Native Artists Use the Innovative Medium of Glass to Explore Cultural Histories, Traditions, and Ways of Knowing in Clearly Indigenous

Angela Babby (Lakota, born 1964)
Melt: Prayers for the People and the Planet, 2019
Kiln-fired vitreous enamel on glass mosaic on tile board, Image courtesy of Angela Babby, Photo by Angela Babby, © Angela Babby.

NORFOLK, Va.– The Chrysler Museum of Art is pleased to announce Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, a groundbreaking exhibition giving broader and overdue recognition to a wide range of contemporary Native American and Indigenous Pacific-Rim artists working in glass. Clearly Indigenous will be on view at One Memorial Pl, Norfolk, from June 13–September 14, 2025.

Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass features 120 glass art objects created by 29 artists from 26 different American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations tribal communities in the United States and Canada. In addition, two Australian Aboriginal artists and two Maori artists who have collaborated with American Indian artists are featured.

“The talented artists included in this landmark show rupture the narrow definitions of what Native art can be, while also proclaiming their communities to be very much alive, thriving, and vibrant” says Carolyn Swan Needell, PhD, Barry Curator of Glass and venue curator for this traveling exhibition. “The glass artworks made by Native artists over the last 50 years reflect the confluence of the Native Contemporary Art movement and the Studio Glass movement.”

The stunning art in the exhibition embodies the intellectual content of Native traditions, newly illuminated by the unique properties that can only be achieved by working with glass. Whether re-interpreting traditional stories and designs or expressing contemporary issues affecting tribal societies, Native glass artists have created a content-laden body of work. These artists have melded the aesthetics and properties inherent in glass art with their Cultural Ways of Knowing. The result is a ground-breaking exhibition featuring an impressive body of art.

A companion book published by the Museum of New Mexico Press features most of the artworks in the exhibit. It was authored by Dr. Letitia Chambers, who curated the exhibition together with artist and museum consultant Cathy Short (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which originated this seminal exhibition.

Following the Chrysler Museum of Art, scheduled US tour dates for Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass are as follows: National Museum of the American Indian, New York, NY (October 10, 2025 – May 29, 2026); Mingei International Museum, San Diego, CA (June 27 – September 20, 2026); and Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane, WA (October 16, 2026 – January 8, 2027).

EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING

MEMBER PREVIEW CELEBRATION
Thursday, June 12, 6–8 p.m.
Opening celebration of Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass, a groundbreaking exhibition including 130 artworks by 33 contemporary Indigenous glass artists.
Free for Museum members, $20 for non-members. Registration required.

WONDER WEDNESDAYS*
Wednesdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
The Museum comes alive with multisensory activities, interactive art projects, and lively performances. Each week, discover the exhibition Clearly Indigenous through action-packed verbs. Designed for all ages, learning styles, and abilities.
Free. Registration not required.

MIXTAPE: FIRST THURSDAY
Thursdays, July 3 and August 7, 5–8 p.m.
At Mixtape: First Thursdays, join in enlightening art chats inside the Clearly Indigenous exhibition and permanent galleries. In August, enjoy a special guided tour of “Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass” with Carolyn Swan Needell, Ph.D., the Carolyn and Richard Barry Curator of Glass.
Free. Registration not required.

IGNITE: INFERNO
Friday, July 25, 7–10 p.m.
Get out your hairspray, dust off your platform shoes, and travel through time to a groovy night of disco, retro vibes, and blazing hot glass! Step into the glitz and beats of the 1970s while dancing the night away with DJ sets, cover bands, and drag performances that will make you do a double take.

Marvel at the Chrysler Museum’s world-renowned glass collection and latest exhibition, Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass. To really heat things up, watch live glassblowing, flameworking, and jewelry-making by Perry Glass Studio artists in our NEW outdoor hotshop! So hustle, bump, and boogie your way to the ultimate art party.

New to IgNITE! Arrive early at 6 p.m. and enjoy happy hour at Zinnia before doors open.
Ages 18+. $10 for Museum members, $20 for non-members. Registration recommended.

SUMMER TEACHER INSTITUTE: CONTEMPORARY ART AND CULTURE
Thursday and Friday, July 17–18, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
During this two-day institute, educators will learn about art’s role in telling stories, revealing histories, and sharing experiences. Explore contemporary art by Joyce J. Scott, Greta Pratt, and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, along with Clearly Indigenous: Native Visions Reimagined in Glass. Discuss how to include these ideas in your teaching, create art, and earn a continuing education credit certificate.
$20 Materials Fee. Registration required.

CHRYSLER BOOK & LOOK: A COUNCIL OF DOLLS
Sunday, July 13, 1–3 p.m.
Join us in Clearly Indigenous to connect A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power and with the works in the exhibition. Enjoy light refreshments beforehand in the Jean Outland Chrysler Library.
Free. Registration not required.

ABOUT THE CURATOR
Dr. Letitia Chambers is a collector of Native American art who has been involved in issues affecting Native Americans throughout her career, including serving as the CEO of Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, as a founding director and board chair of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, and as a Trustee of the Institute of American Indian Arts. Before focusing her career on the arts, Dr. Chambers was well-known as a public policy expert at both the federal and state levels. She served as Staff Director of two U.S. Senate Committees and as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations General Assembly. She also headed the state system of higher education in New Mexico. Her private sector experience includes serving as CEO of a highly successful Washington DC-based public policy consulting firm. Letitia Chambers resides in Santa Fe, where she maintains a consulting practice and has curated several exhibitions at the Museum of Indian Art and Culture and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ARTS & ARTISTS
International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs, and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public. Visit www.artsandartists.org.

ABOUT THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART

The Chrysler Museum of Art brings art and people together through experiences that delight, inform, and inspire. Internationally recognized for its collection of more than 35,000 objects, including one the largest glass collections in America, the Museum also includes free admission, the state-of-the-art Perry Glass Studio, a full-service restaurant, shop, theater, works on paper space, and oversees the historic Myers House. The Museum boasts an ambitious schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs, and has been nationally recognized for its commitment to inclusion through its innovative gallery host program. For more information, visit chrysler.org. Follow on social media @ChryslerMuseum to receive the latest updates.

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