Monroe Gallery of Photography specializes in 20th- and 21st-century photojournalism and humanist imagery—images that are embedded in our collective consciousness and which form a shared visual heritage for human society. They set social and political changes in motion, transforming the way we live and think—in a shared medium that is a singular intersectionality of art and journalism.
— Sidney and Michelle Monroe
Brian Byrd is a freelance photographer with more than two decades of experience advancing communication as a catalyst for social change. He serves on the board of directors for the Overseas Press Club of America and the advisory board for WITNESS, a global NGO founded by musician Peter Gabriel that uses video and digital technology to document human rights violations.
The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. It will continue during the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market weekend, the world’s largest Native American art market, August 16 and 17, and conclude on September 14, 2025.
Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to announce an important exhibition featuring a photography series by artist Eugene Tapahe titled Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project. The exhibit opens July 5, 2025, with an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. Space is limited please arrive early.
The exhibit will continue during the renowned Santa Fe Indian Market weekend, the world’s largest Native American art market, August 16 and 17, and conclude on September 14, 2025.
Eugene Tapahe is a contemporary artist inspired by his Diné (Navajo) traditions and modern experiences. He is originally from Window Rock, Arizona. Tapahe has loved photography since the first time he picked up a camera, and realized the special gift for telling stories through his art. He has a deep desire to continue photographing the lands his ancestors once walked.
Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project originated from a dream Tapahe had during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring him to unite the land and people through the healing power of the Ojibwe jingle dress dance during uncertain times of illness and social differences. Since then, Tapahe has traveled thousands of miles documenting family members and friends dancing the healing honor dance in National Parks and Monuments, honoring the places where their ancestors once lived. Tapahe describes the images as “incredibly powerful and spiritual. Looking at them, I still can't believe I took these photographs. I believe this project is larger than myself, and I hope that when people view them, they feel the same way – that we are all blessed to be in the presence of such beauty.”
The Jingle Dress Project has brought healing to Tapahe’s family, friends, and ancestors and garnered national and international recognition for its unifying effect on communities. The images have raised awareness of many Native American issues, such as land acknowledgment, women’s rights, and, most importantly, the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).
Gallery hours are 10 to 5 daily, and admission is free. For further information, please call or e-mail the Gallery.
Colors hold symbolism and meanings already established by Western societies. However, for Native and Indigenous people, the symbolisms are diverse and hold different meanings. The color red carries great significance for Indigenous and Native communities. It is a sacred color used to describe our origin stories, sacred land, and blessings of fire for warmth, cooking, and protection. Reclaiming Red explores the colonial implications of the color red and demonstrates how Indigenous people use it for healing, peace, sacredness, unity, and Hózhó (a Diné Bizaad word for balance and harmony).
Participating artists: Tedra Begay (Diné), Jaida Grey Eagle (Oglala Lakota), Tailyr Irvine (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), Eugene Tapahe (Diné), and Maya Tinhitiyas Attean, (Wabanaki, Penobscot Nation).
Curated by Erin Tapahe (Diné)
Exhibition Dates: Jan. 24–Feb. 22
Reception: Friday, Feb.7, 6 p.m.–8 p.m.
Gallery Hours: Thursday–Saturday, noon–5 p.m. and every first and third Friday 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Native Art Market Brings Indigenous Artisans to Washington for Curated Shopping Experience
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s Native Art Market returns to the museum in Washington, D.C., Dec. 7 and 8. This annual event invites lovers of art and craftsmanship to meet Indigenous artists and learn about traditional Native arts and contemporary Native creativity. Forty artists will offer authentic, hand-crafted works of art, including jewelry, fashion, photography and pottery. Serious collectors and casual shoppers will find one-of-a-kind pieces at a wide range of prices. During the market, guests will enjoy music by DJ JonRay.
Museum members will have early access to the market during a preview party Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The list of artists scheduled to attend includes Gallery photographer Eugene Tapahe, whose work is featured in the current exhibition "Frozen In Time".
November 1st, at 8 Stanford Place: opening reception for Land Back: A Tiny Gallery Takeover in Lenapehoking, curated by Jennifer Ley.
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month and Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge/Native Art at the Montclair Art Museum, Tiny Gallery presents Land Back featuring collections from seven contemporary Native artists, including Eugene Tapahe, installed in six Tiny Galleries across Montclair, Glen Ridge, and Bloomfield, New Jersey—all part of Lenapehoking, the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people.
Art allows us to examine the past, interpret the present, and envision the future, and Ley’s curation of Land Back brings the stories of Indigenous Americans, too often dismissed or overlooked, forward.
One of Tiny Gallery’s missions is to bring artistic voices that may not normally be heard into communities and present them in a new context and we feel incredibly privileged to be able to collaborate with renowned Native artists.
