We're Still Here: Native American Artists, Then and Now

One of the rarely seen highlights of the McNay’s collection is a group of more than 70 drawings by members of the Kiowa tribe in Oklahoma. A selection of these soulful works on paper are now on view in the Charles Butt Paperworks Gallery as part of the new exhibition, We’re Still Here: Native Americans Artists, Then and Now, on view through August 11, 2019.

The earliest of these drawings—dating to the 1880s—are by Silver Horn, perhaps the most famous of all the Kiowa artists. His art chronicles Kiowa life and culture on the Plains, particularly the population’s struggle for existence during famine and war. Complementing these drawings are presentations by two San Antonio artists—Joe Harjo and Ed Saavedra—whose artwork focuses on the Native American experience today. Harjo’s footprint,  from his Indian Performance Prints suite, document Native Americans in our midst. Saavedra’s exquisite drawings represent the continued misappropriation of Native American identity.