Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Jeffrey Gibson, an artist of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, incorporates elements of Native American art and craft into his practice, creating a rich visual and conceptual dialogue between his work and the histories that inform it. In Jeffrey Gibson: When Fire Is Applied to a Stone It Cracks, he selected objects from our collection, which are presented alongside his recent work. The resulting multimedia, floor-to-ceiling installation questions long-held institutional categorizations and representations of Indigenous peoples and Native American art. It also provides a context for Gibson’s work and acts as a contemporary lens through which to see historical works by both Indigenous and non-Native peoples.
The sculpture Speak to Me In Your Way So That I Can Hear You highlights how Jeffrey Gibson often brings a range of materials and inspirations together within a single work. The body of the sculpture combines found or repurposed objects—like driftwood, wool, and canvas—with a ceramic piece inspired by Mississippian head pots. Other elements reference Indigenous art and fashion, such as the glass beadwork, nylon fringe, and metal jingles that cascade down its back and sides. In combining materials sourced from around the world, Gibson notes that he is not doing anything new, emphasizing, "Native people have always been global."
Jeffrey Gibson: When Fire Is Applied to a Stone It Cracks
February 14, 2020–January 10, 2021
bit.ly/gibsonbkm
#jeffreygibsonbkm
Video by Anne Sofie Nørskov, Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Video Fellow, produced by Rachel Lewis
Jeffrey Gibson, an artist of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, incorporates elements of Native American art and craft into his practice, creating a rich visual and conceptual dialogue between his work and the histories that inform it. In Jeffrey Gibson: When Fire Is Applied to a Stone It Cracks, he selected objects from our collection, which are presented alongside his recent work. The resulting multimedia, floor-to-ceiling installation questions long-held institutional categorizations and representations of Indigenous peoples and Native American art. It also provides a context for Gibson’s work and acts as a contemporary lens through which to see historical works by both Indigenous and non-Native peoples.
The sculpture Speak to Me In Your Way So That I Can Hear You highlights how Jeffrey Gibson often brings a range of materials and inspirations together within a single work. The body of the sculpture combines found or repurposed objects—like driftwood, wool, and canvas—with a ceramic piece inspired by Mississippian head pots. Other elements reference Indigenous art and fashion, such as the glass beadwork, nylon fringe, and metal jingles that cascade down its back and sides. In combining materials sourced from around the world, Gibson notes that he is not doing anything new, emphasizing, "Native people have always been global."
Jeffrey Gibson: When Fire Is Applied to a Stone It Cracks
February 14, 2020–January 10, 2021
bit.ly/gibsonbkm
#jeffreygibsonbkm
Video by Anne Sofie Nørskov, Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Video Fellow, produced by Rachel Lewis
