Tooveep (The Land)

Tooveep (The Land) is an exhibition of contemporary Indigenous Art that will explore the intersection of identity, landscape, and storytelling through the work of Indigenous artists from the American Southwest and beyond. The title, derived from the Southern Paiute word Too-veep, meaning “the land,” reflects the enduring relationship between people and place. 

Curated by Fawn Douglas, a Las Vegas Paiute artist, activist, and founder of Nuwu Art, the exhibition will bring together the work of emerging and established regional artists from the Southwest and Great Basin with artworks by nationally renowned artists from the Gochman Family Collection. Together, the selected pieces offer a visual representation of “the land” and its first peoples, facilitating a deeper understanding of America’s history through contemporary Indigenous perspectives. Through painting, weaving, basketry, and mixed media, Tooveep reflects the strength, humor, and deep cultural ties of Indigenous people, presenting the land not as backdrop, but as collaborator and keeper of stories.

Ms. Douglas’s curatorial approach is rooted in Indigenous storytelling, self-determination, and joy .“Seeing a smile on their faces, or a deep, loud laugh from an Auntie, is the driving force,” Douglas says. “I want to show work that reflects the heart of our Indigenous people.” As such, she has selected more than 20 artists that include many from the Southwest and Great Basin whose work she knows intimately, such as Avis Charley (Spirit Lake Dakota/Diné), and Jean LaMarr (Northern Paiute/Maidu), as well as other artists from the Gochman Family Collection, including Marie Watt (Seneca & German- Scot) and Jeffrey Gibson (Mississippi Band of Choctaw and Cherokee), who represent Tribal Nations and Indigenous experiences from across North America. The works by regional artists denote cultural practices, visual expressions, and sacred places specific to SUMA’s local Indigenous communities and to the ancestral lands upon which it stands; by including Gochman Family Collection pieces, however, Ms. Douglas seeks to celebrate the breadth of contemporary Native art, reflecting the narratives, histories, and media that are both shared by and distinctive to Indigenous cultures across the country. Tooveep, this is America.

Image Credit:
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Salish member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation), Amerika Map, 2021, Mixed media on canvas, 60x40 in., Gochman Family Collection (Image courtesy of the estate of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York)