Shoalwater Bay Tribe celebrates art discovery
Landry’s work is on display
after COVID-19 delay
BY PATRICK WEBB
An exhibit delayed by the pandemic fea-
turing art by a painter who celebrated the
history of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe has
opened.
“Eugene Landry. An Artist, a Time and a
Tribe” celebrates the work of Landry, who
chronicled the lifestyle and personalities of
the Shoalwaters at a pivotal time in their
history.
The exhibit is open at the Shoalwater Bay
Tribal Community Library and Heritage
Museum, 4115 State Route 105 in Tokeland,
Washington, Tuesdays through Saturdays. It
had been set to open in 2020, then delayed
because of health and safety concerns.
The 30 oil paintings are the work of
Landry, an enrolled Shoalwater Bay mem-
ber with Hoh and Quileute descent, who was
born in 1937.
Exhibit organizers say his paintings tell
a powerful story of mid-20th century life on
the Shoalwater Bay reservation when the
tribe was addressing issues of cultural iden-
tity, sovereignty and returning to health.
‘Change’
Landry attended Ocosta High School and
was a noted athlete.
Paralyzed at 18 from tubercular menin-
gitis, he dedicated his life to perfecting his
craft from a wheelchair. He taught himself to
paint and draw left handed after another seri-
ous injury while being treated at the Cush-
man Indian Hospital near Tacoma. In later
life, as his physical abilities drained, he
painted with a brush clamped in his mouth,
with family members squeezing paint onto
his palette.
Much of his work was lost after his 1988
death.
About three years ago, a collection of
about 70 paintings was discovered in a der-
elict attic in Grayland by Tokeland artist
Judith Altruda.
“Despite decades of exposure to damp-
ness, and cold, much of the collection was
salvageable,” she noted in her blog. She has
dedicated herself to restoring his artistic leg-
acy while writing a book about his life. “His
paintings are post-impressionistic time cap-
sules of people and places during a period of
great change,” she wrote.
The project received a 2019 Humanities
Washington Storyteller’s grant.
‘Important’
The Heritage Museum is located on the
6 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Patrick Webb
Judith Altruda displays a painting by Eugene Landry and speaks enthusiastically about his life and legacy. Altruda discovered about 70
paintings in an unheated attic and has worked to share them with members of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe and the arts community.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Admission free; masks required.
“Many of our elders when viewing
Eugene’s work reflect upon those times and
begin sharing those stories with us. I doubt
that he ever intended his work to be such
important cultural cues, but that’s exactly
what they have become.”
More information: eugenelandry.com or shoalwaterbay-nsn.gov
Positive
(360) 267-8130
Altruda, a metalwork artist, is fascinated
by Landry’s life and legacy. She never tires
of telling of her excitement when she dis-
covered the casually wrapped paintings in
an old attic then worked to acquire and pre-
serve them.
In an earlier interview about Landry’s sig-
nificance, she noted, “He strove to be artisti-
cally recognized. I think he would be happy
to know that his art is going to be shared.”
‘Eugene Landry. An Artist, a Time and a Tribe.’
Shoalwater Bay Tribal Community Library and Heritage Museum
4115 State Route 105, Tokeland, Washington
Video: ‘Portrait of Gene — An Artist, a Tribe and a Time’ is on YouTube.
former site of Landry’s dome-shaped studio.
It is only fitting that the art created there 50
years ago is coming home, said Kristine Tor-
set, tribal cultural specialist, announcing the
revised schedule after the COVID-19 delay.
Torset knew Landry when she was a girl.
“Eugene’s art is so much more than just
one man’s view of the world,” said Earl
Davis, cultural director at the Shoalwater
Bay museum. “It is an important index point
that highlights a turning point in tribal his-
tory. During Eugene’s time, the people were
at a crossroads of struggling and recovery.
We have come a long way since then, but it
is important to remember the effort that went
into getting us here.
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