Ball (Klamath/Modoc), Marwin Begaye (Diné), Iván Carmona, Lisa Jarrett, Alx Kujana (Cayuse/Nez Perce), James Lavadour (Walla Walla), Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke), Rhiannon Skye Tafoya (Cherokee/Santa Clara Pueblo), and Dyani White Hawk (Sičhą́ǧu Lakóta). Two of this year’s artists—Wendy Red Star and Dyani White Hawk—are recipients of the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Award. Often called the “Genius Grant,” the award aims to recognize and support individuals who demonstrate exceptional creativity, originality, and potential contributions in their respective fields.
Exhibition Related Events
Exhibition curator Rebecca Dobkins will offer two gallery talks in conjunction with the exhibition in the fall. Her first gallery talk will be on Tuesday, October 14; her second gallery talk will follow on Tuesday, December 9. Both gallery talks will be held in the Study Gallery and Print Study Center beginning at 12:30 pm; admission to both is complimentary.
Financial Support
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts Biennial has been made possible by an endowment gift from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, through their Spirit Mountain Community Fund; by advertising support from The Oregonian/Here is Oregon; and by general operating support grants from the City of Salem's Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Further information
For further information, contact:
John Olbrantz, the Maribeth Collins Director, Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Phone: 503-370-6854
Email: jolbrant@willamette.edu
Vanessa Hopt, Assistant to the Director, Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Phone: 503-370-6856
Email: vjhopt@willamette.edu
Rebecca Dobkins, Curator of Indigenous Art, Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Phone: 503-370-6855
Email: rdobkins@willamette.edu
