A Conversation with Spokane Tribal Artist George Hill

Date/Time
Oct/01/2026
10:30 am - 11:30 am

Location
Spokane Public Library - Central

A Conversation with Spokane Tribal Artist George Hill
Thursday, October 1, 10:30am | nxʷyxʷyetkʷ Hall, Central Library
In this all-ages-friendly event, George Hill will discuss the art he produced for the library’s “Spokane River Salmon: Past. Present. Future” exhibit with naturalist and author Jack Nisbet.

This event is part of the Spokane Public Library and the Spokane Tribe of Indians’ “Spokane River Salmon: Past. Present. Future.” series at Central Library

On display September 19–November 30, Spokane River Salmon: Past. Present. Future. brings together the artwork of Spokane Tribal artist and member George Hill, materials from Spokane Public Library’s Inland Northwest Special Collections, and resources from the Spokane Tribe’s Anadromous Program. 

Curated by local writers and historians Jack and Claire Nisbet, the exhibit features Hill’s watercolor paintings, pen-and-ink drawings, dioramas, and replica fishing tools, alongside historic photographs and texts documenting the relationship between salmon, people, and the Spokane River.

“Salmon are a totem for the Columbia Basin and the entire Northwest,” said Nisbet. “Their story reaches back thousands of years, which is what gives their continued presence – and their decline – so much weight. For Indigenous communities in particular, that connection is impossible to forget. The exhibit offers a chance for viewers to reconnect with that history, imagine the rivers of the past, and consider what the presence of these resilient fish might mean for their future.”

Visitors will also be able to learn about the Spokane Tribe’s Anadromous Program, which is the Spokane Tribe’s leading initiative in returning salmon to the river. Since 2022, the Spokane Tribe, in collaboration with the Upper Columbia United Tribes, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Coeur d’Alene Tribe, has released approximately 10,000 adult summer Chinook salmon and hundreds of thousands of juvenile salmon into waters upstream of regional dams.

The exhibit will be accompanied by a series of free public programs featuring exhibit curators Jack and Claire Nisbet, tribal artist George Hill, and Anadromous Program Manager Conor Giorgi.