In January of 2000 Chag and Rebecca Lowry were invited to curate a local indigenous art and basketry show for the grand opening of the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, Ca. 30 Native artists and basket weavers from the Wiyot, Tolowa, Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk cultures were asked to present their work.
They were asked to present work based on what was precious in their lives and their cultures. Several thousand community members were able to view the show from January 1 to February 20, 2000. Special thanks go to the Humboldt Arts Council Staff and Board of Directors for their support for this show.
A reception was held in February for the artists and their families. During this reception a very precious item was returned to the Wiyot people. During the renovation of the Carnegie Library to turn it into the Morris Graves Museum a basket was found high in the attic rafters by one of the workers. The basket was cleaned through the efforts of Bob Benson at the College of the Redwoods. The Humboldt Arts Council gave the basket back to the Wiyot people. The basket was dated to be at least 150 years old.
One of the artists- Joe Giovannetti (Tolowa) contributed a poem for the show. Here he is holding up a thank-you gift. Mr. Giovannetti is currently a Native American Studies instructor at Humboldt State University.
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