Native American traditions of making that honor family, community and clan are the focus of “Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick Invitational 2023.” The juried exhibit at the Renwick Gallery showcases more than 50 works by six contemporary Native American or Alaska Native artists in a variety of media, from basketweaving and printmaking to glass and textile art. Their fresh, nuanced interpretations of culturally specific themes reflect the honors and burdens that connect people to one another. 

Now in its tenth installment, the Renwick Invitational showcases emerging and mid-career makers deserving wider national recognition; the 2023 show is the first to spotlight contemporary indigenous artists. On view through March 31, 2024. americanart.si.edu 

URSALA HUDSON (Tlingit)
An ensemble by Hudson combines We Are the Ocean, a collar in merino, silk, steel cones and leather; Woman As Wave, a robe of thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with silk; and Tidal, an apron crafted of merino, silk, leather, steel cones and Tencel.

ERICA LORD (Athabascan/Iñupiat)
Multimedia artist Lord crafts beaded burden straps and sled-dog blankets representing diseases that disproportionately impact Native and other marginalized communities. Leukemia Burden Strap, DNA/RNA Microarray Analysis, made of glass beads and wire. 

LILY HOPE (Tlingit)
Hope weaves labor-intensive textiles that convey Tlingit values of reciprocity and balance. Memorial Beats headphones are adorned with thigh-spun merino and cedar bark with copper.  

MAGGIE THOMPSON (Fond du Lac Ojibwe)
Textile artist Thompson’s large-scale works explore the intersections of grief and trauma with beauty, honor and healing. I Get Mad Because I Love You is a work in progress made of glass beads and filament.  

JOE FEDDERSEN (Arrow Lakes/Okanagan)
A printmaker, glass artist and basket maker, Feddersen creates geometric patterns sourced from everyday life; Bestiary 5 is a monoprint. 

GEO NEPTUNE (Passamaquoddy)
Neptune is a basket maker, activist and educator who uses colorful narratives to emphasize the honor and burden of keeping tradition alive. Apikcilu Binds the Sun utilizes ash and sweetgrass, commercial dye, acrylic ink and gold-plated beads.