Clyfford Still Museum
Tell Clyfford I Said "Hi": An Exhibition Curated by Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes
Tell Clyfford I Said "Hi": An Exhibition Curated by Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes
Couldn't load pickup availability
Published in collaboration with Washington State University Press, the roughly 190-page, richly illustrated Tell Clyfford I Said "Hi": An Exhibition Curated by Children of the Colville Confederated Tribes catalog shares the project’s origins and unique development process, highlights perspectives, and presents our co-curators with a tangible manifestation of their multiyear efforts. This exhibition was on view at the Still from September 19, 2025–May 10, 2026.
In late June 1936, American painter, Clyfford Still (1904–1980), and his Washington State College (WSC) faculty supervisor, Worth Griffin, traveled to the Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation in northeastern Washington and sketched portraits of people they met there, including several Tribal elders. They also captured in detail the nearby Grand Coulee Dam―then under construction―a massive project destroying much of the Tribes’ traditional lifeways. Most critical was the loss of the salmon runs that gave the Nespelem community physical, spiritual, and cultural sustenance. Deeply affected by the contrast between 20th-century progress and what many considered an outdated, dying culture, they proposed a summer art program on the Reservation. Established in 1937, the Nespelem Art Colony produced the first extensive visual record of the Nespelem people.
Available in both hardcover and paperback, the catalog features the young co-curators' voices alongside their chosen artworks; exclusive essays by exhibition organizers, partners, and school administrators; and installation photographs. The catalog is made possible through a generous contribution from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.
By Clyfford Still Museum
Size: 12 x 9 3/4 inches
LIMITED AVAILABILITY
