Jeffrey Veregge: A Better Tomorrow

May

Jeffrey Veregge: A Better Tomorrow
Works Inspired by the 1962 World’s Fair

Online exhibition, begins May 14, 2020.

Inspired by the hopeful outlook of the technical and scientific innovations of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Century 21 Expo, Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S’Klallam) continues his exploration of hope, teamwork, scientific inquiry, and positivity through the lens of Americana, nostalgia and pop art. Like his 2019 exhibition–“Bold Americans: Above and Beyond”–which highlighted achievements in aerospace and aeronautics, Veregge places a spotlight on a time when Americans set aside differences to achieve what was considered impossible, held strong beliefs in science and mathematics, and looked to the future with ingenuity and hope. Utilizing Coast Salish designs in his signature Salish Geek style, Veregge uses 1960s colors and designs to pay tribute to some of the lasting architecture built for the Expo that has left its indelible mark on the city. These include the Monorail, the airy arches at the Pacific Science Center designed by Minoru Yamasaki, and–of course–the Space Needle, which is still the global icon of Seattle architecture to this day.

Exhibition Dates:

May 1, 2020 - May 31, 2020

Involved Artists:

Jeffrey Veregge

Featured Works

Jeffrey Veregge (Port Gamble S’Klallam) has been on a meteoric rise over the last few years, with his art appearing on the covers of comic books; being a featured guest at comics conventions; and the commission of a huge custom mural for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. His art style, which he refers to as “Salish Geek”, has been featured in over 100 comic books for Marvel, IDW & Valiant comics. Some of his new projects include a large City of Seattle Public Arts Commission; custom commissions for the Snoqualmie Casino; work on a comic book about the life of Star Trek actor and activist George Takei; and working with Leonard Nimoy’s Live Long And Prosper shop to create limited edition prints of Spock to benefit UCLA medical for research for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He has been featured recently by Smithsonian Magazine, Huffington Post, Colorlines, and other publications for his signature style of “Salish Geek”.

“My origins are not supernatural, nor have they been enhanced by radioactive spiders. I am simply a Native American artist and writer whose creative mantra in best summed up with a word from my tribe’s own language as: “taʔčaʔx̣ʷéʔtəŋ”, which means “get into trouble”. A member of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, I was raised and spent a majority of my life on our reservation known locally as Little Boston, which is located near Kingston, Washington. Although I am enrolled there, I am also both of Suquamish and Duwamish tribal ancestry.

I am a honor graduate from the Art Institute of Seattle, and I have had the privilege to study with Tsimshian master carver David Boxley for a short time learning the basics of Salish form-line design. My work is a reflection of a lifetime love affair with comic books, toys, TV and film. Taking my passions and blending them with my Native perspective, artistic background and the desire to simply be me. Basically I am just trying to have fun and get back to that kid that went to art school to begin with, wanting to create artwork that I want to see and make just for the hell of it.”

-Jeffrey Veregge

Learn more about the artist with these articles:

Huffington Post Feature