Sacred Circle Gallery » United Indians of All Tribes Foundation

Sacred Circle Gallery Current Exhibit

Sacred Circle Gallery holds Daybreak Star's curated exhibits of Native American art, featuring contemporary and traditional Native American art by a wide range of internationally recognized and local artists. We are proud to have sustained support through 4Culture.

Nancy Clark’s Solo Exhibition ‘Past, Present, Future’

July 9th – October 15th, 2026

The Sacred Circle Gallery is proud to present a new solo exhibition by Blackfeet Nation artist Nancy Josephine Clark (82). Nancy was born in Spokane. Her father, Russell Tharp, was brought up by her Blackfoot grandmother, Josephine Wright, and grandfather, Fred Tharp, on the Flathead Reservation in Montana.

Her exhibition, Past, Present, Future, is in honor of her late husband, Ronald H. Clark, who passed away December 11, 2025. Ron, a Vietnam Veteran and someone not of Native descent, dedicated his legal career to advocating for Native American rights, bringing justice, freedom, and equality to all Natives.

Nancy’s exhibition pulls inspiration from Charles M. Russell, a non Native artist and close friend of Nancy’s family. Nancy’s Blackfeet grandmother was a model for his paintings and sculptures depicting Native Americans. In 1914, Russell famously said:

“This is the only real American. He fought and died for his country. Today he has no vote, no country, and is not a citizen, but history will not forget him.”

Reflecting on how American Indians finally received citizenship in 1924, and that full voting rights were not secured in all states until 1962 or later, Nancy notes, “This quote was my inspiration for many of my artwork.” This collection beautifully embraces the meaning of Russell’s quote through references to the Past, Present, and Future.

We invite you to step into the gallery and experience this profound work of heritage & futurism!

Exhibition Details

On View: July 9th – October 15th, 2026
Gallery Hours: Mon – Sun, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Artist Reception: October 13th at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center

About Nancy

Nancy Josephine Clark is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. She was born in Spokane. Her father, Russell Tharp, was brought up by her Blackfoot grandmother, Josephine Wright, and grandfather, Fred Tharp, on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. In his early 20s, Russell was getting into trouble and eventually moved to Spokane to attend business school.

Nancy and her brother were the first in their family to attend college. Nancy received a BA in Art, Masters of Fine Arts degree in Design, and a Teaching certificate from the University of Washington.

Nancy works in a variety of art mediums, combining natural forms with lots of patterns. Early in her art career, she concentrated on painted fabrics, including quilts, wall hangings, and wearable fabrics. Later, she worked in printmaking, gouache and mosaic.

An artist who likes to work large, Nancy was commissioned to produce a series of wall hangings and banners for the Wailea Beach Hotel in Maui, Hawaii. While she lived in Columbia, SC, she decorated a nine-foot-tall steel Palmetto tree with American Indian designs, which was purchased by the renowned southern Gullah artist Jonathan Green.

Nancy’s exhibitions include those at the McColl Center for Visual Arts in Charlotte, NC; State Capitol Museum in Olympia: the Northwest Arts and Crafts Center at the Seattle Center, and the Henry Gallery in Seattle. Nancy’s “Respect”, a 3’ X 6’ archival print designed to convey the culture and stories of Blackfeet and other American Indian Nations is exhibited at the Seattle University School of Law.

Images of her work have been featured in publications including Sunset magazine; American Crafts; Seattle Times; The State (Columbia, SC newspaper), and the Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA).

Nancy married and raised three sons and has four grandchildren. In addition to her art career, Nancy was a teacher of art and language arts at both the elementary and secondary school levels. For her work teaching art at a school for dyslexic children, renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg, representing his Foundation, presented Nancy with the “Power of Art: Education of Students with Learning Disabilities” award at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Native American Art Markets

Come visit Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for all your gift ideas! In addition to our Gift Shop, we regularly host Artist and Craft Market in our building. Support your local indigenous community! Art prints, original works of art, clothing, drums, jewelry, and much more! Traditional food on site and entertainment throughout the market. Click here to learn more!

Permanent Collection

In 1975 the City of Seattle’s 1% for Art Program allocated $80,000 for the Daybreak Star Center for an original collection of Native American Art across cultures. Native American artists were selected through a national competition to create a group of works representative of contemporary India and Alaskan Native art. The Daybreak Star Arts Center opened to the public in 1978.