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Historical artwork from Stewart Indian School on display at Reno Airport

Native American artists associated with the former Stewart Indian School will be on display through April at the Reno Tahoe International Airport Concourse B, as part of the exhibit “Propelling Nevada: Communities, Heritage, Education & Economy Through the Arts.”

Native American artists associated with the former Stewart Indian School will be on display through April at the Reno Tahoe International Airport Concourse B, as part of the exhibit “Propelling Nevada: Communities, Heritage, Education & Economy Through the Arts.”

By Chris Moran Travel Nevada

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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Work by Native American artists associated with the former Stewart Indian School will be on display through April at the Reno Tahoe International Airport Concourse B, as part of the exhibit “Propelling Nevada: Communities, Heritage, Education & Economy Through the Arts.”

This exhibition is a partnership between Cultural Alliance of Nevada, the Sierra Arts Foundation, and the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. The exhibit features artworks from Nevada’s 21 Senate Districts, and the Stewart museum is located in District #16, represented by Ben Kieckhefer (R–Reno).

Two dolls made by Christine Grace Davis-Neusbaum, a Northern Paiute, are displayed, along with woodcarvings from Stewart Indian School teacher Fred Forbusch and students from the school’s stone and wood carving program, Tebe Nobe.

Stewart Indian School was a federal boarding school for Native American children in Carson City. In operation from 1890 to 1980, the school’s history is documented at the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum. The artwork in the “Propelling Nevada” airport exhibit is from Stewart’s boarding school years and housed in the museum’s collections.

In 1936, Stewart Indian School established Wa-Pai-Shone Craftsmen, Inc., a cooperative owned and operated by Stewart artists that sold art by Great Basin Native Americans. Items included art by students, buckskin and beaded items by Paiute craftswomen, and baskets made by Washoe and Shoshone craftswomen. Also for purchase were wood carvings made by boys enrolled in the school’s stone and wood carving program. The cooperative expanded, and by 1941, there were four locations: Stewart, the Crystal Bay community at Lake Tahoe; Bishop, Calif.; and Death Valley.

For more about the Stewart Indian School Museum, visit StewartIndianSchool.com. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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