
St. Anthony Hospital presents
PICTURING FAMILY: Metis Life in the Walla Walla Valley
Opens February 7
This exhibit 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 Through monumental projection, family stories, historical documents and works of art, Picturing Family offers an immersive and emotional introduction to this important collection.
Opening day is free!