The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is presenting "Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always," on view from February 1 through December 21, 2025. This exhibition is the largest and final show organized by the late Native artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, featuring over one hundred works by ninety-seven artists representing some seventy Nations and communities. The show is organized around four thematic sections—Political, Tribal, Social, and Land—and includes a separate gallery of Quick-to-See Smith's own prints, notably the "Survival Suite" (1996). The exhibition is intergenerational, with artists ranging from their eighties to those born at the end of the twentieth century, and most works date from the twenty-first century.
The exhibition matters because it represents a landmark survey of contemporary Native American art, curated by one of its most influential figures just before her death. By foregrounding Indigenous perspectives on identity, spirituality, and resilience, the show challenges traditional Western distinctions between craft and fine art, emphasizing the cultural and spiritual significance of the works. It also highlights the ongoing relevance of Native voices in the art world, connecting past traditions with present-day practices and future possibilities. The inclusion of works that address fragmentation, cyclical time, and layered ideological complexity underscores the depth and diversity of Indigenous artistic expression.