Recognition: Contemporary Lumbee Art
August 18 – September 26
This special exhibition is in honor and celebration of the Lumbee people becoming the 575th federally recognized Tribe. Our featured artists include Karina McMillan, Christopher Kennedy, James D Malcolm, Jesalyn Keziah, and Ariana Chavis.
This showcase will be on view alongside our Featured Artists Exhibit from August 18 through September 26.
Opening reception on August 21, 2026 from 6 to 9 PM.
Karina McMillan
Karina’s work explores identity, memory, and cultural continuity through the lens of her experience as a Lumbee artist. Through drawing, printmaking, painting, and mixed media, she creates visual narratives that reflect the connections between personal history, Indigenous heritage, and the stories carried across generations.
Christopher Kennedy
Over the years, Christopher has worked in oils, graphite, and colored pencil mediums. This show, celebrating the recognition of the Lumbee people, has allowed Christopher to revisit memories that helped shape him as a man and artist. His featured art offers glimpses into those memories.
James D Malcolm
James is inspired by the unique pattern of the Longleaf Pinecone, which serves as the insignia of his tribe, the Lumbee. His work explores the creative possibilities of foldable materials, especially silk ties. James primarily designs and creates Longleaf Patchwork for Regalia worn by girls and young women competing in annual Lumbee Pageants.
Jesalyn Keziah
As an Indigenous artist, Jesalyn is drawn to clay for the naturally grounding and centering practice of working directly with the soil of the earth. Her pottery and other art frequently feature native plants, animals, symbolism, and stories from the natural world as an exploration of these relationships.
Ariana Chavis
In her paintings, Ariana crafts a narrative of Indigenous resilience symbolized by corn and feathers. Used for survival and in spiritual traditions, these objects impacted generations of her ancestors, and Ariana explores that legacy in her work.