February 5, 2025

Sheldon opens exhibition featuring Indigenous artists and collectives

A new Sheldon exhibit features work from Indigenous artists and collectives.

Shown is “Sacred Peaks” (2014), an archival digital photograph by Jaque Fragua.

Exploding Native Inevitable,” a presentation of works by 12 contemporary Indigenous artists and two collaboratives, opens Feb. 7 at Sheldon Museum of Art. The exhibition, which runs through July 13, is accompanied by an ongoing program of dance, music, performance and video.

The exhibition was originally organized in 2019 for Bates College Museum of Art by Brad Kahlhamer and Dan Mills, who have known each other for more than 20 years.

“This has been a remarkable multi-year collaboration with Brad Kahlhamer,” Mills said. “Brad is a Native American artist who is respected in contemporary Indigenous circles, and who has exhibited extensively in the U.S. and abroad. He brings deep knowledge and keen insights to this project.”

The artists whose work is featured in the exhibition range from emerging to elders.

“They are amazing voices, make compelling art, and have important things to say,” Kahlhamer said. “The artists build on cultural traditions, push new creative boundaries, and represent some of the extraordinary work being created by Indigenous artists across the land,”

The title of the exhibition riffs on Andy Warhol’s 1966–67 series of multimedia events, “Exploding Plastic Inevitable,” which included concerts, film screenings, installations and performances. 

The Sheldon’s version of “Exploding Native Inevitable” also includes a wide-ranging series of events and programs, beginning at 2 p.m. on Feb. 8 with a musical performance in the exhibition space. Singers Pearl Boyd and Jill Anderson will activate an installation by Omaha artist Sarah Rowe. 

For more information on events and community tours during the exhibition’s run at Sheldon, visit its website.