Contact:
Dan Carpenter
(325) 673-4587
Marketing@thegracemuseum.org

Grace to exhibit art of American Indian activist

Abilene, TX (April 4, 2008) - The Grace Museum is opening an exhibit April 12 that features the work of internationally-known American Indian artist, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith.

Jaune Quick-To-See Smith: Made in America includes more than 30 pieces by Quick-To-See Smith, who is known around the world as an artist, curator, lecturer, activist and spokesperson on behalf of contemporary American Indian art.

"Quick-to-See Smith is one of the most acclaimed American Indian artists today," said Grace Curator of Art & Exhibits Judy Deaton. "She has had more than 80 solo exhibits in the past 30 years and has done printmaking projects nationwide.  She has also organized and/or curated more than 30 Native exhibitions, lectured at more than 185 universities, museums and conferences internationally, most recently at five universities in China.

"Deeply connected to her Flathead Salish, French-Cree, and Shoshone heritage, Quick-to-See Smith uses humor and satire to examine the myths and stereotypes of her ancestors in the context of current American culture. Her politically charged subject matter ranges from cowboys and Indians to consumerism, reservation life, and war. This exhibition features prime examples of her work over the last decade in painting, drawing, printmaking, and mixed-media installation."

Quick-To-See Smith's art is in many private and public international collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Museum of Mankind, Vienna, Austria; The Museum of Modern Art, Quito, Ecuador; and The Museum of Modern Art, NY. Among other honors, she has received the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters Grant, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for the Arts, the College Art Association's Committee on Women in the Arts Award, the 2005 New Mexico Governor's Outstanding New Mexico Woman's Award, the 2005 New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, a 2007 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, and was a National Woman's History 2008 women in the visual arts honoree.

Jaune Quick-To-See Smith: Made in America opens April 12 in The Grace's second floor Galleries B and C, and will be on display until June 28.

The exhibit is generously sponsored by Dodge Hubbard, Mishi and Sandip Mathur, and Gail and Howard Tobin.

The Grace Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m.

For more information, call 325-673-4587.

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The Grace Museum's exhibitions and educational programs are supported in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene, Taylor County, and the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District. The Grace Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1909, The Hotel Grace served as a rest stop for railway travelers. The mission-style building was renovated and re-opened in 1992 as The Grace Cultural Center. The Grace Museum , a non-profit organization, now serves as a home to a Children's Museum, History Museum , and Art Museum. At 55,000 sq. ft., The Grace Museum is the 10th largest general museum in Texas . The Grace Museum is the cornerstone of cultural arts and education in West Texas .