Myths & Legends: Prints by Jason Clarke
This exhibition features a traveling selection of work from the Missoula Art Museum Collection by printmaker Jason Elliott Clark. In his work, Clark explores Algonquin legends mixed with personal stories and misinformation about contemporary Native culture. The works in the exhibition focus mainly on Clark’s early career as a printmaker in the University of Montana’s MFA program (2004) and soon after.
Clark says, "My work is rooted in the traditional teachings and beliefs of my ancestors and the erroneous teachings and beliefs of western society about Native Americans. The subjects portrayed in my art are from personal experiences and the legends of my Algonquin heritage. I am also interested in what people are being taught about Native Americans by western culture through parents, teachers, textbooks, films, television, cartoons, consumer advertisements, products, and other transmitters of misinformation. My work deals with subjects that I have observed or experienced firsthand. These are the stories that have shaped and formed my life. They illustrate how I see the world around me and how I have learned to respect it. The images and stores in my work are reflections or parts of me."
