Buffalo Roam Through Instagram: Indigenous Art Steps Into the Spotlight

Forget the old museum trope of Indigenous art as relics—this summer, artists from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to the Caddo Nation are reshaping what it means to create, perform, and claim space in the contemporary art world. Monumental stoneware sculptures by Raven Halfmoon stand tall at The Aldrich, while Jeffrey Gibson’s performances at the Aspen Art Museum bring together Indigenous and queer voices, weaving ancestral ties into modern expression. Meanwhile, Cannupa Hanska Luger’s digital buffalo roam not just gallery floors but also the augmented reality of your phone, reviving ancient symbols for a tech-savvy generation. Museums are catching up, hiring Indigenous curators and reconnecting collections to living communities. The art world’s lens is finally shifting: Indigenous creativity is not a chapter in history, but a vibrant, evolving force—alive and unmistakably present. #IndigenousArt #ContemporaryCulture #NativeVoices #Culture