Museum at Warm Springs welcomes traveling exhibit, ‘Portraits in Red’ of missing, murdered Indigenous people

(Update: adding video, comment from artist Nayana LaFond, exhibit coordinator)

'What I'd like people to take away is really just that sense of urgency for change'

WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- “Portraits in Red: Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project,” a national traveling exhibition, went on display Wednesday at The Museum at Warm Springs and will be on view through the summer, shining a spotlight on an issue of heartbreaking loss and unanswered questions.

The exhibit features 40 paintings by Nayana LaFond. The focus: to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous people.

"I don't choose the people I paint, (that) is an important thing," LaFond said. "They come to me, their families come to me. I don't go out and seek people out. So it is definitely people from all over North America."

The exhibit includes some individuals from Warm Springs, as LaFond wanted to illustrate violence against indigenous people is happening in Central Oregon.

"The paintings themselves, I paint in black and white, with red being the only visible color, because a lot of Indigenous people believe that red is the only color that spirits can see," LaFond said. "So they are painted in that way deliberately."

According to the museum, 98 percent of native people experience violence during their lifetime. Native women face murder rates eleven times the national average.

Every portrait is of someone who is missing, murdered, survived or is an activist for the cause.

For curator Angela Smith, the exhibit is very personal: Her father went missing in 2022.

"Hours, days, weeks go by, and you start to get frustrated in the system that is not in place to help individuals like myself or my family," said Smith.

Smith says her father's story is all too common. Four people in the last two years have disappeared in Warm Springs.

"That's where I want the public to see, there's a lot of missing and murdered people," she said. "There is an issue, and I really want just people to be aware."

LaFond paints the portraits at no charge, along with hundreds of other indigenous artists, using their talents to bring more awareness of a troubling issue.

"What I'd like people to take away is really just that sense of urgency for change," said LaFond. "And the understanding that this is a complex issue that cannot be solved overnight, but needs to be talked about, needs to be addressed, and things need to change for it."

LaFond started the paintings during the pandemic without the intention of it becoming a project. To date, 110 paintings have been completed.

The exhibit opened Wednesday and closes on Sept. 7.

The public was invited to an opening reception Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Here's the rest of the museum's recent announcement:

Behind each of the paintings is the voice of an Indigenous person who has suffered the impact of violence. Ninety-eight percent of Native people experience violence during their lifetime. Native women face murder rates 11 times the national average. These crimes are under-reported by the media and under-prosecuted by law enforcement. LaFond's project brings visibility to this ongoing crisis.

LaFond’s painting project began in 2020 with one painting, “Lauraina in RED,” created for the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls, which is observed on May 5 and now known as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.

Since 2020, she’s painted more than 50 commissioned portraits. As of February 2024, there were 110 completed paintings. Every portrait is of someone who is missing, was murdered, survived, a family member or friend, or an activist/hero fighting for the cause. LaFond hopes to make sure the missing and dead are never forgotten, to raise awareness about this serious issue, and to provide help with healing to the families.

LaFond is a full-time multidisciplinary artist and activist who resides with her child in western Massachusetts. She attended Greenfield Community College for Fine Art and Massachusetts College of Art for Photography and then dropped out to become a full-time painter. Her paintings and sculptures can be seen in galleries and museums around the world.

Her project, “Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Painting Project,” has gained her international acclaim and is currently on display in museums around North America, including a Pacific Northwest Coast tour, a tour through the Institute of American Indian Studies Museum and more.

LaFond has also been a curator and community arts organizer for more than 20 years, including serving as the former founding chief curator for The Whitney Center for the Arts (Pittsfield, Mass.). She also sits on the boards of several arts organizations, including as executive board member of Artist Organized Art in New York City. Nayana is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Canada.

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About The Museum at Warm Springs

The Museum at Warm Springs opened its doors to the public on March 14, 1993. 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 welcomes donations any time of the year. Please consider a matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust. Your gift to the Trust (up to $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples filing jointly, and $2,500 for class-C corporations) is a tax credit, a dollar-for-dollar reduction for any Oregon taxes you owe. The Oregon Cultural Trust is a generous supporter of our Museum. The Museum at Warm Springs is located at 2189 Highway 26 in Warm Springs. Phone: (541) 553-3331. For more information, visit https://www.museumatwarmsprings.org/.