2021 April Exhibition

April 2 – May 1, 2021
Exhibition Sponsors:
Patricia Cutright & Ken Girrard
CWU Inclusivity and Diversity

Main Gallery, Mezzanine, & Eveleth Green Gallery:

There’s no “I” in Identity
curated by Jonah Kathlean

GO HERE to view the exhibit on the main floor
GO HERE to view the exhibit on the mezzanine, view 1
GO HERE to view the exhibit on the mezzanine, view 2
GO HERE to view the exhibit in the stairwell
GO HERE to view the exhibit on the top floor

We welcome young curator and CWU graduate Jonah Kathlean who has developed a show featuring works by Sean Gallagher, Carmen Salem and Jennifer Wood. This exhibit brings together a group of contemporary Indigenous Peoples who call Washington home, in a platform that respects tradition while showing that his culture and people are dynamic rather than static. Listen to a discussion with the artists on YouTube.

Sean Gallagher, Asuruk, Inupiaq, is a visual artist and traditional watercraft vessel builder who specializes in carving, two and three dimensional art in multiple mediums. His works are influenced by traditional teaching and current experiences with a reverence for the future.  Themes include Environmental Justice, making visible endangered traditional works, and the experiences of essential workers including carvers and labor. Becoming a father inspires Sean’s work through depictions of arctic animals in a way relatable to storytelling and the imagination. Although, a lot of loss and hardships are currently being experienced, it is important that works engage youth and impacted community to create safe spaces for them. Sean reduces barriers for others to access arts, with the understanding this is an important aspect of resilience and cultural revitalization.

Carmen Selam is a multi-disciplinary artist working in printmaking, painting, and clay in addition to being a traditional tribal artist in the fields of weaving and beadwork. Her work explores the relationships between living on and off of the reservation and how these relations influence her way of life. Carmen tends to use iconography and popular culture as a tool to delve deeper into the untold indigenous history of America. Her art is a reflection of living in contemporary society as a Yakama-Comanche woman.

Jennifer Angaiak Wood an artist of Yup’ik, Irish and Italian descent, and was born and raised in Fairbanks, AK. The Yup’ik side of her family comes from Tununak, AK, on the coast of the Bering Sea. Jennifer started carving masks when she took an Alaska Native Art class in high school, and has been mostly self-taught after the unexpected passing of her teacher, Ron Manook. Since moving to the Seattle area in 2015, she has met and worked with other artists, who are helping her learn to use more traditional tools such as bent knives and adzes. Jennifer’s inspirations include historic masks, stories, and her time spent in Tununak growing up. She usually adds modern materials and concepts to her work, and she uses her art as a way to connect with her Yup’ik heritage and bring a little bit of Yup’ik history into the modern world. She has recently expanded her art practice to include printmaking, though masks are her primary means of artistic expression.