New Clyfford Still exhibit features Native American children as co-curators
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DENVER — A giant canvas hangs on the wall of the Clyfford Still Museum featuring a dark, chalky background and a large white shape in the middle. A group of children gather around the painting to interpret the painting.
“I see a bear claw!”
“I like the dark colors!”
“It looks like a skeleton hand!”
The children and their families are visiting from the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington State to celebrate the museum’s latest exhibit, “Tell Clyfford I Said Hi.” However, this is not the first time these children have interpreted Still’s work — in fact, they are the ones who co-curated the entire exhibit.
“Tell Clyfford I Said Hi” is a collection of paintings from the period when Still, an American painter known for his large-scale abstract paintings, lived amongst the Colville Confederated Tribes during the mid-1930s. Bringing prints of Clyfford’s work to their home in Washington State, the children picked the images that spoke to them. Those selections now make up the exhibition, which range from colorful abstract paintings to sketches of the tribal members who lived on the land at that time.
“Some of the people depicted in the sketches are ancestors of these children,” said Michael Holloman, enrolled member of the Colville Confederated Tribes and curatorial consultant.
This is not the first exhibit that has focused on Still’s time in Washington and at Nespelem, but museum officials say this exhibit is a way to expand the connection between Still and the tribal people.
“I think it’s important for museums to show that museums show their ability to share authority, knowing that we are not the ultimate experts on these works and everyone’s interpretation is valuable,” said Nicole Cromatie, the museum’s director of learning and engagement, as well as a co-curator of the exhibit. “They made choices and we were really happy to honor those choices.”
During his years with the Colville Tribes, Still founded the Nespelem Art Colony, which operated as an artist’s residency and greatly influenced Still’s later work. Many of the portraits depicted in the museum represent time on the reservation. As curatorial assistant and Colville Confederated Tribe member Michael Holloman notes, the tribal people did not have cameras, so Still’s paintings of the land and people serve as a living history book for the children.
“For these children to be able to see their ancestors, the land they grew up on, depicted in this way and hanging in this beautiful museum… it’s just fabulous,” said Holloman. “It’s important for these children to be able to say, ‘this is who I am, this is where I’m from, these are my ancestors.’”
“We were so nervous for the kids to see the exhibit for the first time,” Cromartie added. “They took this work so seriously and really showed up for it with such confidence and authenticity, we just really wanted to capture that in the exhibit.”
Tell Clyfford I Said Hi is on display at the Clyfford Still Museum until May 2026. Tickets and more information are available on the museum’s website.
Type of story: News
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.