‘Table Talks’ Event Slated For October
Washington and Lee University’s Kamen Gallery, located in Lenfest Center for the Arts, will present a popup exhibit “Native Art & Ancestral Inspiration: Drawing Endurance,” by artist Ethan Brown (Pamunkey citizen) and select works from Harvey Markowitz’s collection (W&L professor emeritus of anthropology) on view from Sept. 4 to Dec. 15.
Both will be featured at Lenfest Center’s “Table Talks at Kamen Gallery: Art, Insight & Lunch” on Oct. 14 at noon in the Kamen Gallery.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Limited seating is available for “Table Talks.” Tickets are free, but required and tickets can be found at https://my.wlu.edu/ lenfest-center/table-talks-atkamen- gallery-art-insightand- lunch.
Kamen Gallery is open to the public 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and during scheduled events. The exhibit is closed during university holidays.
Ethan Brown is a citizen of the Pamunkey Indian Tribe and homesteads on the Pamunkey Reservation in King William County. A selftaught artist in multiple mediums such as oil painting, gourd art, sculpture, and film, his work has a strong basis in Indigenous storytelling, and is often inspired by Pamunkey history and culture.
Brown created the experimental short films “Tsenacommacah” (2020) and “First Landings” (2022), and contributed to the Emmynominated short documentary “Connecting Currents — Pamunkey River: Lifeblood of our People” (2020). His most recent project, the short personal documentary “Pamunkey Portrait” (2025), premiered at the Acimowin Indigenous Film Festival in June 2025. His works can be found in the permanent collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
In addition, the pop-up exhibit highlights select works from Harvey Ma rkowit z’s collection focusing on Native American artists, notably including beadwork from the Lakota Sioux of the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations; modern graphic works and carvings by artists from the Kiowa, Blackfeet and other tribes; and traditional baskets made by citizens of the Tohono O’odham Nation.
These works emphasize longstanding cultural values and environmental connections shared by Indigenous peoples across North America. By curating a collection in this way, Markowitz aligns with contemporary best practices that emphasize continuity and change and present Native communities as vibrant, diverse and living cultures rather than as relics of a distant past.
The featured collection draws on deep histories and relationships among Native cultures and their lands, offering a tangible connection to Indigenous heritage and modern artistic expression.
MARKOWITZ
BROWN
In addition to his curatorial and educational work, Markowitz is an established scholar, with publications including “Converting the Rosebud: Catholic Mission and the Lakotas, 18861916”; editor of “Seeing Red-Hollywood’s Pixeled Skins: American Indians and Film”; “American Indians: Ready Reference;” and “American Indian Biographies.”
The Oct. 14 event in the Kamen Gallery features a shared meal designed to spark conversation, meaningful connections and active participation among campus and community members. There is limited seating; tickets are free, but required.
Participants in the Oct. 14 event will join Jessica Bradby and Rebecca Hill (the Virginia Native Arts Alliance), Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Siera Hyte (Cherokee Nation citizen), Ethan Brown and Harvey Markowitz as they dive into the vibrancy of contemporary Native art and supporting organizations.
These events are sponsored in part by the Class of ‘64 and the Indigenous and Native American Cohort.
