As carriers of life from one generation to the next, seeds provide the possibility of growth and endurance, but they do not achieve this on their own. Just as seeds require nourishment to flourish, art needs to be engaged by the viewer in order to thrive. While seeds themselves originate from a specific point in time—the moment they were harvested—they also signify the past, present and future folded together, as the seeds from a past crop are stored in the present to be used for the future.

Seeds of Being at Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art examines various ways these artistic seeds benefit Indigenous groups in North America through the artists’ abilities to nurture, adapt and envision their communities’ ongoing well-being. Curated by students enrolled in the Native American Art & Museum Studies Seminar, made possible by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

You can see Seeds of Being in the Mary LeFlore and Richard H. Clements Family Gallery, Molly and Jim Crawley Gallery and James T. Bialac Gallery of Native American Art. Admission is free.