The exhibition - "Sustained: The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art” - celebrates 100 years of DAM collecting Indigenous art, but with the goal of representing the Indigenous experience rather than the museum's perspective. An advisory council of seven local Indigenous community members was instrumental in guiding the exhibition's themes and content.
Indigenous voices lead the way
"While that's a significant landmark for our museum, it really isn't that significant for Indigenous people who have been on the continent forever," said Dakota Hoska, associate curator of Native Arts and Lakota tribe member.
The exhibition challenges traditional museum narratives. "I really want to get that word genius in there," Hoska explained, "because I believe Indigenous artists are all geniuses, but I also wanted to dispel that myth of the Western male artist genius. Indigenous art is grounded in something different."
- "Sustained: The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art" spans 8,000 square feet of the 20,000 square foot section
- Runs through 2025
- Developed with seven Indigenous community advisors
- Part of the museum's centennial of collecting Native American art
Contemporary works highlight living traditions
Featured works include an intimate portrait by Steven Yazzie of his grandfather, a Navajo Code Talker.
"It's a personal piece," Yazzie shared. "I wanted to memorialize not only his experience but honor him and the work. I created it using materials from our shared military service - the painting is on vinyl material similar to a tarp or poncho issued to me in the Marine Corps. He represents not just his time as a code talker, but a well-loved and respected man in our family."
Filmmaker Gabriel Fermin's installation captures contemporary Indigenous joy through portraits and film. "I took a camera to the powwow and approached people asking if they'd like to be part of it," Fermin explained. "Everyone was excited about it. It was just fun to have people break off to the side and just laugh."
The significance of the exhibition extends beyond art. "It is a statement to say that no matter what kind of systematic erasure or assimilation happens throughout the years, Indigenous culture will always be here," Fermin emphasized. "It's not going anywhere, and it's always going to be expressed."
Breaking stereotypes
"I want to dispel this myth of victimization," Hoska emphasized. "Yes, we were victimized. Yes, we lived through an apocalyptic event that continues to have ramifications in our communities today. But we are also people of great joy, great beauty, great spirituality."
Cultural sensitivity in practice
The museum's Indigenous Advisory Council aims to ensure respectful presentation. "We look at different ways to minimize any type of traumatic experience that Native people might feel going into their galleries," explained council member Sid Whiting. "We sit down and look at the different ways to minimize any type of traumatic experience that maybe Native people might feel going into their galleries by not placing certain objects near each other or not displaying certain objects together."
Steven Yazzie shared, "It came through a number of different conversations, not just
about this exhibition, but just about the role that museums play in the sense that they shape narratives and they foster conversation and they build bridges with community."
"Sustained: The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art” at the Denver Art Museum is on view through December 2025.
