Frank S. Matsura: Portraits From The Borderland Opens February 1 At The High Desert Museum (Photo) -01/27/25
New exhibition examines Indigenous representation and identity during a period of regional transformation
BEND, OR -- In 1903, having immigrated from Japan, Frank Sakae Matsura (1873-1913) arrived in newly incorporated Okanogan County along the U.S.--Canadian border in Washington state. Matsura had been formally trained in photography and established a studio in the small town of Okanogan, a cultural and geographic "borderland" where he, as an outsider, witnessed a time of change in the region.
In his studio, Matsura created detailed portraits of the Indigenous people of the region. More than a century later, his work is now receiving attention as some of the most visually potent and nuanced images of Indigenous peoples from the era--conceptually sophisticated and collaborative portraits of individuals and families with whom he maintained trusting relationships. The detailed images share their lived experiences and converging customs during a time of transition.
Matsura's work will be shared in a new exhibition opening February 1, 2025, at the High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon. Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland will feature 39 photographs recovered from Matsura's archive paired with period-specific cultural items from the Indigenous Plateau, a High Desert region that encompasses the Columbia River and its tributaries. Exploring Indigenous representation through detailed photography as well as objects, the exhibition spotlights some of Matsura's most culturally significant work against a backdrop of regional transformation in the early 20th century.
The exhibition originated at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Wash. Matsura's photographs are blown up to better share their impressive detail. They capture moments that reveal Syilx (Okanogan) communities adapting to a changing time. The exhibition includes cultural objects, such as gloves, beaded cornhusk bags and leggings, drawn from the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture's collection and from the Doris Swayze Bounds collection at the High Desert Museum. They will be next to Matsura's photographs to bring to life attire featured in Matsura's photographs.
"By sharing Frank Matsura's compelling photographs alongside objects and contemporary videography, this exhibition offers a rich exploration of Indigenous communities and stories in the Plateau region," said Executive Director Dana Whitelaw, Ph.D.
Washington State University Associate Professor Michael Holloman (Colville Confederated Tribes), a curator of the original exhibition, is helping guide the High Desert Museum's exhibition. He will also soon publish a book about Matsura's life with PA Press/Chronicle Books. Holloman calls Matsura a fascinating figure who made choices that raise more questions than answers--including why he left Japan, briefly settled in Seattle, where there was a significant-size Japanese immigrant community, and then left again to make a home east of the Cascade mountains in the very rural Okanogan region of the Columbia River Plateau.
Immediately, Matsura became a popular member of the Okanogan community, and 10 years later when he died suddenly, his funeral became a community-wide event. During his lifetime, Matsura attracted many people from across the region for portraiture, including individuals and families from upper Indigenous Plateau tribal communities. Among Matsura's total body of work are visually potent, intimate and collaborative studio portraits telling nuanced stories of regional Indigenous identity.
"Frank clearly was personable and had a sense of humor, and he clearly developed relationships with the people he photographed," Holloman said. "As a Japanese immigrant he was also new to cultures in North America and in the region where he settled, which perhaps freed him to approach portraiture without enforcing the stereotypes that were common at that time."
The exhibition has four themes: The Myth of the Vanishing Indian, Beauty and Utility, Collapsing Hierarchy and Geijutsu Shashin (Photographic Art). Each theme considers various ways in which Matsura's artistic legacy challenges stereotypes, unsettles power dynamics in image-making, and fills important gaps in historical and regional narratives.
Unlike some of his contemporaries, whose work reinforced erroneous beliefs that Indigenous people would soon disappear, Matsura's portraits share Indigenous people choosing their own identities. Gingham and plaid, work wear and crocheted accessories blend fluidly with "trade blankets," glass beads and natural ancestral materials. Instead of nostalgia, Matsura's portraits point to an ongoing and complex cycle of reinvention.
The Plateau cultural belongings and regalia featured in Matsura's portraiture are at once functional, vibrant and symbolic. Some materials, like buckskin, evoke durability and continuity. Others, like glass beads introduced by the fur trade, represent invention and transition. Floral motifs embellishing many of these items are influenced by European embroidery patterns, translated into regionally specific iconography meaningful to Plateau communities.
Paired with cultural items in the gallery, Holloman said, "these objects bring Matsura's photographs into living color."
In addition, a video by filmmaker and storyteller LaRonn Katchia (Warm Springs, Wasco, Paiute) will greet visitors outside the exhibition gallery. Featured will be contemporary stories of three young, vibrant and accomplished women from The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs: Kahmussa Green, Miss Warm Springs and advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women; Thyreicia Simtustus, an aspiring pilot breaking barriers in aviation; and Kiahna Allen, a passionate kayaker launching her own nonprofit. They will appear in both contemporary dress and traditional regalia, showcasing the continuum of culture and tradition from the past to the present day.
"These women are not only redefining leadership as Indigenous people today but are also bringing their traditional values with them, embodying the essence of who we are today," Katchia said.
Frank S. Matsura: Portraits from the Borderland is organized by the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture and was curated by Holloman and Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Associate Curator of Special Projects Anne-Claire Mitchell. The exhibition will be on view through September 7, 2025.
Generous support for the exhibition is provided by Art Bridges. It's also made possible by Bigfoot Beverages, Brooks Resources Corporation, the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Old Mill District, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Visit Bend Cultural Tourism Fund and the Visit Central Oregon Future Fund with support from Cascade A&E Magazine, OnPoint Community Credit Union and Travel Oregon.
About the High Desert Museum
The High Desert Museum opened in Bend, Oregon in 1982. It brings together wildlife, cultures, art, history and the natural world to convey the wonder of North America's High Desert region. The Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is a Smithsonian Affiliate, was the 2019 recipient of the Western Museums Association's Charles Redd Award for Exhibition Excellence and was a 2021 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. To learn more, visit highdesertmuseum.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About Art Bridges
Art Bridges is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. The mission of Art Bridges is to expand access to American art in all regions across the United States. Since 2017, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 220 museums of all sizes and locations to provide financial and strategic support for exhibition development, loans from the Art Bridges Collection, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local audiences. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit www.artbridgesfoundation.org.
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