The Art Institute of Chicago
In 2019, I entered the Santa Fe Indian Market Juried Art show for the first time. Friday night, before the market began, the 2 pieces I entered had been judged, and we were instructed to pick them up around 9pm. Walking into the civic center was overwhelming, over 2,000 pieces were on display, such incredible native art from all across the US and Canada. Nervous, and excited to find my pieces, I walked up to see they took 1st and 2nd Place for Wood Sculpture in the show. Also, standing there with a big smile was Andrew Hamilton, associate curator for The Art Institute of Chicago. He introduced himself, and said he’d love to acquire the bentwood box (1st place) for their permanent collection. This was the start of a beautiful friendship and was my first experience having my work go into a museum collection.
Fast forward 4 years later, the Art Institute of Chicago brought me out for an artist talk, carving demonstration, and setup appointments to study Tlingit pieces in their collection, all taking place in a span of 3 days in mid-December in Chicago. My first time in Chicago, I loved every minute of it.
Thank you to all the incredible museum staff for making this trip so special. Huge thank you to Andrew, and also to Smartwool for sending out a box of socks for the staff! Stay tuned for a new installation at the AIC coming this February!