Native Artist Spotlight: Jeffrey Gibson

Jeffrey Gibson is one of the most prolific and imaginative Native American artists working today. 

However, Gibson didn’t always feel connected to his ancestry. In fact, for much of his early life, he felt quite disconnected from his Native identity.

How did this artist become one of the most influential Indigenous American creators working today? 

Let’s find out!

The Story of Jeffrey Gibson

A member of the Mississippi Choctaw Band of Indians and half-Cherokee, Jeffrey Gibson was born on March 31, 1972, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father worked for the U.S. Defense Department, which required his family to move frequently during Gibson’s youth. Much of his childhood abroad was spent in West Germany and South Korea.

Gibson drew all the time as a kid. And, when his father traveled for work, he brought home art posters from the museums he visited. Jeffrey’s love of art continued to evolve into adulthood.

In 1995, he moved to the U.S. to earn a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago. Afterward, he returned to Europe to attend London’s Royal College of Art, earning an MFA in 1998.

Gibson describes feeling out of place as a Native American living abroad. Strangely, returning to the U.S. heightened those emotions. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Jeffrey expresses feeling estranged. 

“Because I didn’t grow up in a Native community, I would ask myself, ‘Am I a participant?’ ‘Am I an observer?’ ‘Where do I stand in there?’”

What Inspires Jeffrey Gibson?

Jeffrey’s journey of self-discovery informs and inspires his art. Much of his work melds traditional Native designs, crafts, and objects with pop culture and the mainstream art world. 

Gibson incorporates lyrics from popular musicians and quotes from famous writers into his art. He works out of a converted schoolhouse in Germantown, New York, which he purchased with his husband in 2016. Jeffrey credits the schoolhouse-turned-studio with keeping his creativity flowing.

What Mediums Does Jeffrey Gibson Work With?

Gibson works primarily in crafts, making three-dimensional art objects. Much of his art includes traditional Native beadwork done with tiny glass beads. He also makes textiles using materials like artificial sinew and woven fabrics.

Jeffrey is also known for using elements of powwow regalia in his work. Items like tin jingles, fringe, and metal studs are commonplace in his pieces. One piece, titled Love is the Drug, is a refurbished punching bag adorned with many of these traditional objects.

What Are Some of Jeffrey Gibson’s Art Pieces?

Jeffrey Gibson’s art style is wholly unique. The artist’s aesthetic is described as “Indigenous Futurism,” mixing ancient techniques with influences such as Prince and Raymond Carver. 

His work invites viewers from all backgrounds to understand what it means to be a Native person in the 21st century.

Let’s explore some of Gibson’s creations.

This Burning World

This Burning World is a multimedia installation housed in the newly-opened Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco. The show runs from October 1, 2022, through March 26, 2023. 

This exhibition is immersive and occupies the entire gallery space. It includes a short film featuring indigenous singer Joan Henry, an uprooted dying tree hanging from wires, and even dug-out trenches in the museum floor where visitors can view the soil beneath the building.

This Burning World serves as a call for environmental justice and a critique of industrialized society’s harm to the planet. In his artist statement, Gibson explains that the trenches in the museum floor are “a portal for us to speak, give thanks, and apologize to the land for our treatment of ‘them.’” 

By fully immersing the audience in this environment, he facilitates an opportunity for viewers to see their planet in a new way.

Our Freedom is Worth More Than Our Pain

This piece consists of two punching bags hanging from a massive scale. The bags are adorned with Gibson’s beautiful beadwork and metal studs. Each bag reads in detailed beading, “Our Freedom is Worth More Than Our Pain.”

Viewers notice that despite being similar in size and shape, one of the bags tips the scale. This “scales of justice” imagery can be read as a reference to the American legal system. 

The tipped scale and Gibson’s quote encourage his audience to reflect on the treatment of Native and LGBTQ+ people in U.S. history. 

In Every Direction

Despite working primarily with crafts and three-dimensional materials, Gibson is also a trained painter. In Every Direction uses one of the artist’s paintings to decorate a traditional elk hide drum. Jeffrey created this piece in collaboration with Tandem Press, a printmaking studio that helped screenprint the painting onto the drum’s skin.

The painting featured in In Every Direction offers a colorful, entrancing geometric design. The colors and shapes are almost mandala-like, encouraging the viewer to lose themselves in the detail. 

Gibson’s carefully placed circles, color wheels, and geometric shapes evoke a sense of vibration. The viewer feels as if they might be looking at the sound vibrations created by a drum rather than the drum itself.

Where Can I See Jeffrey Gibson’s Art?

Jeffrey Gibson is a prolific creator and artist. His extensive body of work can be seen both online and in person.

National Musem of the American Indian

The National Museum of the American Indian is home to Gibson’s Infinite Anomaly #1, a colorful oil painting on paper. Infinite Anomaly #1 incorporates many textures, abstract shapes, and painting techniques. 

Though it’s different from his three-dimensional art, the painting retains his affinity for bold colors and dynamic shapes.

The NMAI has two locations, one in Washington, D.C., and another in New York City. Gibson’s painting resides in the New York City location, which is open daily. Entrance to the museum is free.

Whitney Museum of American Art 

The Whitney Museum of Art is home to another of Gibson’s pieces, a multimedia painting called I Know You Have a Lot of Strength Left. In addition to acrylic paint on canvas, this painting also contains rawhide, graphite, and metal tacks. The titular phrase featured in the piece comes from a Kate Bush song called This Woman’s Work.

The Whitney Museum of American Art is in New York City. Admission is $25 per person for adults, while students, seniors, and people with disabilities receive a discounted admission rate of $18 per person. Anyone under the age of 18 can visit for free.

Online

If you’re interested in Jeffrey Gibson’s work but can’t make it to an east- or west-coast gallery, don’t worry! Much of his art is viewable online.

His website, JeffreyGibson.net, is a great place to see his work. The site chronicles his portfolio from 2004 to 2017.

Jeffrey’s Instagram account, @jeffrune, is another excellent resource for fans. The account is updated frequently with high-resolution photos of finished works and works-in-progress. (There are even some adorable pet photos, too!)

The Indigenous Futurist

Jeffrey Gibson’s art transcends labels because it doesn’t fit neatly into a single artistic category. Like most great artists, however, that’s to his advantage. His love of traditional crafts and fascination with contemporary media make him one of the most fascinating creators working today.

Do you have a favorite Jeffrey Gibson piece? What do you think of his new show? Let us know in the comments!