With the expansion of the Gorman Museum of Native American Art, the additional space fostered new gifts from private collections across the country. Since moving in 2023, nearly 300 works of Native American art have been accepted as gifts valued at more than $1 million. 

A selection of these artworks is showcased in “Gifts from the Heart: New Acquisitions at the Gorman."

The exhibition features a selection of artworks by more than 40 artists in a range of media including sculpture, painting, prints, mixed media, ceramics, basketry and carving. Artists represented in this exhibition include Allan Houser, Artist Hopid, Judith Lowry, Dan Namingha, and Fritz Scholder, to name only a few. 

Also on view at the Gorman Museum is “BDT: Brian D. Tripp with Charley Burns & Leatrice Mikkelsen,” which includes original drawings and paintings by Tripp alongside pieces by Charlie Burns and Leatrice Mikkelsen. All the pieces in the installation are new gifts to the museum’s permanent collection from Dorothea Theodoratus and the Mikkelsen Kuimelis Family.   

As an honored Karuk traditionalist, singer and dancer, Tripp has been instrumental in the preservation of his people’s traditions. His paintings are modern and hard-edged, yet faithfully based on Karuk designs. He ranges from avant-garde to forms that have been passed down from generation to generation in Karuk regalia. He utilizes many different forms of media, using materials as varied as paint, aluminum foil, street signs, glass, and wood.

Both shows are now on view through March 14, 2027.  

Learn more about the Gorman Museum of Native American Art

The Gorman Museum of Native American Art was founded in 1973 by the Department of Native American Studies in honor of retired faculty member, Carl Nelson Gorman, Navajo artist, WWII code-talker, cultural historian and advocate for Native peoples. As a founding faculty member of Native American Studies, Gorman was the first faculty member to teach Native American art at UC Davis in 1969. 

For over 50 years, the Gorman Museum has been dedicated to the creative expressions of Native American artists and artists of diverse cultures and histories. The Museum's reputation of artistic excellence is proven by its company of exhibiting artists, including some of the most established Native artists as well as the next generations of emerging Indigenous artists. The Gorman Museum is unique for its commitment to exhibiting works by living Indigenous artists, particularly within an educational institution. 

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