CAH Public Lecture by Prof. Michael Holloman

About the event

Venue: Neill Public Library
The Clyfford Still Museum and the Colville Confederated Tribes Partner for the Future
Abstract
Building partnerships with groups historically excluded from museum spaces is often problematic because of institutionalized power structures, traditions of harm, and systemic barriers. So how can museums—historically extractive by design—shift their practices to empower networks through restorative action? Alongside representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Coville Reservation located in North Central Washington, WSU Department of Art associate professor Michael Holloman has worked with the Clyfford Still Museum (CSM) in Denver, Colorado, to bridge regional and cultural divides by using their collections as the starting point to build community, foster authentic connections, and open reciprocal pathways for communication.
While working as an Instructor at the Washington State College (WSC) in Pullman during the mid-1930s, influential American artist Clyfford Still assisted in founding a summer art colony on the Colville Reservation for WSC community members and artists working in the area. Still became one of its first instructors. The colony continued during the summers at Nespelem from 1937-41. Still’s experience was transformative in his artistic development, and during his time in Nespelem, Still made over 120 artworks, took photographs, and recorded his experience in journals—which are almost all now in the collection of the Clyfford Still Museum. These objects reveal how Still’s engagement with the Colville community profoundly impacted his work.
Bio
Michael Holloman (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation) works and lives in the ancestorial homelands of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) and Palus peoples. He is an associate professor of art and coordinator of Native American Arts, Outreach, and Education at Washington State University-Pullman. Prior, he was an associate professor at Seattle University, and later the director of American Indian exhibits, collection management and educational programming at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane. Michael has developed extensive relationships with Native communities, artists, and art and cultural organizations across the region that support art-based programming and partnerships. He is a proud parent, an exhibiting artist, and a mediocre, yet passionate golfer.