Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
Photo courtesy of the artist
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) created work that addresses the myths of her ancestors in the context of current issues facing Native Americans.
Raised on the Flathead Reservation, Smith was deeply connected to her heritage. She created artwork that addresses the myths of her ancestors in the context of current issues facing Native Americans. Her inspiration stemmed from the formal innovations of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as traditional Native American art.
Smith worked with paint, collage, and appropriated imagery. Through a combination of representational and abstract images, she confronted subjects such as the destruction of the environment, governmental oppression of Indigenous cultures, and the pervasive myths of Euro-American cultural hegemony.
Smith had more than 80 solo exhibitions over the past 30 years. During the same period, she organized and curated more than 30 Indigenous exhibitions and lectured at almost 200 universities, museums, and conferences.
She also completed several collaborative public art works such as the floor design in the Great Hall of the Denver International Airport; an in-situ sculpture piece in Yerba Buena Park, San Francisco; and mile-long sidewalk history trail in West Seattle.
