JACKSON, Wyo. — History Jackson Hole is inviting the community to welcome Wind River artists at the opening reception for the exhibit “Elemental Landscapes: A Celebration of Indigenous Art.”
Attendees will meet curator Lynette St. Clair from Fort Washakie along with artists whose work is represented in Elemental Landscapes during the opening on Wednesday, July 10 from 4-5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, with light fare and drinks served in the upstairs gallery.
Elemental Landscapes features six contemporary Wind River artists: Talissa Abeyta, Joanne Brings Thunder, Al Hubbard, Sarah Ortegon-High Walking, Aiyana Perez and Shoshana Tillman. Panels for each artist with a biography, artist statement and links to artists’ sites invite viewers to learn more about the artists.
“This exhibition explores the powerful relationship between Native American art and the natural world through the lens of the elements: earth, air, fire, and water,” curator Lynette St. Claire wrote in a statement. “As the curator, my focus was to bring together a diverse group of contemporary Native American artists whose works reflected a deep reverence for the land and its forces.”
Talissa Abeyta is a Native American contemporary artist and a descendant of the Easter Shoshone/Northern Arapaho/Paiute tribes, raised on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Talissa likes to collaborate with acrylic paint, watercolor, printmaking and ledger art. She is a compassionate optimist who is inspired by love, heritage and life.
Joanne Brings Thunder is an enrolled member of the Easter Shoshone Tribe/Wind River Indian Reservation of Wyoming. She is a multi-faceted artist and award-winning architect who was introduced to Northern Plains Indian art at age five. Joanne paints on canvas, ledger paper, parfleche and hides. Each piece is created with thoughtful patience, authenticity and pride, integrating ancestral legend, symbolism and history for all to enjoy.
Al Hubbard is a Northern Arapaho and Navajo multi-media artist born in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Al’s range of projects has included painting, installation and printmaking. His work combines stories, memory and iconography of the Northern Arapaho and Navajo nations, creating a direct link to the preservation of the past, living today and preparing for the future.
Sarah Ortegon HighWalking is Eastern Shoshone/Northern Arapaho and based in Denver, Colorado. Sarah creates mixed media on canvas with beadwork, feather work, drawing, painting and acrylic paints and graphite. She began to mix painting, drawing, and beadwork because she was tired of seeing fine art galleries displacing the artwork of her ancestors.
Aiyana Perez is a visual artist who focuses on the natural beauty of life with a surrealist view through paintings and public art. She also explores different art forms such as digital media, stained glass, and photography; anything that allows her inner creativity to have a voice. She opened SageBrush Studio in Lander in 2022 to expand Lander, Wyoming’s conventional artistry environment, inspire community artists and cultivate her own skills.
Shoshana Tillman
Shoshana Tillman is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation. She is a self-proclaimed autodidact who found painting as one of many creative outlets. Her medium of choice is acrylic, and she is open to exploring with water paints, oil paints and mixed media.
