Radius Gallery says current show is its first all‑Indigenous exhibition, plans yearlong ledger-art program

Jason Neal, co-owner of Radius Gallery in Missoula, said the current exhibition is the gallery’s first to feature only Indigenous artists and that the gallery plans a ledger-art program in early 2026 that will include a six-artist show and a yearlong showcase of ledger art.

Neal introduced the evening’s speaker and told the audience the gallery has been “so proud of this exhibition” and that staff are planning “another show at the beginning of 2026, with 6 indigenous artists” and “a kind of traditional 5 week show beginning in January of next year,” followed by a substantial ledger-art display through the rest of the year.

Why it matters: Neal said the gallery intends both to exhibit work and to educate. He described efforts to produce take-home literature, host talks and raise community awareness about the history and cultural meaning of ledger art beyond its visual appeal.

Neal framed the programming as an attempt to present Indigenous work without treating artists as a separate subset; he said the gallery wanted to showcase “artists who are making compelling work” and to provide context on ledger-art history—from nineteenth-century origins through a revival in the 1970s—and the symbolism often found in the images.

Neal noted the event was being filmed and livestreamed and urged the in-person audience to limit background noise. He said the gallery intends to use talks, printed materials and future shows to give viewers more historical context and cultural background than casual gallery visitors might assume from seeing ledger work on an old piece of paper.

The evening was billed as the first of three talks in the gallery’s series; Neal said the gallery will continue public programming tied to the exhibition, including the planned 2026 ledger-art year.