Jackson Polys facts for kids

Jackson Polys (born in 1976 in Ketchikan, Alaska) is a talented Tlingit Native artist and filmmaker. His work often explores what it means for Indigenous people to grow and move forward, while also making people think differently about traditional Native culture. Polys is known for his interesting films, his art that questions institutions like museums, and his carved sculptures. He uses many different materials like abalone shell, glass, liquids, and even everyday objects in his art. He splits his time between Alaska and New York.

Early Life and Learning

Jackson Polys was born in the land of the Tlingit people, which is in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, close to Canada. He started carving with his father, Nathan Jackson (artist), when he was only three years old! He was welcomed into the Dakl’aweidí Clan of the Jilkáat Kwáan. For a while, he worked as an artist using the names Stephen Paul Jackson and Stron Softi. During this time, he began to carve very large totem pole-like sculptures.

Polys studied at Columbia University. He earned his first degree in Art History and Visual Arts in 2013, and then a master's degree in Visual Arts in 2015. He also received a special award called the Native Arts and Culture Foundation (NACF) Mentor Artist Fellowship in 2017. He also helps guide a group called Indigenous New York.

About His Art

Jackson Polys' art looks closely at the history and current experiences of Native peoples. He uses the traditional wood carving skills he learned from his father, Nathan Jackson (artist). He also researches old Native American carving techniques.

In a project called "Manifest X," Polys worked with another artist named Robert Mills. They created sculptures that showed Tlingit art traditions but also how artists can express themselves in new ways using these forms. This project, and others like it, aims to help people understand how Native artifacts and objects are treated by places like museums.

Jackson Polys taught at Columbia from 2016 to 2017. He also advised Indigenous New York through the Vera List Center for Art and Politics. He is currently working with the Whitney Museum of American Art to help them create a land acknowledgement. This is a statement that recognizes the original Indigenous people of the land.

In 2022, the Sealaska Heritage Institute asked carvers to create kootéeyaa (totem poles) for a special Totem Pole Trail in Juneau, Alaska. Jackson Polys and his father, Nathan Jackson, will carve two of these poles together.

Jackson Polys has also used the names Stephen Paul Jackson and Stron Softi for his art.

Exhibitions and Screenings

Jackson Polys' art has been shown in many important places. Here are some of them:

• Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, 2019.
• The Crybabies, Alaska State Museum, Juneau, AK, 2019.
• Native Perspectives, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2018.
• Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, AK, 2018.
• Unholding, Artists Space, New York, NY, 2018.
• The Violence of a Civilization Without Secrets, Sundance Film Festival, 2018.
• Manifest X, Main Street Gallery, Ketchikan, AK, 2018.
• The New Order, Whitney Museum of American Art, 2018.
• My First 3D Part III: The Final Chapter, Microscope Gallery, New York, NY, 2017.