Visual artists as social commentators is a well-earned designation. When world art history is scrutinized, it is clear visual artists provide direct commentary on issues concerning pivotal historical and unfolding in-real-time events of political, social, religious and humanitarian significance. Native American visual artists are not to be excluded as Native Art is far more than decoration or historical artifact — it is a powerful and ongoing form of cultural expression, storytelling, resistance, and identity. Many Native artists today carry forward traditional symbols, values, and aesthetics while using modern materials and methods to speak to the experiences of Indigenous people in both historical and contemporary contexts.

As a teacher, it’s helpful to understand that Native artists are often visual storytellers and cultural stewards. Their work can communicate sacred beliefs, honor ancestors, document historical trauma, and respond to issues like land rights, environmental justice, and cultural survival. For Native communities, art is deeply personal and collective—it often comes from a place of responsibility to one’s people, ancestors, and homeland.

Artists like Brian D. Tripp (Karuk) used bold colors, expressive linework, and symbolic materials (like river driftwood, rocks, and basket patterns) to reflect the lived experiences, place and values of Native people along the Klamath River. His work invites viewers to reflect on identity, place, ceremony, and struggle—while challenging stereotypes and neglected histories.

When guiding students, encourage respectful curiosity and open reflection. Help them recognize that art can be a form of activism and healing. Frame artworks not just as creative expressions, but also as visual voices that speak to real-life events, emotions, and traditions. Let students know that many Native artists carry multiple roles—as community members, cultural bearers, and storytellers—and their art carries meaning far beyond what’s seen at first glance.

Approach Native art with care, context, and the understanding that it connects to ongoing histories and living cultures. Art is one way Native peoples have kept their stories alive and shared their truths, even when other forms of expression were silenced.  

Below is a brief biography from Brooklyn Artists, Libraries and Social Justice (found on https://booklyn.org/artists/brian-d-tripp/):

“Born 1945, left Turtle Island 2022. In 2019 Brian D. Tripp was awarded the California Living Heritage Award from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts — only the third time in the Fresno-based nonprofit's 20-plus year history that its highest honor for lifetime achievement had been presented. Brian D. Tripp is honored both as a traditional dancer and singer, and an enigmatic, outspoken contemporary artist and poet in his Northern California Karuk Tribal community and beyond. Tripp uses his artwork to demonstrate his commitment to his community and Native American culture and his lifelong devotional interest in giving life to traditions and history. In terms of book history, Tripp's artist's books are related to the "ledger drawing books" made by Native Americans who were often displaced from their tribal lands and moved to reservations in the Plains territories. Trading various commodities for accounting ledger books, Native artists kept memories of their past and recent histories alive and recent histories recorded by adopting this easily transported vehicle for drawings. A major ledger-style artists' book done by Brian "The World Turned Over" is held by Dartmouth College's Rauner Library. The ledger book itself is an early 20th-century book with actual entries from the original owner. True to his palimpsest style and unquenchable humor Brian uses the book as a ledger book for his own expenses before turning the book into a majestically illuminated manuscript targeting the brutal policies of the racist capitalist Warren Buffet ("the damned dam builder") and the resilience of the Karuk people. Tripp’s art provides a new perspective on imagery familiar to the Native American tradition: motifs from basketwork, arrowheads, and Karuk ceremonial regalia – symbols passed down for generations are reinvigorated by Tripp’s use of vibrant color, formal geometric iconography, and strong, gestural expressionist line making. His contemporary versions pay homage to the inherent power of images long in use. Tripp draws from numerous art historical sources both Native and other, he often cites the legendary basket weaving of Wyot/Karuk artist Elizabeth Conrad Hickox as one of his primary influences, while also using punk, situationist, and graffiti aesthetic strategies. Brian D. Tripp has maintained his creative practice and exhibited his art for over 40 years. Hs work has been collected and exhibited extensively around the world at numerous institutions including the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; Oakland Museum of California; New Museum, New York City; New York Museum of Art and Design, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and is held in the permanent collections of the Berkeley Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Heard Museum, Morris Graves Museum of Art, The Oakland Museum of California, Washington State Museum and others.”