(Cheyenne, Wyo.) The Wyoming State Museum is featuring the works of six members of the Northern Arapaho Artists Society and the Creative Indigenous Collective. The exhibit, We were. We are. features the reputable works of Bruce Cook and Robert Martinez, from Riverton, Wyo.; Lauren Monroe, Ben Pease, and John I Pepion, from Montana; and Louis Still Smoking, from South Dakota. A Meet the Artists event will be held Thursday, July 13th, from 5-7 p.m. at the museum.
In reflection of a former lack of Native artwork display opportunities, the Northern Arapaho Artists Society has organized 3-4 exhibitions of Native work per year since 2012. Curator Robert Martinez, founding member of the Northern Arapaho Artists Society, and a group of his friends founded the Creative Indeginous Collective whose work deals with contemporary Native perspectives on politics, society, history, and culture. The six artists being featured for the We were. We are. have been showcased internationally and extensively throughout the American West. Their work is held in many collections, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The display will be the Wyoming State Museum’s first exhibition of contemporary Native American art.