Going Forward/Looking Back, 1996

Narrator: Smith called this painting Going Forward/Looking Back. 

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: It's that we always have to look back before we go forward. So there's a horse in here that's turned left and it says “looking back, looking forward.” Because the three parts of our life is: looking behind us to see where we've come from, seeing where we are presently, and then what do we have to do to move forward? Not just as an individual, but as a community, as part of a community. What can I do to help people at home? Do I have more than people at home do? A lot of people. I have more than a lot of people. So there's always  need for me to do more. And I take that very seriously. And that's called giving back. So when you grasp tight the old ways, that sense of giving back is one of the most important things you can do.

Narrator: Smith has always seen her work as an artist as being inseparable from her roles as an educator, a curator, and a community organizer. For example, she is currently expanding her studios so that she can host a number of residencies for Native artists and children’s book writers. She’ll provide them with a place to live while they do their work, and offer visual artists use of a printing press.