The Linfield Art Gallery is excited to host “lakamas”, a group exhibition that showcases mixed media art highlighting the beauty of the land that surrounds us. The artists include Crystal Starr, Kitana Connelly, and Jeremy Ojua. All three artists are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde community and share a powerful pull to their culture.
The title “lakamas” comes from the chinook wawa word for camas, a North American flower known for its vibrant medley of blue and purple colors. This flower has been harvested by Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest as currency and a food source. The exhibit is co-curated with the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center.
“When I think of how the fields of camas must have been swaying to resemble a river my eyes become watery, wishing I could see the same beauty my ancestors got to experience,” Connelly, who is an Oregon-born Native creator said. “I am putting that feeling and energy into my artwork for the exhibit.”
Starr is Athabascan, Yup’ik and Colville. Her Indian name is Shadow Spirit Woman. She is a multi-media artist in both culturally traditional and contemporary arts, and an advocate for Indigenous languages and culture. Jeremy Ojua is a self-taught photography enthusiast from McMinnville, Oregon who finds inspiration in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
The artists hope to highlight the energies of nature, land, and community through paintings, mixed media and photography. The audience will learn about the individual artists, what inspires their art and the cultural aspects ingrained in their practice.
“I like that this is an opportunity to inspire people to learn more about the place they are in, the people of this place, and the importance of the relationships between people and nature,” Ojua said.
The exhibition opens at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 with an artists’ talk from Starr and Connelly in the Delkin Recital Hall inside the Vivian A. Bull Music Center (location). Light refreshments and the gallery viewing will follow in the Miller Fine Arts Center (location). The exhibit runs through May 6.
“This is our first exhibition co-curated with the Chachalu Museum and Cultural Center, and it coincides with the second upcoming Camas Festival, which will be held May 5 in the Art Department Plaza,” said Thea Gahr, director of the Linfield Art Gallery. “It’s an opportunity for communion and contemplation on the very themes the exhibition is speaking to.”
The Camas Festival, created in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and Greater Yamhill Watershed Council (GYWC), teaches faculty, staff, students and the McMinnville community about the history and importance of camas. It will also highlight initiatives restoring the camas’ natural environment.
“The Lakamas exhibit, to me, means recognition and honor for my people,” Connelly said. “I am grateful to be part of an event that spends time honoring my peoples past, in this specific instance, camas.”
This exhibition is sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Series and the Linfield Department of Art. The Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield University is made possible by the generosity of arts benefactor Ronni Lacroute.
The exhibit will run through Saturday, May 6. The Linfield Gallery is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. For more information, visit the gallery’s website.