Missing And Murdered Indigenous Relatives: Salish artist Aspen Decker (museum exhibition)

by Ojibwa for Native American Netroots

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Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 at 7:15:11am PDT

In the United State, American Indians, both on the reservations and in urban areas, have higher rates of assault, rape, abduction, and murder. Indian women in particular are more likely to go missing (four times that national average) and to be murdered (ten times the national average) than any other group. The Missoula Art Museum (MAM) in Missoula, Montana hosted a special exhibition, We Stand With You: Contemporary Artists Honor The Families Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Relatives Crisis, guest curated by Rachel Allen (Nimiipuu [Nez Perce]).

According to MAM:

“MAM is situated on the traditional, ancestral territories of the Séliš and Ql̓ispé peoples. Exhibitions like this are one of the ways that the museum honors and recognizes this relationship.”

One of the works in the special exhibition was Look for our Indigenous Women made by Salish artist Aspen Decker in 2024. Aspen Decker is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She has an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Montana and teaches Salish language. Mixed media on canvas.