This two-part exhibition unites, for the first time, the stories of Mary Edmonia Lewis, the first internationally acclaimed Black and Anishinaabe sculptor, and that of her brother, Samuel W. Lewis—a Bozeman-based performer, entrepreneur, and community leader who was central to Edmonia’s success. Act I will be presented from June 19–October 31, 2026, and Act II from October 1 through to April 4, 2027.

Featuring artists responding to the Lewis siblings’ lives, work, travels, and cultural worlds, Chisel & Razor explores how creativity, ambition, and collaboration can shape communities and endure across generations. It includes new commissions by Edgar Arceneaux and Auriea Harvey as well as works by Sanford Biggers, Sonya Clark, Andrea Carlson, Athena LaTocha and others.

In addition to the works on view at Tinworks Art’s campus, Chisel & Razor will be a citywide celebration in partnership with Montana State University College of Arts & Architecture. Stay tuned for further details on programming.

The exhibition is curated by Dr. Melissa Ragain in collaboration with a group of advisors, including Dr. Tiya Miles, 2011 MacArthur Fellow, author, and Professor of History at Harvard University who also serves on Tinworks Art’s Board of Directors; MSU Professor of Native American Studies Dr. Anita Moore-Nall; Montana-based filmmaker Nnamdi Kanaga; MSU professor in Sociology & Anthropology Dr. Jelani Mahiri; Montana-based artist Emily Gonzales; Montana-based writer Dr. Betsy Quammen; and Montana-based writer Dr. Anthony W. Wood.

Tinworks Art gratefully acknowledges the generous support of VIA Art Fund for the production and exhibition of Edmonia Triumphalis by Auriea Harvey, and the Vilcek Foundation for their support of Sunflowers, to follow the wheat by Agnes Denes, an ongoing ecological intervention in Tinworks’ field. Major program support for Tinworks Art is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Tinworks Founding Director’s Council. Additional support is provided by coal tax revenues allocated to Montana’s Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund.