Contemporary Native Art
Tacoma Art Museum’s Northwest art collection does not include historical material by Native artisans and artists. Starting in 1991, TAM began collecting works by later 20th- and 21st- century Native artists whose works bridge both historical and contemporary practice. The collection now numbers 130 works in all media with particular strengths in prints and photographs. Artists include Joe Feddersen, James Lavadour, Sharron Nelson, James Nieto, Preston Singletary, and Matika Wilbur, among others. Recent acquisitions include Marvin Oliver’s Raven with Salmonberry, photographic works by Zoë Urness, Coyote Restored in Starlight by RYAN! Feddersen (featured in The Naturalist and the Trickster: Audubon/RYAN!), as well as works by Marie Watt, Wendy Red Star, and Gail Tremblay.
In-depth collections showcasing the historic artistic traditions of many Northwest Native peoples may be found at tribal and regional museums and cultural centers throughout the Northwest. You can access online collections of artworks by Northwest Native artists at several regional museums as well as view a listing of some of the tribal museums and cultural centers in the Northwest through the links below.
Tacoma Art Museum sits on ancestral Puyallup tribal land. To learn more about Puyallup history and culture visit:
Puyallup Tribal Cultural Center
3009 East Portland Ave.
Tacoma, WA 98404
Some Additional Tribal Museums and Cultural Centers in the Northwest
Colville Tribal Museum (Nespelem, WA)
Colville Confederated Tribes
Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center (Seattle, WA)
Duwamish Tribe
Elwha Klallam Heritage Center (Port Angeles, WA)
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Makah Research and Cultural Center (Neah Bay, WA)
Makah Tribe
Quinault Museum and Cultural Center (Taholah, WA)
Quinault Indian Nation
Skokomish Tribal Center and Museum (Shelton, WA)
Skokomish Indian Tribe
Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library, and Research Center (Squaxin Island, WA)
Squaxin Island Tribe
Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center and Museum (Steilacoom, WA)
Steilacoom Tribe
Suquamish Museum (Suquamish, WA)
Suquamish Tribe
Hibub Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve (Tulalip, WA)
Tulalip Tribes
Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Museum (Toppenish WA)
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
The Museum at Warm Springs (Warm Springs, OR)
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute (Pendleton, OR)
Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla Tribes
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum (Fort Hall, ID)
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Three Chiefs Culture Center (St. Ignatius, MT)
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
Online museum collections
- Tacoma Art Museum eMuseum: Works by Native American Artists in the Northwest Art Collection
- Burke Museum Collection Database
- Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia Collection Database
- Seattle Art Museum Collections Database
Right: Marie Watt (Seneca Nation; born Seattle, Washington, 1967), Blanket Stories: Transportation Object, Generous Ones, Trek, 2014. Bronze with patina, 18 ft. high. Tacoma Art Museum, Commissioned with funds from Estate of Annette B. Weyerhaeuser, Citizens of Pierce County, Janeanne A . Upp and Dale A. Meyer, Alice and Paul Kaltinick, and Cindy Rush Grady, 2014.8 A-B
Left: Joe Feddersen (Colville Tribe; born Omak, Washington, 1953), Brick Mountain, 2004. Blown and sandblasted glass, 9 1/4 í— 10 1/4 í— 10 1/4 inches. Tacoma Art Museum, Gift of Collect 21NW, 2014.2.1