Lillian Pitt: Art, Memory, Home Opens May 21 at The Museum at Warm Springs

April 26, 2026

“Lillian Pitt: Art, Memory, Home” — a major exhibition featuring the art of celebrated artist Lillian Pitt (Warm Springs, Wasco, Yakama) and the art of a number of the artist’s closest friends from her personal collection and collections of other art institutions — will open Thursday, May 21, 2026 at The Museum at Warm Springs. The exhibition will be on view through Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Angela Anne Smith (Warm Springs, Yakama, Nez Perce, Diné) is the exhibition’s curator. Rebecca Dobkins, curator of Native American art at The Hallie Ford Museum of Art and professor emeritus of anthropology at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon is a contributing curator.

Museum Members and the general public are invited to the opening reception on Thursday, May 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Museum (2189 US-Highway 26, Warm Springs). The reception is sponsored by The Ford Family Foundation, in recognition of the Inaugural 1905 Legacy Award in the Visual Arts, which was recently awarded to Pitt. For more information about The Ford Family Foundation’s 1905 Legacy Award in the Visual Arts visit https://bit.ly/3QQyKa8.

Reception speakers will include The Ford Family Foundation President and CEO Kara Inae Carlisle; Indigenous scholar, artist, writer and traditional healer Phillip Cash Cash (niimíipuu, weyíiletpuu); Alfred (Bud) Lane III, vice chairman of The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and Pitt.

Pitt (b. 1944) is a Pacific Northwest Native artist whose ancestors lived in and near the Columbia River Gorge and its tributaries. The focus of her work is on creating contemporary fine art pieces that delight today’s art lovers, and at the same time, honor the history and legends of her people. Pitt’s art can be found in personal collections, art galleries, and museums. Her works are also displayed in numerous public spaces including parks, schools and cultural institutions.

Other artists represented in the exhibition include Rick Bartow, Gabrielle Belz, Joe Cantrell, Phillip Cash Cash, Joe Feddersen, June Grant, Harry Fonseca, Analee Fuentes, James Lavadour, Darcy Nicholas, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Gail Tremblay, Toma Villa, Colleen Waata-Urlich, Tina Wirihana and Elizabeth Woody. Selected artworks are on loan from s’gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ (House of Welcome), The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington; The Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette University, Salem, Oregon and PDX CONTEMPORARY ART, Portland, Oregon.

Six themes in Pitt’s life and art will be explored, including: Ancestry, She Who Watches, Lillian and the Art of Business, Lillian as Educator, Pacific Rim Indigenous Connection, and Collaborations and Public Art.

“My Aunt Lillian Pitt held ground and broke ground in major art institutions and academic venues that had not previously shown contemporary works from thriving Indigenous artists of her generation,” said Elizabeth Woody (Warm Springs, Yakama, Diné), executive director, The Museum at Warm Springs. “We are so honored at The Museum at Warm Springs to be hosting this prestigious, major exhibition of Lillian’s art and the work of those who she called her kindred spirits.”

A 96-page fully-illustrated catalogue edited by Anne Keala Kelly (Kanaka Maoli, Irish) and published by The Museum at Warm Springs will retail for $40. Visitors to The Museum while the exhibition is on view from May 21 to October 10, 2026 will be able to purchase the catalog for $30, with Museum Members receiving an additional 10% off.

The catalog essays were written by Phillip Cash Cash, Rebecca Dobkins, Alfred “Bud” Lane III, Anne Keala Kelly, Donald J. Stastny (FAIA emeritus and Board of Directors, The Museum at Warm Springs) and Elizabeth Woody. The majority of photographs in the catalog were shot by Dennis Maxwell with additional photos by Joe Cantrell. The catalog was designed by DeeAnn Glazier, senior graphic designer at XPress Printing, Inc., in Sisters, Oregon. An 18-by-12 inch color poster also will be available for $10 in the Museum Gift Shop.

Selected artworks in several media by Pitt and some of the other artists from the exhibition will be available for sale with a 20% commission going toward The Museum. “This will be a rare opportunity to buy artwork by this amazing collection of artists and support The Museum at Warm Springs at the same time,” said Woody.

Become a Museum Member

There are several levels of annual Museum Membership, which begin at $25 for elders and students. All Members receive these benefits: free admission for one year, 10% discount in the Museum Gift Shop and special invitations to exhibits and programs. Members have access to the Northwest Attractions Alliance. Through this program, membership in The Museum at Warm Springs offers free admission for individual Members and three guests of any age to a different attraction each month. Join The Museum by visiting https://museumatwarmsprings.org/ and click “Join” to see Membership levels and online payment information. Or send a check to: The Museum at Warm Springs, P.O. Box 909, Warm Springs, OR 97761 (Attn: Membership).

About The Museum at Warm Springs

The Museum at Warm Springs opened its doors to the public on March 14, 1993 and celebrated its 30^thanniversary in 2023. Built to Smithsonian Institution professional standards, The Museum’s mission is to preserve, advance and share the traditions, cultural and artistic heritage of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. The Museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission: Museum Members (free), Adults ($7), Senior Citizens over 60 ($6), Students 13-18 with student body card ($4.50), Children 5-12 ($3.50) and Children 4 and younger (free). The Museum is located at 2189 Highway 26 in Warm Springs. Phone: (541) 553-3331. For more information, visit https://www.museumatwarmsprings.org/.

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Photo Caption: Lillian Pitt, Mohalla Feather Woman, 1992. Raku fired clay, beads, and shells, 13 × 8 × 3 in. Bead work by Elizabeth Woody. Named in homage to Lillian’s mother, whose Indian name was Mohalla. Collection of The Museum at Warm Springs. Gift from the Native American Arts Council, Portland, Oregon. Photograph by Dennis Maxwell.

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