Fifteen contemporary artists reimagine traditional art forms to address social justice, colonialism, and climate change at Museum of International Folk Art.
Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions
December 7, 2025–January 7, 2027
Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe
Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions is now on view at the Museum of International Folk Art and will remain open through January 27, 2027. The sweeping and timely exhibition brings together fifteen contemporary artists from across the United States and around the world, highlighting how traditional art forms can address urgent social issues, confront suppressed histories, and spark cultural transformation.
Drawing on creative practices rooted in their own communities, the featured artists reimagine media such as quilt-making, ceramics, regalia, basketry, and video as catalysts for civic dialogue, resistance, and healing. Rather than viewing tradition as something fixed in the past, Truths Be Told positions it as a living, evolving continuum of knowledge; one capable of giving voice to both long-standing and newly emerging challenges.
The exhibition’s roster includes an extraordinary group of acclaimed artists: Roberto Benavidez, Mary Lee Bendolph, Ambreen Butt, Kathryn Clark, Sonya Clark, Nicholas Galanin, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carolyn Mazloomi, Elyse Pignolet, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Beverly Y. Smith, Colectivo Subterráneos, Sarah Mary Taylor, Kukuli Velarde, and Marie Watt. Together, their works chart a vivid journey through stories of struggle, resilience, and collective memory.
“This exhibition redefines how we think about how traditions and customary arts function in contemporary society,” says curator Laura Addison. “The artists in Truths Be Told are not simply preserving culture, they’re actively using it to challenge injustice, build community, and imagine more equitable futures. In their hands, tradition becomes a living language for truth-telling.”
Across the galleries, visitors encounter pieces that tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time. Several artists grapple with the legacy of colonialism, employing irony, satire, or haunting beauty to expose painful histories that continue to shape global Indigenous communities. Another responds to environmental degradation and climate change, turning materials and symbols tied to place into potent critiques of ecological loss.
Works addressing housing insecurity, racism, and gender violence reveal how artists use the visual language of their cultural traditions to illuminate systemic inequities. Quiltmakers stitch together stories of both trauma and strength; ceramicists invoke inherited forms to question political power; printmakers and sculptors call attention to the invisible labor and overlooked histories of women and marginalized communities. These artworks generate space for viewers to reflect deeply, connecting personal narratives with broader social realities.
Even when confronting difficult subjects, many artists in the exhibition emphasize resilience and hope. Whether through communal making, participatory elements, or motifs passed down through generations, their works invite audiences to imagine futures shaped by justice, care, and connection.
Ultimately, Truths Be Told: Artists Activate Traditions demonstrates that tradition is far from static. Instead, it is a dynamic force; one that artists are continually reshaping to foster dialogue, amplify marginalized voices, and ensure cultural continuity. As the exhibition continues at the Museum of International Folk Art, it offers a powerful reminder: art rooted in tradition can be one of the most compelling tools we have for truth-telling in a rapidly changing world.
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