Tied to Memory: Ribbons as Art, Adornment and Identity

Exhibit C Gallery proudly presents “Tied to Memory: Ribbons as Art, Adornment and Identity,” a new exhibition exploring the quiet but profound role ribbons play in First American art, culture and personal storytelling. The exhibition will be on display from March 6 through June 29, 2026.

From ribbon skirts and traditional garments to contemporary paintings and mixed-media works, the exhibition reveals how ribbons serve as more than decoration. They are symbols of identity, resilience, memory and cultural continuity.

Featuring work from ten First American artists representing multiple tribal Nations, “Tied to Memory” highlights how ribbons appear across generations and mediums — stitched into regalia, layered into textiles and painted into visual narratives that reflect both ancestral knowledge and present-day life.

Participating artists include Emma Alcazar (Chickasaw), Amber Duboise-Shepherd (Navajo), Elaine Emmons (Cherokee), Melissa Freeman (Choctaw), Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), Jessica Harjo (Otoe-Missouria), Jennifer Hicks (Chickasaw), Natalie Miller (Chickasaw), Traci Renbarger (Chickasaw) and Renelle White Buffalo (Lakota, Rosebud Sioux).

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, March 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. Enjoy live music and refreshments while we celebrate the exhibition's debut.