Native and Indigenous Art Collection

In 2007, the Tweed Museum acquired the Richard E. and Dorothy Rawlings Nelson Collection of American Indian Art, including contemporary Native art from artists such as David Bradley, Patrick DesJarlait, George Morrison, and Angelique Merasty, a Cree birchbark biting artist. The Nelson Collection provides the historical context for the museum’s expanding collection of works by contemporary Native and Indigenous artists of North America. After a decade of actively collecting, the Tweed Museum currently has a sizable Native and Indigenous art collection. Some artists include Jaune-Quick-to-See Smith, Preston Singletary, Meryl McMaster, Truman Lowe, Marie Watt, and Allan Houser. Artworks by the following local artists are also in the museum’s permanent collection:

  • Carl Gawboy
  • Karen Savage
  • Jonathan Thunder
  • Julie Buffalohead
  • Jim Denomie
  • Melvin Losh
  • Dyani White Hawk
  • Gordon Van Wert
  • Andrea Carlson
  • Frank Big Bear
  • Leah Yellowbird
  • Rabbett Before Horses Strickland

Selections from the Collection

Sleeping Indian, 1994
Untitled (Fawn), 1997
A woman's face with butterflies on it.
A traditional Native American beaded mask
A wolf in the woods, surrounded by birds. One of the birds is resting the wolf's paw.s paw
Color painting with two landscapes filled with figures