Native American Artists Resource Collection

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Artist Information - Detailed View

Name

Will Wilson (Navajo)

Alternate name:

Will Ray Wilson

Will Wilson (1969- )

Will Wilson (photographer)

William Wilson

Will Wilson

William R. Wilson

Heritage

Diné

Gender

male

Dates

Lifespan

1969-

Date Note

birth date February 23, 1969

Birthplace

San Francisco

California

Specialty / Medium

photography

portrait photography

landscape photography

aerial photography

photojournalism

tintype

inkjet print

installation

mixed media art

face shield

public art

teaching

External Remarks

Artist's file in Billie Jane Baguley Library and Archives, Heard Museum.

Artist represented in the Native American Artists Collection (RC62) of the Heard Museum Archives.

Artist’s physical folder is filed alphabetically in the Native American Artists Resource Collection under the following name:

Wilson, Will (Navajo)

Artist's work is represented in the object collection of the Heard Museum

Exhibits

Remembering the Future: 100 Years of Inspiring Art. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. October 24, 2021 - January 2, 2023.
Will Wilson: AIR/Survey. Visual Arts Center, the University of Texas at Austin. Austin, Texas. January 23, 2021 - March 27, 2021. Note: organized by Kaila T. Schedeen. Accompanied by an exhibition catalog.
physical/digital: representations of the body from the permanent collection. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. Opened (went live) on December 31, 2020. Note: virtual exhibition curated by Erin Joyce, with no closing date as of February 18, 2021. Permalink to virtual exhibition: https://heard.org/physicaldigital. Featured artists include T.C. Cannon, Harry Fonseca, Bob Haozous, Frank Buffalo Hyde, Courtney M. Leonard, Cara Romero, Paula Rasmus Dede, Fritz Scholder, Emmi Whitehorse, Will Wilson, Steven J. Yazzie, and Steven J. Yazzie + Wyatt Yazzie.
Indigenous Futurisms: Transcending Past/Present/Future. Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts. Santa Fe, New Mexico. February 13, 2020 - January 3, 2021. Note: co-curated by Suzanne Newman Fricke, Chelsea Herr, and Manuela Well-Off-Man. Accompanied by an exhibition catalog.
Àbadakone | Continuous Fire | Feu Continuel. National Gallery of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. November 8, 2019-March 14, 2020 and July 23, 2020-October 4, 2020. Note: group show curated by Rachelle Dickenson, Greg A. Hill, and Christine Lalonde. Accompanied by an exhibition catalog.
Place, Nations, Generations, Beings: 200 Years of Indigenous North American Art. Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven, Connecticut. November 1, 2019 - June 21, 2020. Note: based on objects from the Yale University collections; accompanied by an exhibition catalogue.
Ansel Adams in Our Time. Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, Massachusetts. December 13, 2018 - February 24, 2019.
Double Exposure: Edward S. Curtis, Marianne Nicolson, Tracy Rector, Will Wilson. Seattle Art Museum. Seattle, Washington. June 14, 2018 - September 9, 2018. Note: organized by the Seattle Art Museum in partnership with the New York Public Library; exhibition advisor includes Asia Tail (Cherokee Nation) among others.
Walk in My Shoes. Tempe Center for the Arts. Tempe, Arizona. January 19, 2018 - May 12, 2018. Note: group show; exhibiting artists include Marco Albarran, Sama Alshaibi, Angela Ellsworth, Annie Lopez, Stephen Marc, Emily Matyas, Ann Morton, Julio Cesar Morales, Gregory Sale and Will Wilson.
Photo/Synthesis. Nancy Johnston Records Gallery, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Norman, Oklahoma. January 26, 2017 - April 2, 2017. Note: one-person show; co-curator and project director, heather ahtone. Accompanied by a exhibition catalog.
Personal Journeys: American Indian Landscapes. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. Opened February 28, 2016. Note: group show.
Contemporary Native Photographers and the Edward Curtis Legacy. Portland Art Museum. Portland, Oregon. February 6, 2016 - May 8, 2016.
Native Art Now – Zeitgenössische Indigene Kunst aus Nordamerika. Nordamerika Native Museum. Zurich, Switzerland. November 8, 2014 - June 7, 2015. Note: exhibiting artists include Nicholas Galanin, Shan Goshorn, Jeff Kahm, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Gina Adams, Ross Chaney, Michael Belmore, Frank Shebageget, Diego Romero, David Bradley, Chris Pappan, Will Wilson, Maria Hupfield, Jason Garcia, and Wally Dion. Accompanied by catalog.
Cross Currents. Center for Visual Art, Metropolitan State University of Denver. Denver, Colorado. November 11, 2013 - February 8, 2014. Note: curated by Cecily Cullen; accompanied by an exhibition catalog. Opening date of the exhibition on exhibit catalog cover, November 22, 2013, differs from opening date of the exhibition stated inside catalog, November 11, 2013.
Through the Lens: Diné Photography. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, Arizona. June 12, 2012 - November 25, 2012.
A Stake in the Ground: Contemporary Native Art Manifestation. Art Mûr. Montréal, Québec, Canada. January 14, 2012 - -February 25, 2012. Note: curated by Nadia Myre; artists include Sonny Assu, Jason Baerg, Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, Kevin Lee Burton, Hannah Claus, Bonnie Devine, Raymond Dupuis, Edgar Heap of Birds, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Nicholas Galanin, Greg Hill, Robert Houle, Maria Hupfield, Rita Letendre, Glenna Matoush, Alan Michelson, Nadia Myre, Marianne Nicolson, Michael Patten, Arthur Renwick, Sonia Robertson, Greg Staats, Tania Willard, and Will Wilson. Accompanied by a catalog issued by Art Mûr in its periodical Invitation.
Gifts to Celebrate. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. October 2005 - July 2006.
Auto Immune Response. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. November 6, 2004 - September 2005.

Awards

New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. 2017. Note: public ceremony held September 15, 2017, at the New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Publications

Found 34 record(s)

Citation	Pages	Publication Date	Artist Citation Notes	Website
. "Artist Statement". Nueva Luz, vol. 18, no. 3 (2014). 2014.	24-25	2014
. "Reclaiming Our Stories: Native American Photographers Are Pushing Back Against Portrayals of Their Culture by Non-Natives, Capturing Scenes that Reflect Alternative Views of Indigenous Life". National Geographic, vol. 234, no. 6 (December 2018). 2018.	107	2018	Includes reproduction of Will Wilson's portrait photograph of Enoch Kelly Haney. \| Featured photographers are Cara Romero, Josué Rivas, Kali Spitzer, Will Wilson, Matika Wilbur, Brian Adams, and Jenny Irene Miller; article is part of National Geographic's yearlong series, "Diversity in America".
. "Storytellers". New Mexico Magazine, vol. 96, issue 6 (June 2018). 2018.	10	2018	Storytellers include Will Wilson, Jennifer Coats, and Claire Antoszewski.
. "Will Wilson Auto Immune Response". Earthsong, 04.6 [year 2004, no. 6] (November-December 2004). 2004.	8	2004	Heard Museum newsletter article about the photo-based installation "Will Wilson: Auto Immune Response" opening to public on November 6, 2004
Andre, Laura M. and Will Wilson (photographer). "Will Wilson's Improved Self-Images". In: New Mexico Magazine website (http://www.nmmagazine.com/). URL: http://www.nmmagazine.com/article/?aid=84552#.WDZrrrIrLm4. 2013.		2013	Internet resource (viewed November 23, 2016)	View
Berlo, Janet C. and heather ahtone. Photo/Synthesis. Norman, Oklahoma: Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. 2017.		2017	Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name focusing on Wilson's Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CIPX) project, held at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, January 26, 2017-April 2, 2017.
Cullen, Cecily (curator) with essay by Will Wilson. Cross Currents, November 22, 2013-February 8, 2014. Denver, Colorado: Metropolitan State University of Denver, Center for Visual Art. 2013.	5-9, 26-27	2013	Catalog of the exhibition "Cross Currents" curated by Cecily Cullen, and held November 11, 2013-February 8, 2014, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Center for Visual Art.
Dickenson, Rachelle, Greg Hill, and Christine Lalonde (curators, editors, writers of commentary). Àbadakone. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: National Gallery of Canada. 2020.	260-263	2020	Includes reproductions of Will Wilson's portrait photographs of Andy Everson, Lupita Salazar, Nimkii Osawamick, Nakotah Larance, Sina-Aurelia Pleasant Soul, and Kathleen Ash-Milby. \| Published in conjunction with the exhibition "Àbadakone \| Continuous Fire \| Feu Continuel", organized by the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and held November 8, 2019-March 14, 2020 and July 23, 2020-October 4, 2020.
Esparza, Lesly and Vero Silva (curators). Goodbye, I Loved You, Goodbye, You Sucked. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts. 2021.	catalog is not paginated	2021	Includes portrait photographs by Will Wilson reproduced in the zine include artists Madrienne Salgado, Carla Kountoupes, Storme Webber, and Swil Kanim. \| Zine with the following collaborating artists: Talon Claybrook, Chistian Gering, Eliza Lutz, Yvette Serrano, Arista Slater-Sandoval, and Will Wilson.
Fensom, Sarah E. "Western Expansion: a Show at the MFA Boston Looks at the Influences on and of Ansel Adams". Art & Antiques (New York, N.Y. : 1984), vol. 42, no. 1 (December 2018/January 2019). 2018.	73	2018	Includes reproduction of Will Wilson's 2014 inkjet print photography "How the West is One".
Fricke, Suzanne Newman. "The Perils of Exhibiting Contemporary Native American Art with Edward Curtis". First American Art Magazine, issue no. 20 (fall 2018). 2018.	96-97	2018	Featured artists includes Larry McNeil, Theresa Harlan, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Will Wilson, Zig Jackson, Wendy Red Star, Marianne Nicolson, Tracy Rector, and Matika Wilbur.
Fricke, Suzanne Newman, Chelsea Herr, and Manuela Well-Off-Man (curators). Indigenous Futurisms: Transcending Past/Present/Future. Santa Fe, New Mexico: IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. 2020.	10, 26-27, 138-139, 151, 166-167	2020	Catalog of an exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 13, 2020-January 3, 2021. Includes biblographical references and index.
Jamison, Mollie. "Native Perspectives: in the Exhibition 'As We See It', Contemporary Native American Photographers Portray a Gamut of Subjects with a Common Underlying Theme: the Vitality and Perseverance of Their People and Cultures". Cowboys & Indians, vol. 25, no. 3 (April 2017). 2017.	64	2017	Features photographers Larry McNeil, Will Wison, Shelley Niro, Matika Wilbur, and Tom Jones.
Joyce, Erin. "physical/digital: representations of the body". Earthsong, winter 2021. 2021.	26-28	2021	Includes color reproductions of artworks by Steven Yazzie, Courtney M. Leonard, Cara Romero, and Will Wilson. Article discusses the digital exhibition "physical/digital: representations of the body from the permanent collection" held online on the Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona website, and featuring the artists T.C. Cannon, Harry Fonseca, Bob Haozous, Frank Buffalo Hyde, Courtney M. Leonard, Cara Romero, Paula Rasmus Dede, Fritz Scholder, Emmi Whitehorse, Will Wilson, and Steven J. Yazzie.
Joyce, Erin (curator). physical/digital: representations of the body from the permanent collection, Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona: Heard Museum. 2020.		2020	Virtual exhibition which went live on the Heard Museum website December 31, 2020; featured artists include T.C. Cannon, Harry Fonseca, Bob Haozous, Frank Buffalo Hyde, Courtney M. Leonard, Cara Romero, Paula Rasmus Dede, Fritz Scholder, Emmi Whitehorse, Will Wilson, Steven J. Yazzie, and Steven J. Yazzie + Wyatt Yazzie. Originally available online at URL: https://heard.org/physicaldigital (link broken August 7, 2023); available on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine (viewed August 7, 2023)	View
Lonelodge, Latoya. "Will Wilson, Photographer Behind 'Photosynthesis' Exhibition". Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune, vol. 13, issue 4 (February 15, 2017). 2017.	3	2017	Newspaper article.
McCleary, Katherine Nova, Leah Tamar Shrestinian, and Joseph Zordan. Place, Nations, Generations, Beings: 200 Years of Indigenous North American Art. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Art Gallery. 2019.	84-87	2019	Catalog of a student-curated exhibition entitled "Place, Nations, Generations, Beings: 200 Years of Indigenous North American Art" of objects drawn from Yale University collections for exhibit at the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut, November 1, 2019-June 21, 2020.
Meredith, America. "Navajo Nation Face Shield Project: Photographer Will Wilson Fabricates Protective Equipment for Frontline Workers". First American Art Magazine, issue no. 27 (summer 2020). 2020.	20	2020
Myre, Nadia. Baliser le Territoire: Manifestation d'Art Contemporain Autochtone = A Stake in the Ground: Contemporary Native Art Manifestation. Invitation (Art Mûr), vol. 7, no. 3 (January-February 2012). 2012.	cover, 2-3, 18-19	2012	Thematic issue of Invitation; issued as vol. 7, no. 3 (January-February 2012). Issue constitutes the catalog of the exhibition, "A Stake in the Ground: Contemporary Native Art Manifestation," held at Art Mûr, Montréal, Québec, Canada, January 14-February 25, 2012. Artists: Sonny Assu, Jason Baerg, Carl Beam, Rebecca Belmore, Kevin Lee Burton, Hannah Claus, Bonnie Devine, Raymond Dupuis, Edgar Heap of Birds, Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Nicholas Galanin, Greg Hill, Robert Houle, Maria Hupfield, Rita Letendre, Glenna Matoush, Alan Michelson, Nadia Myre, Marianne Nicolson, Michael Patten, Arthur Renwick, Sonia Robertson, Greg Staats, Tania Willard, and Will Wilson.
Nelson, Kate. "Art & Soul: Being a Great Artist Makes You a Winner. But the 2017 Honorees of the New Mexico Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts Prove That Being a Great Person Makes It Matter". New Mexico Magazine, September 2017. 2017.	66-67	2017	Winners include Gustavo Victor Goler, Russell Sanchez, Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie of Bayou Seco, Helen R. Lucero, and Will Wilson.
Nichols, Judy. "Heard Has New Indian Artwork". Arizona Republic, November 27, 2004. 2004.	1, 4	2004	Newspaper article. Discusses Will Wilson's installation "Auto Immune Response" at the Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona opening November 2004.
Nilsen, Richard. "Artist Negotiates a Cultural Divide". Arizona Republic, November 28, 2004. 2004.	E13	2004	Newspaper article; review of Will Wilson's "Auto Immune Response" installation at the Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, opening November 2004.
Osage News and Will Wilson (photographer). "Photo/Synthesis Portr...". In: Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/). URL: https://www.flickr.com/photos/osagenews/sets/72157671440575946. 2016.		2016	Will Wilson on Flickr (viewed November 23, 2016). "Osage Nation Museum Joined the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art from The University of Oklahoma on July 22. They held a photoshoot in the museum taking photographs of the Bigheart decedents. Photographer Will Wilson will be responding to Edward S. Curtis's original representation from the historic into the present by taking photos of the descendants of the original portraits of Curtis in 1927. TARA MADDEN/Osage News."	View
Polacca, Benny. "ON Museum Collaborates with Fred Jones Jr. Museum for Photography Exhibit". vol. 12, no. 8 (August 2016). 2016.		2016
Raymond, Jon. "[Exhibition review of] 'Contemporary Native Photographers and the Edward Curtis Legacy: Zig Jackson, Wendy Red Star, and Will Wilson,' Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon". Artforum International, vol. 54, no. 10 (summer 2016). 2016.	402	2016
Seattle Art Museum. "Double Exposure, Jun 14 - Sep 9 2018, Seattle Art Museum". In: Seattle Art Museum website (host URL: http://seattleartmuseum.org/) at source URL: http://doubleexposure.site.seattleartmuseum.org/. 2018.		2018	Information on the exhibition featuring Edward S. Curtis, Marianne Nicolson, Tracy Rector, and Will Wilson, held June 14, 2018-September 9, 2018 at the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington.	View
Sharpe, Tom. "True to (Tin)type: Photographer Demonstrates Camera Teachnique Used to Capture Earliest Native Americans". Santa Fe New Mexican, Sunday, August 18, 2013. 2013.		2013	Newspaper article.
Smoker, Lucie. "Photo/Synthesis". Art Focus Oklahoma, vol. 32, no. 1 (spring 2017). 2017.	4-5	2017
Spaar, Ilona Shulman, and Heidrun Löb. Zeitgenössische Indigene Kunst. Zurich, Switzerland: Stadt Zürich, Nordamerika Native Museum, Indianer & Inuit Kulturen. 2014.	126-135	2014	Cover title of exhibition catalog: Native Art Now. Exhibition held at the Nordamerika Native Museum, Zurich, Switzerland, November 8, 2014- June 7, 2015. Exhibiting artists include Nicholas Galanin, Shan Goshorn, Jeff Kahm, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Gina Adams, Ross Chaney, Michael Belmore, Frank Shebageget, Diego Romero, David Bradley, Chris Pappan, Will Wilson, Maria Hupfield, Jason Garcia, and Wally Dion.
Taylor, Sue. "Indigenous Images". Art in America, vol. 104, no. 5 (May 2016). 2016.	57-62	2016	Will Wilson is one of the photographers featured and discussed in this review of the exhibition "Contemporary Native Photographers and the Edward Curtis Legacy" at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon.
Wikipedia contributors. "Will Wilson (Photographer)". In: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (host URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/) at source URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Wilson_(photographer). 2014.		2014	Current entry for photographer Will Wilson on Wikipedia (viewed September 4, 2018)	View
Wilson, Will. Will Wilson. URL: http://willwilson.photoshelter.com/index. 2016.		2016	Artist's website (viewed June 4, 2016)	View
Wilson, Will and Kaila T. Schedeen. Will Wilson: AIR/Survey: Visual Arts Center, the University of Texas at Austin, January 23-March 27, 2021. Austin, Texas: Visual Arts Center, University of Texas at Austin. 2021.		2021	Catalog of an exhibition held at the Visual Arts Center, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, January 23, 2021-March 27, 2021.
Wilson, Will and Santa Fe Magazine. "How Curtis Got It Wrong: Will Wilson, Photographer". Santa Fe (Santa Fe Magazine LLC), no. 9 (2023). 2023.	196-204	2023	Interview.

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Native American Artists Resource Collection Online