Guest Lecture - Rachel Allen

Join us for a free lecture from visiting curator Rachel Allen at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery.

Title:

Giving Firsts: Cyclical Renewal in Plateau Artistic Communities

Bio:

Rachel Allen, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe (Nimiipuu), is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, USA. In this role, she co-curated Joe Feddersen’s (b. 1953, Colville Confederated Tribes) retrospective and co-edited his monograph, “Joe Feddersen: Earth, Water, Sky” (2024, on tour), and is preparing an unprecedented, large-scale exhibition and publication featuring contemporary artists from the Plateau cultural region (2029). Allen is a Ph.D. candidate in the History of Art at the University of Delaware, USA. Her research interests include contemporary art of the Pacific Northwest region of North America and cross-cultural understandings of atmosphere and sky in Native American and American Art. Before pursuing a Ph.D., she was an Assistant Curator at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, USA, and has worked in museums for over 20 years. 

Abstract:

In this paper, Allen reviews her recent practices in curation, research, and evaluation through the lens of Plateau culture. The First Peoples of the Columbia Plateau in North America share their initial achievements—such as foods, resources, and artworks—thereby renewing relationships with each gift. As a Nimiipuu community member, Allen reflects on how her work can uphold this responsibility. Considering the community's generosity, she asks how she can give her “firsts” to promote collective well-being. Specifically, can this practice of “giving firsts” be applied in academic and museum contexts? Allen examines these questions through historical, geographical, institutional, and methodological examples.

Rachel Allen is a UWA Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow, working with IAS Associate Fellows Susanne Meurer and Gretchen Stolte. These Fellowships are designed to foster Interdisciplinarity in research, by supporting visits from leading Australian and International scholars across all disciplines to visit The University of Western Australia.

Rachel Allen’s visit is co-sponsored through a Creative Residency at the School of Design

This event is co-presented with the Berndt Museum and the UWA School of Design.

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Visiting LWAG

The 3 unique exhibitions run from 31 July – 19 September 2026.

Gallery open Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-4pm. Entry is always free.

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We acknowledge we are situated on Whadjuk Noongar land. We pay our respects to the traditional owners of the lands on which we live and work across Western Australia and Australia.

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View all related events to the exhibitions at uwa.edu.au/lwag/Events

image: Curator, Rachel Allan