September 14, 2024–February 2, 2025

My Grandmother’s Whispers: Indigenous Prints and Beadwork explores the persistence of Indigenous ancestral knowledge through matrilineal lines. On display are five prints from Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, created by Indigenous artists Dyani White Hawk (Siċaŋġu Lakota) and Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke). The prints are complemented by five pieces of Haudenosaunee beadwork, including contemporary works by Lorna Hill and Samuel Thomas.

The prints in the exhibition were purchased from Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, a nonprofit arts center focused on contemporary fine art printmaking, located on the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon. In 2023, the Loeb formed a partnership with Crow’s Shadow, committing to an annual purchase of fine art prints. The Loeb is committed to supporting both the Native American Studies Programand Indigenous communities at Vassar, in the Hudson Valley, and beyond. Placing a spotlight on Indigenous art and artists exploring themes of sovereignty, agency, and ancestral lineage is imperative to the ongoing conversations initiated by Vassar’s Land Acknowledgement.

My Grandmother’s Whispers is organized by Loeb Summer Curatorial Interns Julia Pippenger, Vassar College class of 2025 and Kaniah Pearson, Spelman College class of 2025. Kaniah Pearson’s summer internship at the Loeb was sponsored by Kianga Ellis. Support for Spotlight is provided by Mary Ellen Weisl Rudolph ’61, P ’98 and James N. Rudolph P ’98.