A folding chair made using delicate glass beadwork took its place among masterpieces at the de Young Museum. The chair, with its hand-beaded straps shimmering in the light, is the work of Britton, whose art bridges the ceremonial and the contemporary. The piece, both playful and profound, asks viewers to consider identity, heritage, and what it means to carry tradition forward in modern life.
Britton’s chair is one of many works featured in “Rooted in Place,” the inaugural exhibition in the newly reinstalled Arts of Indigenous America galleries. The show explores “Relationship to Place” through the lens of California’s Indigenous communities, with a special focus on the Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa, Wiyot, and Yurok peoples of northwestern California.
“It’s astounding to be part of this show,” Britton said. “As director of the Goudi’ni, I don’t normally exhibit my own work. So for me, this is rewarding—I get to be alongside the heavy hitters of our region, people like Brian Tripp and Lyn Risling. I’m grateful to be included.”
Britton is not alone in representing Cal Poly Humboldt at the de Young. The gallery brims with contributions from alumni and staff who have shaped the region’s Indigenous arts for decades.
Robert Benson, a leading figure in northwestern California’s art community, has taught and curated Native art for more than 30 years, including close ties with Cal Poly Humboldt. A longtime College of the Redwoods professor, his work spans plein air landscapes, alder-bark dye paintings, and carved sculptures inspired by Native ceremonial designs, all rooted in deep connection to the natural world.
George Blake, a Hupa-Yurok artist awarded an honorary doctorate from Cal Poly Humboldt, will be showcased in the exhibition “Rooted in Place.” He is celebrated for his diverse body of work, which includes sculpture, jewelry, regalia, and contemporary art. Notably, Blake is also one of the few individuals today who possesses the traditional skills necessary for building dugout canoes, one of which is on display in the University’s Library.
Lena R. Bommelyn (’76, Social Work), enrolled in the Karuk Tribe and of Shasta ancestry, is also a Tolowa ceremonial leader through marriage, and has been creating art and regalia for over 50 years. She finds inspiration in life to create pieces that represent the person she is creating for, as well as her love for culture and family. Beadwork has been one of the ways she has expressed her inspiration. Bommelyn understands that what she creates has a life and spirit of its own and honors this throughout her creation process.
The late Brian D. Tripp, a Karuk painter, poet, and activist, is represented through his striking works that combine traditional regalia motifs with powerful commentary on Indigenous rights. His paintings resonate with the same activist spirit he carried into galleries and ceremonies during his years at Humboldt.
Shoshoni Gensaw-Hostler (’18, Psychology; ’20, M.S. Psychology), a Yurok regalia maker and designer, created a commissioned dentalium-shell cape for the exhibition—a shimmering garment that honors ancestral artistry while asserting Native resilience in the present. Gensaw-Hostler’s work was also featured in New York Fashion Week earlier this year.
Lyn Risling (M.A. ’97, Social Science: Environment & Community), whose vibrant paintings weave together stories, ceremonies, and visions of renewal, continues her lifelong work of cultural revitalization, blending art with activism.
Pimm Tripp-Allen (’01, Native American Studies), a Karuk/Yurok scholar and curator, helped shape the exhibition itself, contextualizing pieces like the extraordinary baskets of master weaver Elizabeth Hickox. Pimm’s husband, artist and wood carver Alme Allen, also contributed works and co-advised the show.
For Britton, who first experimented with unconventional art projects as a Humboldt student, the recognition of having her work and other Native artists’ artwork at the de Young is both surreal and affirming.
“We have such a strong Native art community here in Humboldt County,” she said. “Most of the artists in this show have either exhibited at Goudi’ni, studied here, or taught here. That’s powerful—to see our community represented on such a big stage.”
That community stretches back through generations. Britton’s beaded chair, titled “What She Carried/what I brought,” honors her great-grandmother, Winnifred George, a Hupa medicine woman known for bringing a folding chair to ceremonies. Through humor and reverence, Britton reimagines the object as a vessel of memory and continuation.
Visitors to “Rooted in Place” will encounter this piece alongside monumental paintings, regalia that shimmer with shell and feather, and baskets that rival the boldest modernist designs. Together, they remind viewers that Native art is both timeless and contemporary, rooted in place yet ever adapting.
Behind the scenes, the Goudi’ni Gallery played a practical yet vital role in helping bring “Rooted in Place” to life. Because many of the featured artists live in remote communities in Humboldt County, the logistics of transporting their work to San Francisco required careful coordination.
Britton and her team at Goudi’ni helped coordinate shipping for several pieces, including works by Britton, Blake, Tripp, Gensaw-Hostler, and Risling, and loaned the de Young a necklace created by Tripp from the Risling and Julian Lang Collection.
“Can you imagine a professional art shipper trying to find someone’s house up in Hoopa or Orleans?” Britton says with a laugh. “Out here, we don’t have street numbers—it’s more like, turn left at the white house, and it’s the one with the rocks in front. People trusted us to coordinate, and that was important.”
This collaboration underscores Goudi’ni’s unique place in the California State University system as the only Native-focused university gallery. The gallery is dedicated to the respectful handling of Native objects and regalia, providing students with crucial training in cultural sensitivity. Students learn about the significance of certain objects, including those that may only be touched by family members or after specific ceremonies, and much more. The University’s Museum & Gallery Practices Certificate Program, led by Art + Film Professor Berit Potter, not only trains students in museum practice but also models how institutions can build trust with Native communities.
As Humboldt artists, scholars, and alumni stand at the center of this historic exhibition, one message is clear: Native art is a living force, carried forward by generations who remain deeply connected to their homelands.
“Rooted in Place: California Native Art” is now on display at the de Young Museum in San Francisco through December 2026. A public opening with a day of free admission and a celebration is set for September 13 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Editor's note: The story was updated to accurately reflect Lena Bommelyn's background, creative process, and artwork.