The Rockwell Museum in Corning, New York, has been exhibiting and collecting contemporary Native American art since opening in 1976. Its founding collection came from Bob and Hertha Rockwell who owned department stores in the area.

Hayden Haynes (Onödowa’ga:’ (Seneca Deer Clan) Kiowa, Mvskoke), Pretendian, 2024, moose and white tail deer antler, marine shell, wood, quartz, red acrylic, black glass, leather dye, stove polish, and enamel paint, 5½ x 2 in. Museum Purchase with the Bob and Hertha Rockwell Deaccession Fund in honor of The Rockwell Museum Ambassadors. 2024.9. The Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY.

 

“They were interested in art of the American West; that included a lot of [Frederic] Remingtons and [Charles M.] Russells, but it also included Native American weaving, basketry and pottery, primarily from the Southwest,” explains Amanda Lett, the Rockwell Museum’s curator of exhibitions and collections.

Bob Rockwell grew up on a ranch in Colorado, captivated by the landscape and Indigenous cultures surrounding him. Before the museum opened, the couple displayed their artwork in the stores, customers shopping for slacks and blouses among Remington sculptures and pueblo pottery. The Rockwell initially branded itself as “The Best of the West in the East” before widening its perspective.

“As we became a more formal institution, collecting contemporary art that was Western themed continued, and there was always a strong interest in contemporary Native American art to compliment what we already had,” Lett says. “Then, around 1998-1999, we started working with more Native American artists, bringing them in, having exhibitions. It’s really grown.”

Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), Ancient Elder Figure / Pueblo Revolt 1680 / 2180 Series, 2012, polychrome ceramic, 20 x 7½ x 2 in. Purchased with Funds from the Silver Dollar Society in memory of Bryan J. Lanahan. 2014.6.1 © Virgil Ortiz. The Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY.

 

The Rockwell’s sustained commitment to contemporary Native American art and the growth of its collection beyond the Southwest are revealed in Native Now: Contemporary Indigenous Art at The Rockwell Museum on view through May 4.

Over the course of 50 years, the institution has also grown to advance Native voices in its presentations. Independent curator Randee Spruce (Seneca Nation, Heron Clan) co-curated Native Now with Lett. Native people guiding the telling of Native stories, as was the case when the Rockwell opened its dedicated Haudenosaunee gallery in 2017.

Spruce was recommended for Native Now by Hayden Haynes, director of the Onöhsagwë:de Cultural Center at Seneca Iroquois National Museum. Haynes has collaborated with the Rockwell on a variety of projects over the past several years and the museum acquired one of his artworks, Pretendian, in 2024. That piece is in the new show.

Preston Singletary (Tlingit), Wakefulness, 2016, glass, hair, steel, 21½ x 21 x 6 in. Museum Purchase with Funds Donated by James B. Flaws and Marcia D. Weber. 2016.4a-b. © Preston Singletary.

 

The Rockwell Museum’s sustained, half-century commitment to collecting art at the vanguard of contemporary Native practice, further distinguishes the collection that includes Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Edgar Heap of Birds, David Bradley, Virgil Ortiz, Wendy Red Star, Preston Singletary, Julie Buffalohead, Cara Romero. Rockwell curators were always looking to the future, not the past. 

They took risks acquiring work from Native artists who were similarly taking risks. Artists expanding Native art into photography, glass, text-based work, Pop art and satire. Artists as engaged with international currents in contemporary art as they were their traditional cultural backgrounds. 

Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke (Crow)), Catalogue Number 1950.76 from Accession series, 2019, pigment print on archival paper, 28 x 18 in. Clara S. Peck Fund. 2021.2.15. The Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY.

 

The Rockwell wasn’t simply looking to acquire from Native artists, it was looking to acquire from artists at the forefront of American art writ large who happened to be Native. As much as Native Now artworks are Native, they aren’t only Native, they’re equally contemporary and American, and would feel right at home at the Whitney Museum of American Art or MoMA.

Most of what’s on view in the exhibition comes from the Rockwell’s permanent collection, however, it did receive choice loans from longtime partner, Art Bridges—the powerhouse American art foundation backed by Walmart heir Alice Walton—including pieces by Jeffrey Gibson, Raven Halfmoon and Cannupa Hanska Luger. —

Through May 4, 2026
Native Now: Contemporary Indigenous Art at The Rockwell Museum
The Rockwell Museum, 111 Cedar Street, Corning, NY 14830
(607) 937-5386, www.rockwellmuseum.org

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