Dugan Aguilar

For 36 years, up until his death in 2018, Indigenous photographer Dugan Aguilar interacted with Indigenous communities throughout California, capturing contemporary life of tribes. In 2021, Aguilar’s family gifted his personal archive to the Oakland Museum of California Art, and a collection of those works are now on display at the Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California combines video, audio and quotes from the artist to provide context to his photographs. Aguilar’s photographs highlight ceremonies, war veterans, elders, artists and others. The portrait above is titled “Jennifer Bates (Northern Sierra Mewuk), Oakland Big Time, 1996.” The exhibit is on view now through Dec. 20.