An exhibition at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is highlighting the art of Indigenous veterans, particularly those who served during the Vietnam War. The show, titled “Outburst: Native American Art After Vietnam,” features works by 34 artists, more than half of whom are Vietnam veterans. The exhibit runs through April 17.
The exhibition reflects the significant number of Native Americans who served in Southeast Asia from 1960 to 1973—more than 42,000 according to historical accounts—including both combat troops and advisers. This group represented a notably high proportion of their population, with roughly one in four eligible Native Americans serving, compared to one in twelve among the general U.S. population. Many enlisted from a sense of patriotic duty or to uphold family and tribal military traditions.
Among the veterans showcased is Michael Naranjo, a sculptor and member of Santa Clara Pueblo. Injured in Vietnam when a grenade exploded in January 1968, Naranjo lost his sight, a finger, and much use of his right hand. Despite these challenges, he developed a successful artistic career inspired largely by his early life in New Mexico. “Everything is, I guess, visual imagery within my mind and my mind’s eye,” Naranjo said during an interview.
Artists represented in the exhibition explore themes ranging from personal trauma and cultural loss to political activism, reflecting the turbulent social climate faced by Native communities in the 1970s. The show’s head curator, Henrietta Lidchi, noted that “Outburst” captures a period of creativity intertwined with political energy and struggles over Native sovereignty and representation.
Among the works on display is a 1976 bronze tabletop sculpture by Bob Haozous, a Navy veteran and Chiricahua Apache artist. His piece, “1200 Miles From Fort Sill,” challenges romanticized portrayals of Native Americans by depicting a bare-chested rider on a struggling horse sinking in mud, evoking themes of displacement and cultural erosion. Haozous described his work as a form of storytelling aimed at revealing authentic Native identities rather than idealized images.
The exhibition is organized into five thematic sections: Honor, Coming Home, Transcendence, Sovereignty, and Reverence/Irreverence. One notable work is Fritz Scholder’s 1968 painting “Indian and Rhinoceros,” which juxtaposes a Native figure with an awkward-looking rhinoceros in front of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, symbolizing political commentary on Native issues during that era.
Other pieces relate indirectly or personally to the Vietnam experience. For example, Nez Perce sculptor Doug Hyde, wounded by a grenade during his service, contributed a 1974 alabaster sculpture depicting rotor-less helicopters on a battlefield, conveying the haunting aftermath of war. Hyde described making the piece as a therapeutic process, helping him cope with his wartime trauma and lifelong health impacts, including those attributed to exposure to Agent Orange. His son, Frank Buffalo Hyde, also an artist included in the show, has discussed growing up with disabilities linked to these exposures.
The exhibit also includes a 2018 painting by Vietnam-born American artist Teo Nguyen, the only non-Native work featured. Nguyen’s piece, drawn from an Associated Press photograph of a 1965 battle near Saigon, omits visible signs of violence, serving as a reminder of the broader war context.
Organizers hope the exhibition will deepen public understanding of a complex chapter in both Native American art history and U.S. military history. Lidchi expressed a desire for the show to stimulate reflection on the multifaceted experiences of Indigenous veterans whose creativity emerged from the confluence of cultural upheaval and wartime service.