“Picturing Family: Métis Life in the Walla Walla Valley”
September 3–December 6, 2024
“Picturing Family” combines family photos of the Métis (mixed Indigenous and French Canadian) population of the Umatilla Indian Reservation at the turn of the 20th century with contemporary art made and collected by descendants of these same families at the turn of the 21st century. We invite you to discover these family communities, and the narrative and creative practices that sustain them.
The exhibit is the latest chapter in an ongoing collaboration between family historians and faculty, students, and staff from Whitman College. Historically, preservation was indistinguishable from the colonial act of collecting and controlling material objects. New policies allow donors to collaborate with institutional archives to preserve and share significant materials without giving up ownership or copyright. Métis Families of the Columbia River Plateau is the first collection in the Whitman College and Northwest Archives to be created in this model. Through monumental projection, family stories, historical documents and works of art, Picturing Family offers an immersive and emotional introduction to this important collection.
Curated by:
- Sarah Hurlburt
- Maxey Museum
- Sheehan Gallery
Contributions by:
- Whitman College and Northwest Archives
- Frenchtown Historical Foundation
- Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
- Crow’s Shadow Institute for the Arts
- Anya Millard ’26
- Madeline Senter ’25
- Emily Nichol ’26
- Joseph “Joey” A. Lavadour Jr.
- Jeanine Gordon
- Irene Lavadour Fitzpatrick
- Sam Pambrun
- Jill & Tim Parker
- Gina Picard Branstetter
- TeLa Branstetter
- Judith “Judy” Duffy Fortney
- Mari Sams Tester
- Nayana LaFond
- River Freemont
- Amy Blau
- Houla Chourfi ’25
- Jozie Munch-Rotolo ’24
Related Events:
September 13, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Olin Auditorium
Panel discussion with a reception and gallery viewing to follow. This event will feature the family archivists and artists who contributed profoundly to this exhibition.
September 30, 2024 at 4 p.m.
Olin Auditorium
Film screening and panel discussion in honor of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
