Indigenous Identities: Here, Now, and Always

An unprecedented survey of contemporary Native American art edited by the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always accompanies the landmark exhibition at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University and marks the largest editorial endeavor of the late artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s career. Both the exhibition and publication affirm Smith’s pivotal role in shaping a living history of Native art and her lifelong commitment to advancing Indigenous voices and visibility in the contemporary art world. This richly illustrated volume reproduces more than one hundred works across a range of media—including beadwork, jewelry, painting, sculpture, video, and photography—celebrating the breadth and vitality of Indigenous expression today. Through the practices of ninety-seven artists representing over fifty distinct Indigenous nations and tribes across the United States and Canada, the book foregrounds the ongoing significance of identity, community, and self-determination in artmaking. Essays by Native American scholars and artists expand on the themes of the exhibition, ranging from overviews of Native art to focused reflections on specific media—photography, new art, poetry, sculpture, ceramics, painting, jewelry, and fashion. The volume also features an interview between Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation) and her son, the artist Neal Ambrose-Smith. From the reproduced works to the writing, design, and editing, Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always is a fully Indigenous-led project. Featured artists include Norman Akers, Kay WalkingStick, Emmi Whitehorse, Alan Michelson, New Red Order, and Zoë Marieh Urness. Includes essays by Mario Caro, Lou Cornum, Heid E. Erdrich, Lara Evans, Chelsea M. Herr, Anya Montiel, Stacy Pratt, and Jennifer Woodcock-Medicine Horse Designed by Kathleen Sleboda (nɬeʔképmx) with Text Field Office Published by Hirmer Verlag, 2025 Hardcover, 288 pages, 103 color images, 8.27 × 10.87 inches ISBN: 978-3-77-744536-6