Artist Chosen For Salem City Hall Naumkeag Portrait Project

Salem MA

26 July, 2021

1:18 PM

Description

SALEM, MA — Chris Pappan is charged with bringing a portrait to Salem City Hall unlike any that the nation's second-oldest city hall has displayed. The artist of Kanza, Osage and Lakota descent was commissioned out of field of 60 applicants and four finalists for the Naumkeag Portrait Project to honor the sacrifices and the contributions of Indigenous People to the city's history. "This is an extraordinary opportunity to work with the Naumkeag community," Pappan said. "I am incredibly honored and humbled by the fact that they have placed their trust in me, and I will give all I can to honor their living legacy and tenacity." Pappan was chosen for the project by a panel that included arts professionals, city staff, community members, members of the Salem Public Art Commission and the Massachusetts Tribal Council. A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and a nationally recognized painter and ledger artist, his work can be found in art museums in Washington D.C., Chicago, Kansas and Switzerland. Dominick Pangallo, Chief of Staff to Mayor Kim Driscoll, noted: "We have 24 official portraits hanging in Salem City Hall. Every single one of them is a white man. Thanks to this project, though, that won't be the case much longer." Driscoll proposed the project, which the City Council approved. "I am very pleased that the selection committee has chosen such an accomplished artist for this important and historic commission," Driscoll said in a statement. "Chris will help bring a diversity of representation and history to City Hall through this portrait project. His works have appeared in collections, museums, and galleries across the nation, celebrating, commemorating, and representing a cultural heritage too often unseen and unknown in America today. "A portrait recognizing the presence and role of the Naumkeag in shaping our community is long overdue at Salem City Hall. Chris' vision, to approach this commission with 'a spirit of boldness, community, and resilience,' is consistent with our city's commitment to do better in honoring the contributions and history of the Indigenous peoples who have called this place home for countless generations." Pappan will conduct research for the portrait this summer with painting expected to begin in the fall. The portrait is expected to be presented to the Tribal Council and hung in City Hall in early 2022. Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)