Description
…If you are unacquainted with the California Indian world, shed all your preconceived notions and give yourself over to a new experience.”
She Sang Me A Good Luck Song: The California Indian Photographs of Dugan Aguilar is a new exhibition revealing the richness and vibrancy of Native California cultures as Aguilar (Mountain Maidu/Pit River/Walker River Paiute) speaks his heart through his photography.



Aguilar’s photos defy the romanticized and melodramatic images by which Native people are often depicted. Ranging from portraits of military veterans, basket makers, and dancers to meditative landscapes, Aguilar’s work documents—and contributes to—the perseverance and renewal of Native California’s living, vibrant cultures.
The exhibition is divided into the following sections:
- From the Heart of California Native Existence
- Ancestral Design with Nature as the Medium
- In Song and Dance, We Embody the Dreams of Our Ancestors
Dugan Aguilar, a documentary photographer, documented California Native people and cultures for over 40 years and exhibited his work throughout the United States and Europe. He was staff photographer for the California Indian Basketweavers Association and California Indian Storytellers Association and contributed photographs for the book Deeper Than Gold:A Guide to Indian Life in the Sierra Foothills by Brian Bibby.He resided in Northern California before his passing in 2018.
This exhibition is supported by Heyday Books and the Native Cultures Fund of the Humboldt Area Foundation and curated by Theresa Harlan (Kewa Pueblo/Jemez Pueblo).
Dugan’s photography embodies the ancient spirits of giving and sharing: it’s visual poetry that resonates through time with the land and the people gently, yet assertively…Beautiful and insightful photographic storytelling for all people of the world.
Larry McNeil, Tlingit photographer and scholar, professor of photography, Boise State University.
Specs
- Audience:
- Adults, Teens
- Rental Fee:
- $1,800 + shipping for an 8-week booking
- Size:
- 100 linear feet
- Security:
- Limited
- Installation Images:
- View Here
Exhibit Components:
- 28 framed photographs
- 1 introductory panel, 3 section panels, 1 artist bio panel, 1 artist interview panel and 1 “words of praise” panel
- Exhibition press kit with digital images
- She Sang Me A Good Luck Song, book published by Heyday and edited by Theresa Harlan
Schedule and Availability
Past Dates | |
July 18, 2015 – September 12, 2015 | Maidu Museum and Historic Site, Roseville |
October 11, 2015 – December 6, 2015 | Goudi’ni Native American Arts Gallery at HSU, Arcata |
May 1, 2016 – July 31, 2016 (13 weeks) | Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah |
April 2, 2017 – July 30, 2017 (18 weeks) | Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz |
May 13, 2018 – July 8, 2018 | Dana Adobe Cultural Center, Nipomo |
September 16, 2018 – December 2, 2018 (11 weeks) | de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara |
December 30, 2018 – March 10, 2019 (10 weeks) | California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, Santa Rosa |
August 2, 2020 – September 27, 2020 | AVAILABLE |
October 11, 2020 – November 8, 2020 | AVAILABLE |
November 22, 2020 – January 17, 2021 | AVAILABLE |
January 31, 2021 – March 28, 2021 | AVAILABLE |
April 11, 2021 – June 6, 2021 | AVAILABLE |
June 20, 2021 – August 15, 2021 | AVAILABLE |
August 29, 2021 – October 24, 2021 | AVAILABLE |
November 7, 2021 – January 2, 2022 | AVAILABLE |
Don’t miss out on booking this amazing exhibit; it retires in 2021!