Rick Bartow (1946-2016) Native American: Mad River Band of Wiyot

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 Current Exhibit: Story As Medicine

In addition to our exhibit Story As Medicine, there are two exciting events featuring Rick Bartow:

Portland Art Museum's exhibit Storyteller.

Look for the Grand Opening of the revamped Portland Art Museum's Rothko Pavilion on November 20th. The Rick Bartow Trust and several collectors have contributed to the Museum's holdings to bring this show to fruition.
His art will occupy three rooms, one of which will run films about Rick on a loop. These will include two of the films the Trust sponsored.

 

Jeremy Scholar Gallery in London, England, through December 18, 2025:

What the Spirit Knows

Born in Newport, Oregon, in 1946, Bartow was a member of the Wiyot tribe of Northern California and had close ties with the Siletz community. He graduated in 1969 from Western Oregon University with a degree in secondary arts education and served in the Vietnam War (1969-71).

His work has been featured in many solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally and is in numerous public and private collections. A recent career highlight was the completion of We Were Always Here, a monumental pair of sculptures over 20 feet high installed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The work was commissioned by The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

-JSMA

 

Bartow's work has received national recognition.  He is known foremost as a contemporary American artist, but also, one who has lived the Native American experience. Personal experiences, cultural engagement and global myths, especially Native American transformation stories, are the heart of Bartow's art. 

 

Descargar CV (PDF, opens in a new tab.)
11.7.25 - Oregon Art Beat (Full Episode): Painter Lindsey Holcomb, contemporary Native American artist Rick Bartow, metal artist Kelly Phipps
11.7.25 - Oregon Art Beat (Rick Bartow Clip): This Oregon artist became an icon through intuition, classical training and Native wisdom
10.3.25 - Story As Medicine OPENING
11.13.25 - KLCC Viz City Arts Review by Sandy Brown Jensen
11.20.25-5.23.26 - Portland Art Museum STORYTELLER
Portland Art Museum Transformed