Description

Jaune Quick-To-See Smith – Survival, suite of four, 1996 contains:

Wisdom/Knowledge, 1996

Medium: 4 Color Lithograph with chine collé
Edition: 50
Papers: Arches Cover, White & Red Moriki chine collé
Paper Size: 36″ x 24.75″
Image Size: Same

Tribe/Community, 1996

Medium: 4 Color Lithograph with chine collé
Edition: 50
Papers: Arches Cover, White & Red Moriki chine collé
Paper Size: 36″ x 24.75″
Image Size: Same

Nature/Medicine, 1996

Medium: 3 Color Lithograph with chine collé
Edition: 50
Papers: Arches Cover, Burr & Okawara chine collé
Paper Size: 36″ x 24.75″
Image Size: Same

Humor, 1996

Medium: 4 Color Lithograph
Edition: 50
Paper: Arches Cover, White
Paper Size: 36″ x 24.75″
Image Size: Same

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Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a celebrated Native American artist, curator, and activist, passed away on January 24, 2025, at the age of 85 due to pancreatic cancer.

Born on January 15, 1940, in St. Ignatius Mission on the Flathead Reservation in Montana, Smith was an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, with Métis and Shoshone ancestry. Her Shoshone grandmother gave her the name “Quick-to-See,” reflecting her keen perception.

Smith’s passion for art emerged in childhood, leading her to pursue formal education in the field. She earned an associate degree from Olympic College in 1960, a bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Framingham State College in 1976, and a Master’s in Art from the University of New Mexico in 1980.

Over her five-decade career, Smith gained recognition for her paintings, prints, and mixed-media works that explored themes of Native identity, historical oppression, and environmental concerns. Her work was featured in over 50 solo exhibitions and is housed in major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 2020, the National Gallery of Art acquired her painting I See Red: Target (1992), marking the first painting on canvas by a Native American artist in their collection.

Beyond her artistic achievements, Smith was a committed advocate for Native artists, curating exhibitions, contributing to public art projects, and serving as an educator and storyteller. She lived in Corrales, New Mexico, near the Rio Grande, until her passing.

Smith’s impact as a pioneer in the art world and her dedication to amplifying Native American voices in contemporary art will continue to be honored and remembered.