Sara Siestreem: Acts Of Love, Refusal, And Resistance

In 2013, MAM hosted Sara Siestreem’s first museum exhibition, Ballast, in the Lynda M. Frost Gallery for Contemporary American Indian Art. In the years since that exhibition, her artistic growth has been remarkable, though not surprising.

Siestreem (Hanis Coos of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians) began to learn traditional methods of basket weaving in 2011 and, in 2014, started a program to teach Tribal people to revitalize, and amplify, the ancestral practice that was nearly lost due to colonization in the 19th century. Siestreem then began to incorporate basket pattern motifs into her paintings. The resulting works, featuring hard-edged geometric abstractions layered with her gestural painting, are proud and powerful expressions of Indigenous sovereignty.

The title of the exhibition is drawn from Siestreem’s own description of her work as pieces that “safeguard their own stories [as] an act of love, refusal, and resistance.”

MAM is honored to once again work with Siestreem, an artist in full stride, to present an exhibition that celebrates the breadth of her complete artistic vision. Siestreem is a recipient of the Hallie Ford Fellowship (2025) and was elected as a 2025 National Academician by the National Academy of Design in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to contemporary American art and architecture. Special thanks to the Elizabeth Leach Gallery for support in mounting this exhibition.

Thank you as well to Elizabeth Leach, Janet Mohle-Boetani, and Greg and Cathy Tibbles for the publication support, as well as The Ford Family Foundation Visual Arts Program for exhibition support.