Curator Talk | Highlights from Storyteller: The Photography of Jerry Jacka

Explore Jerry Jacka’s Photography with Heard Museum Curator Ann Marshall, PhD

Join Heard Museum Curator and Director of Research, Dr. Ann Marshall for a 30-minute Curator Talk on Highlights | Storyteller: The Photography of Jerry Jacka. In 2024, the Heard Museum became the steward of the Jerry Jacka archive, one of the largest and most significant collections of documentary photography of Native American artists in the nation.

This exhibition highlights Jacka’s portraits of iconic Native American artists, paired with examples of their work from the Heard’s collection. Visitors will see artists from the American Southwest engaged in a variety of creative practices, from pottery and painting to jewelry making, alongside images from Jacka’s award-winning contributions to Arizona Highways Magazine. 

Dr. Marshall, who worked closely with the Jacka family and knows many of the artists personally, will share insight into how Jacka’s photography has shaped public understanding and appreciation of Native art and the landscapes of the Southwest. This talk offers a rare opportunity to view the exhibition through the lens of someone intimately involved in its creation and the stories it tells.

Included with museum admission and FREE for members. Tour meets at the Info Desk.

Featured image: Dextra Quotskuyva Nampeyo (Hopi-Tewa, 1928-2019). In this undated image, Jacka photographed Dextra Quotskuyva in her studio polishing an unfinished pottery jar. A second jar rests on the workbench beside her. Jacka posed the artists beside a photo of her great-grandmother, master pottery Nampeyo, creating an image within an image.