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Will Wilson, Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange

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Referencing the photographs of Edward Curtis, Wilson produces a contemporary visual reimagining of Native American culture.

Will Wilson, native Diné photographer and center of our focus exhibition, is hosting a pop-up portrait studio where he will engage guests in the Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CIPX). Referencing the photographs of Edward Curtis, Wilson intends to produce a contemporary visual reimagining of Native American culture through his photographs. Depicting local Native Americans who work to expand the role of their customs and heritage in today’s society, Wilson follows Curtis’s documentary practice, but with a renewed, open, and more fully representative eye. He uses the historic wet plate collodion process, and offers the tintype itself as a gift to the subject in return for the photograph. This pop-up will be open to all who wish to view the process in action. Wilson will then speak on the exhibition’s panel later this evening, alongside various Native individuals whose work focuses on seeking justice and a more prominent role for Native culture in contemporary America.

Title Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange
Artist(s) Will Wilson
Dates 2012–19
Places North America / United States
Period, Culture, Style Contemporary / Native North American (First Nations) / Southwestern Native American / Diné (Navajo) / Native American Sovereignty period
Artwork Type Photograph
Material
Technique Wet collodion process

Cite this page as: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, "Will Wilson, Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange," in Smarthistory, September 15, 2021, accessed December 15, 2025, https://smarthistory.org/will-wilson-critical-indigenous-photographic-exchange/.