JAUNE QUICK-TO-SEE SMITH

- JAUNE QUICK-TO-SEE SMITH -

Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, 1940—

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, born on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, is among the leading Native American artists working today. Smith is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Smith was drawn to art at an early age, finding solace and self-expression through creative means. Smith’s work is characterized by a unique combination of traditional Native imagery and contemporary artistic styles. She often incorporates symbols from Native culture, such as horses, feathers, and canoes juxtaposed by popular cultural icons. She melds these disparate images and symbols through modern collage techniques and abstract expressionism. The intersection within her work addresses the social, political, and environmental issues facing Indigenous peoples, offering a unique critique of colonialism and its lasting effects on Native cultures. 

Over the course of her career, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith has earned widespread recognition as an artist as well as a curator, lecturer, mentor and advocate for Native American art and artists. In addition to her personal achievements, Smith has been a passionate advocate in promoting Indigenous voices within the art world, often curating exhibitions and speaking on panels to highlight diverse perspectives. Smith recently curated The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans at the National Gallery of Art. This exhibition highlights the artist’s lifelong commitment to art and advocacy -  elevating her as one of the most important Contemporary Native American voices. Smith’s work continues to inspire conversations about identity, history, and justice.

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith has been exhibited widely and internationally. In 2023, the Whitney Museum of American Art presented a solo touring exhibition of Quick-to-See Smith’s work, titled Memory Map. This watershed exhibition received rave reviews and International acclaim. Additionally, Smith has had solo exhibitions at the Chrysler Museum, the Missoula Art Museum, the Montclair Museum, the Plains Art Museum and the Yellowstone Art Museum, among others. 

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith has artwork held in prestigious collections such as Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Brooklyn Museum and the Walker Art Center, among many others.