Santa Fe, NM - Monroe Gallery of Photography is pleased to announce that the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio has recently acquired two large-format prints by photographer Eugene Tapahe from his series "Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project." The prints are titled, “Solidarity, Sisterhood,” Monument Valley, Arizona, Diné, 2020, and “Four Worlds,” Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Cayuse, Umatilla, Newe Sogobia, and Tséstho'e, 2020.
Eugene Tapahe is a Diné (Navajo) contemporary artist and fine art photographer from Window Rock, Arizona, currently living in Provo, Utah. From an early age, Tapahe learned the significance of respecting, preserving, and protecting what is sacred—the land, water, and nature. He combines his passion for nature and culture with his educational background in graphic design, journalism, fine arts, and landscape and portrait photography to create stunning imagery. Tapahe fell in love with photography the moment he picked up a camera and discovered his unique talent for storytelling 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 Tapahe's dream during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspiring him to unite the land and people through the Ojibwe jingle dress dance in these uncertain times of sickness and social differences. Since then, Tapahe has traveled over 25,000 miles, documenting family members dancing the healing jingle dress dance in National Parks and Monuments, honoring the places where their ancestors once lived. This project has healed Tapahe’s family and ancestors and received national and international recognition for its unifying effect on other communities.
This month, “Kéyah: Our Home” by Eugene Tapahe will be exhibited at the BYU Museum of Art from January 24 to April 26, 2025. In the spring, selections from “Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project” will be displayed by Monroe Gallery during The Photography Show presented by AIPAD at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City from April 23 to 27, 2025.
The Toledo Museum of Art was established in 1901 to share the transformative power of art with the community. Its 37-acre campus houses more than 30,000 artworks in architecturally significant buildings. Over the past several years, the museum has been working to expand its collection of Native American works of art, both historical and contemporary.
Monroe Gallery of Photography specializes in photography at the singular intersectionality of art and journalism.
