Artist Talk with Leland Butler and Leonard Harmon

Join us for an artist talk! 

Come hear directly from Leland Butler and Leonard D. Harmon and learn more about the stories, ideas, and creative practices behind their work.

This artist talk is presented in conjunction with Indigenous Northwest Biennial, on view September 4–October 25, 2026, in the A.N. Bush Gallery. Featuring exhibiting artists Leland Butler and Leonard D. Harmon, the talk offers an opportunity to learn more about their creative practice, the work she has included in the exhibition, and the ideas that shape the artistic approach of each artist.

Indigenous Northwest Biennial celebrates the depth and diversity of Indigenous artists from the Pacific Northwest, highlighting both traditional and contemporary practices that carry ancestral knowledge forward while expanding perceptions of Indigenous art through a wide range of mediums and materials.

Join us for an Artist Talk on Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m.

RSVPs are not required, but help us arrange the space. Please RSVP here so that we may set the room with the appropriate amount of chairs. Thank you! 

About the Artists

LELAND BUTLER

Leland Butler (Grand Ronde/Siletz/Yurok) began taking photographs out of curiosity about self, land, and people. His work demonstrates a sophisticated sensitivity to composition and to the stories held within an image, inviting viewers into moments of deeper personal contemplation. Through photography, Butler explores relationships between people, place, identity, and memory, creating images that encourage us to slow down and consider what we see—and what may exist beneath the surface.

LEONARD D. HARMON

“They say the truth is in the eye of the beholder… but who’s looking?”
~ Leonard Harmon

Leonard Harmon has always been drawn to a life of expression. He credits much of his passion to what he calls his “direct bloodline to art.” His father was a furniture maker, while his uncle and namesake, Leonard Allen Harmon, was a well-known portrait artist whose work was featured at the Heard Museum of Arizona. Art, in one form or another, was always present in Leonard’s life.

Inspired by his grandparents’ love of cooking, Leonard attended Johnson & Wales University, where he studied the culinary arts while also beginning to explore his love of music. He eventually toured the country as a DJ before discovering another form of creative expression around 2010 through traditional and contemporary mixed media.

Leonard describes his artistic process as a way of using older images to tell new stories and place history into perspective. He continues to explore a wide range of methods and mediums, allowing each new approach to offer another way of expressing his ideas.

A citizen of the Lenape Tribe of New Jersey and the Nanticoke Tribe of Delaware, Leonard currently lives on the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indian Reservation. His experiences traveling to powwows in Connecticut and Oklahoma, along with his continued involvement in tribal traditions on the Siletz Reservation, are reflected in his work. Drawing inspiration from his ancestors, Leonard brings traditional cultural influences into contemporary artistic forms.

RSVP

This artist talk is presented in conjunction with Indigenous Northwest Biennial, on view September 4–October 25, 2026, in the A.N. Bush Gallery. Featuring exhibiting artist Amber K. Ball, the talk offers an opportunity to learn more about her creative practice, the work she has included in the exhibition, and the ideas that shape her artistic approach.

Indigenous Northwest Biennial celebrates the depth and diversity of Indigenous artists from the Pacific Northwest, highlighting both traditional and contemporary practices that carry ancestral knowledge forward while expanding perceptions of Indigenous art through a wide range of mediums and materials.

RSVP

Read more about Indigenous Northwest Biennial.