Edmonia Lewis's Legacy Explored In Montana Exhibitions

(MENAFN- USA Art News) A new exhibition at Montana's Tinworks Art delves into the enduring influence of the late Black and Indigenous artist Edmonia Lewis. Titled Chisel & Razor: The Artistic Legacies of Edmonia and Samuel Lewis, the presentation connects the lives and careers of the expatriate sculptor and her brother, Samuel Lewis, a businessman and performer in Bozeman.

This second installment of the exhibition, opening on October 11, focuses specifically on Edmonia Lewis. The first part previously highlighted Samuel. The show, which runs through April 2027 at the Bozeman nonprofit art space, intentionally excludes Lewis's original works. Instead, it features contemporary artists who interpret her life and legacy.

Curator Melissa Ragain shared with Hyperallergic:“I think as historians, we spend so much time asking ourselves how someone as prominent as Edmonia Lewis could be overlooked, but there are generations of artists who have been looking closely at her since the 1860s.”

The second act of Chisel & Razor expands on works by artists such as Edgar Arcenaux, Terry Adkins, Sonya Clark, Maud Sulter, Gisela Torres, and Nate Young, who were featured in Act I. New additions include works by Sanford Biggers, Andrea Carlson, Kelly Church, and Athena LaTocha. A new commission by Auriea Harvey, titled“Edmonia Triumphalis” ( 2026 ), will also be presented.

Harvey, who, like Lewis, is a Black Catholic expatriate artist based in Rome, envisions a speculative narrative where Edmonia visits Samuel in Bozeman. Her work synthesizes sculptural and research-based methods into an arch made from local earth and a fountain drawing inspiration from the classical aesthetics that influenced Lewis. This piece aims to link the distinct settings of Rome and Montana, while also conveying the timeless relevance of Edmonia's art. The Tinworks Art exhibition is presented in conjunction with a separate display of Edmonia Lewis's original pieces at Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies.

Source: Hyperallergic

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