Phoenix Museum of Art: The Way We Came

Spanning a hundred years of artistic innovation, The Way We Came: A Century of Indigenous Art from the William P. Healey Collection offers a compelling examination of modernity in Native American art, tracing how people have sustained, adapted, and reimagined cultural knowledge across generations.

The exhibition explores the rich transmission of visual culture through family lineages, artist collectives, and formal educational paths, candidly addressing the complex legacies of Native boarding schools. Through works deeply rooted in traditional and contemporary life, the collection highlights the power of storytelling as a tool for both continuity and political resistance.

Visitors will trace the evolving dialogue between Indigenous perspectives and modernism, from the expressive figuration of Fritz Scholder and T. C. Cannon to the complex, layered landscapes of Kay WalkingStick, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and Emmi Whitehorse. Throughout the exhibition, connection to place remains central; masterworks such as Quincy Tahoma’s The Navajo Country and George Morrison’s Lake Superior series represent the land as sovereign presence. Contemporary visionaries, including photographer Cara Romero and painter Tony Abeyta, carry the past into the present day.

Organized by the Phoenix Art Museum, The Way We Came is curated by Dr. JoAnna Reyes, Adjunct Curator for Art of the Americas, alongside guest curator Tony Abeyta (Navajo). Through July 2027.