The Lenfest Center Presents ‘Native Art & Ancestral Inspiration: Drawing Endurance’ The pop-up exhibit will be on view in Kamen Gallery beginning Sept. 4 and is part of the Lenfest Center’s Outreach & Engagement Series.
The Lenfest Center at Washington and Lee University presents “Native Art & Ancestral Inspiration: Drawing Endurance,” a pop-up exhibit in the Stan Kamen Gallery (located in the Lenfest Center lobby) on view from Sept. 4 through Dec. 15.
The exhibit is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and during Lenfest Center performances. The exhibit will be closed on university holidays.
“Native Art & Ancestral Inspiration” is part of the Lenfest Center’s Outreach & Engagement (O&E) series, which is focused on connecting the university and broader community in a mutually beneficial partnership that is immersive, participatory and empowering, and fosters collaborative dialogue, feedback and decision-making.
The exhibit features the work of artist Ethan Brown, a citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe who currently homesteads on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation in King William, Virginia, and select pieces from the collection of Harvey Markowitz, professor of anthropology emeritus at W&L.
Brown is a self-taught artist in multiple mediums, including oil painting, gourd art, sculpture and film. His art has a strong basis in Indigenous storytelling and is often inspired by Pamunkey history and culture. Brown’s works can be found in the permanent collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). Brown also created the experimental short films “Tsenacommacah” (2020) and “First Landings” (2022) and contributed to the Emmy Award-nominated short documentary “Connecting Currents — Pamunkey River: Lifeblood of our People” (2020). His most recent project, the short personal documentary “Pamunkey Portrait,” premiered at the Ācimowin Indigenous Film Festival in June 2025.
The pieces selected from Markowitz’s collection include beadwork from the Lakota Sioux of the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations, modern graphic works and carvings by artists from Kiowa, Blackfeet and other tribes and traditional baskets made by citizens of the Tohono O’odham Nation. The works emphasize longstanding cultural values and environmental connections shared by Indigenous peoples across North America. By curating a collection in this way, Markowitz aligns with contemporary best practices that emphasize continuity and change and present Native communities as vibrant, diverse and living cultures rather than as relics of a distant past. This approach fosters a deeper, more respectful understanding of Native values and their enduring relevance.
Table Talks at Kamen Gallery: Art, Insight & Lunch
Join Brown and Markowitz at noon Oct. 14 in the Kamen Gallery for a shared meal that sparks vibrant conversation, meaningful connections and active participation among campus and community members. “Table Talks at Kamen Gallery: Art, Insight & Lunch” will foster inclusive dialogue, collaborative decision-making and a spirit of shared exploration. Tickets are free but required.
Brown and Markowitz will also be joined by Jessica Bradby and Rebecca Hill from the Virginia Native Arts Alliance and Siera Hyte, citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art at the VMFA. Their discussion will dive into the vibrancy of contemporary Native art and supporting organizations that provide channels to support the preservation of Indigenous history, culture and traditions and ensure this knowledge is preserved for future generations and to educate the public on the historic and contemporary experiences of Virginia’s Indigenous people. The “Table Talks” event is sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund and W&L’s Indigenous and Native American Cohort.
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