NEWS!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact Only: Liz Hill, liz@lizhillpr.com
National Traveling Exhibition, “Portraits in Red: Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project,” will open at The Museum at Warm Springs
on June 5, 2024
(WARM SPRINGS, Ore., May 22, 2024) — “Portraits in Red: Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project” — a national traveling exhibition — will be on view at The Museum at Warm Springs from Wednesday, June 5 through Saturday, September 7, 2024. The exhibition features 40 paintings by Nayana LaFond focusing on missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.
Behind each of the paintings is the voice of an Indigenous person who has suffered the impact of violence. Ninety-eight percent of Native people experience violence during their lifetime. Native women face murder rates 11 times the national average. These crimes are under-reported by the media and under-prosecuted by law enforcement. LaFond's project brings visibility to this ongoing crisis.
LaFond’s painting project began in 2020 with one painting, “Lauraina in RED,” created for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls, which is observed on May 5 and now known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day. Since 2020 she’s painted more than 50 commissioned portraits. As of February 2024, there were 110 completed paintings. Every portrait is of someone who is missing, was murdered, survived, a family member or friend, or an activist/hero fighting for the cause. LaFond hopes to make sure the missing and dead are never forgotten, to raise awareness about this serious issue, and to provide help with healing to the families.
LaFond is a full-time multidisciplinary artist and activist who resides with her child in Western Massachusetts. She attended Greenfield Community College for Fine Art and Massachusetts College of Art for Photography and then dropped out to become a full-time painter. Her paintings and sculptures can be seen in galleries and museums around the world. Her project, “Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project,” has gained her international acclaim and is currently on display in museums around North America, including a Pacific Northwest Coast tour, a tour through the Institute of American Indian Studies Museum and more. LaFond has also been a curator and community arts organizer for more than 20 years, including serving as the former founding chief curator for The Whitney Center for the Arts (Pittsfield, Mass.). She also sits on the boards of several arts organizations, including as executive board member of Artist Organized Art in New York City. LaFond is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Canada.
Become a Museum Member
There are several levels of annual Museum Membership, which begin at $25 for elders and students. All Members receive these benefits: free admission for one year, 10% discount in the Museum Gift Shop and special invitations to exhibits and programs. 2024 Members will have access to the 2024 Oregon Historical Society Reciprocal Membership Program and free admission to a different Oregon museum each month. Join by visiting https://museumatwarmsprings.org/ and click “Join” to see Membership levels and online payment information. Or send a check to: The Museum at Warm Springs, P.O. Box 909, Warm Springs, OR 97761 (Attn: Membership).
Get Monthly News from The Museum at Warm Springs!
To receive The Museum’s monthly e-newsletters and updates, send an email request to: museumatwarmspringsnews@gmail.com.
About The Museum at Warm Springs
The Museum at Warm Springs opened its doors to the public on March 14, 1993. Built to Smithsonian Institution professional standards, The Museum’s mission is to preserve, advance and share the traditions, cultural and artistic heritage of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission: Museum Members (free), Adults ($7), Senior Citizens over 60 ($6), Students 13-18 with student body card ($4.50), Children 5-12 ($3.50) and Children 4 and younger (free). The Museum welcomes donations any time of the year. Please consider a matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust. Your gift to the Trust (up to $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly, and $2,500 for class-C corporations) is a tax credit, a dollar-for-dollar reduction for any Oregon taxes you owe. The Oregon Cultural Trust is a generous supporter of our Museum. The Museum at Warm Springs is located at 2189 Highway 26 in Warm Springs. Phone: (541) 553-3331. For more information, visit https://www.museumatwarmsprings.org/.
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Photo Captions:
“Shayla in RED”
Shayla is from Little Black Bear First Nation within Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan, Canada. This photograph was a collaboration between photographer Wayne Slinn and Indigenous makeup artist JJ Vester Penny to help bring awareness to MMIGW2s. 30” x 40.” Acrylic on canvas. Photo courtesy Nayana LaFond.
“Stacey in RED”
Stacey, a survivor and activist, is from Little Bear First Nation within Treaty 4 Territory in Saskatchewan, Canada. This photograph was a collaboration between photographer Wayne Slinn and Indigenous makeup artist JJ Vester Penny to help bring awareness to MMIGW2s: Pray that our families may find peace and pray that victims of violence will no longer live in fear and silence. We must be idle no more on these issues that affect the livelihood of our home fires and our communities.
Photo courtesy Nayana LaFond.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Museum at Warm Springs will Reopen to the Public on Tuesday, May 14, 2024
(WARM SPRINGS, Ore., May 9, 2024) — The Museum at Warm Springs will reopen to the public at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The Museum has been closed since December 18, 2023, for the installation of a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC).
“On behalf of The Museum at Warm Springs, I want to extend my gratitude to our visitors, members, colleagues, partners and friends who have been so patient during the closure,” said Museum Executive Director Elizabeth Woody. “Due to supply chain delays the major part of the installation process took longer than initially anticipated. We are grateful for everyone’s support and for understanding the necessity of taking on this important improvement to our infrastructure.”
“The new HVAC system will ensure that everyone who visits our Museum will be comfortable and safe during all seasons and that our collection objects and archives will be protected,” said Woody. “We are especially thankful to our funders. Without them this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Major funders of the HVAC system include the U.S. Congress/National Park Service, The Roundhouse Foundation, The Ford Family Foundation, Portland General Electric Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund and Oregon Cultural Trust.
Become a Museum Member
There are several levels of annual Museum Membership, which begin at $25 for elders and students. All Members receive these benefits: free admission for one year, 10% discount in the Museum Gift Shop and special invitations to exhibits and programs. 2024 Members will have access to the 2024 Oregon Historical Society Reciprocal Membership Program and free admission to a different Oregon museum each month. Join by visiting https://museumatwarmsprings.org/ and click “Join” to see Membership levels and online payment information. Or send a check to: The Museum at Warm Springs, P.O. Box 909, Warm Springs, OR 97761 (Attn: Membership).
Get Monthly News from The Museum at Warm Springs!
To receive The Museum’s monthly e-newsletters and updates, send an email request to: museumatwarmspringsnews@gmail.com.
About The Museum at Warm Springs
The Museum at Warm Springs opened its doors to the public on March 14, 1993. Built to Smithsonian Institution professional standards, The Museum’s mission is to preserve, advance and share the traditions, cultural and artistic heritage of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission: Museum Members (free), Adults ($7), Senior Citizens over 60 ($6), Students 13-18 with student body card ($4.50), Children 5-12 ($3.50) and Children 4 and younger (free). The Museum welcomes donations any time of the year. Please consider a matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust. Your gift to the Trust (up to $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly, and $2,500 for class-C corporations) is a tax credit, a dollar-for-dollar reduction for any Oregon taxes you owe. The Oregon Cultural Trust is a generous supporter of our Museum. The Museum at Warm Springs is located at 2189 Highway 26 in Warm Springs. Phone: (541) 553-3331. For more information, visit https://www.museumatwarmsprings.org/.
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