This group of works surveys five years of acquisition activity in support of the May Collection. The objects included build upon a much longer history of Native American representations that have been stewarded at USD for 25 years. Here, we’ve highlighted a few works that confirm new trajectories within this outstanding teaching resource, focusing on a new commitment to contemporary indigenous artists, working in a wide variety of media.

Input from USD students and faculty has been welcomed during this latest phase of collections growth. We seize the opportunity to acknowledge the collaboration of Perse Hooper Lewis (Yomba Band of Shoshone Indians) who serves both as USD’s tribal liaison and as a Professor of Practice in the Department of Ethnic Studies. Lewis plays an ongoing, key role in co-organizing numerous openings and other events, such as the Annual May Distinguished Lecture series. She also generously invited University Galleries to partner in the commissioning of publicly-sited works, such as Johnny Bear Contreras’s My Ewaa Ah (2017), which serves as an entry point to the campus’s marvelous Kumeyaay Gardens. The first scholarly publications associated with the May Collection have further underscored the significance of an increased dialogue with living artists during this half decade. This effort promises to deepen the connections with living artists, benefitting our shared sense of community.