The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York is next in line to host the major traveling exhibition Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, featuring some 120 glass art objects created by 29 Native American and First Nations artists as well as leading glass artist Dale Chihuly.
Dan Friday (Lummi), Aunt Fran’s Star Basket, 2017, hand-blown glass veil canes, 14 x 16 x 14 in. Courtesy Dan Friday. Photo by Russell Johnson. © Dan Friday.
While each artist in the exhibition shapes and manipulates the medium of glass, the range of artworks on display are truly eclectic. Artists like Dan Friday, Lillian Pitt, Larry Ahvakana, Robert “Spooner” Marcus and Adrian Wall bring stunning vessels and intricate glass sculptures to the show. Yet, these artists and others in the show manipulate the medium in more unexpected ways as well: some pieces feature slumped glass like Carol Lujan’s Grandmother’s Legacy Series, which resembles a weaving, and Angela Babby’s detailed glass mosaics on tile board that feel like paintings.
Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti), Incubators, 2016, high fire clay vessels, underglazes, acrylic paint with corning glass tendrils, from left to right: 12 x 30½ x 11 in. and 12 x 24½ x 10 in. Courtesy Virgil Ortiz. Photo by Virgil Ortiz. © Virgil Ortiz.
“Exploring glass as a medium excites me—it expands the range of materials I use in developing my films and characters. Its futuristic qualities add new depth to my world-building,” says multi-talented Cochiti artist Virgil Ortiz. His two glass works featured in the show, Incubators, are created from hand-blown glass combined with high-fire clay and glazes, part of his ongoing Revolt 1680/2180 series.
Angela Babby (Oglala Lakota), Melt: Prayers for the People and the Planet, 2019, kiln-fired vitreous enamel on glass mosaic on tile board, 30 x 30 in. Courtesy Angela Babby. Photo by Angela Babby. © Angela Babby.
Carol Lujan (Navajo), Grandmother’s Legacy Series, 2018, slumped glass, 12 x 14½ x 1½ in. Courtesy Carol Lujan. Photo by Stephen Lang. © Carol Lujan.
“My work challenges the notion that Native artists must only use traditional materials,” says Tlingit artist Preston Singletary. “By embracing glass as a storytelling medium, I seek to affirm our presence and identity, reinforcing that Indigenous cultures are dynamic, evolving and rooted in resilience. Through my art, I strive to amplify Indigenous voices, ensuring that we are seen, heard and recognized on our own terms.”
Preston Singletary (Tlingit) and Tammy García (Santa Clara Pueblo), Untitled, 2008, blown glass, 8½ x 10 in. Courtesy Preston Singletary and Tammy García. Photo by Wendy McEarhern, © Preston Singletary and Tammy García.
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass will be on view at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City from November 15, 2025, to May 29, 2026. The show then travels to the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, California, from June 27 to September 20, 2026, and finally to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture in Spokane, Washington, from October 16, 2026, to January 8, 2027. The exhibition was curated by Letitia Chambers, former CEO of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, and includes an accompanying catalog published by the Museum of New Mexico Press. The catalog is now available. —
November 15, 2025-May 29, 2026
Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass
National Museum of the American Indian
One Bowling Green New York, NY 10004 , www.americanindian.si.edu
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