Followers of the Nez Perce story and of the Colville Confederated Tribes, and students of 20th century Indian affairs in general, will have to have this book on your shelves—or at least close at hand. The book is Indian Summers: Washington State College and the Nespelem Art Colony, 1937-41. The author is Jeff Creighton, and it was published by WSU Press in 2000.Instructors and students from Washington State College came to the Colville Reservation for five summers, mimicking art colonies and the “American Scene Movement” that was going on across the country. They painted landscapes, and they painted portraits. Indians—mostly elders—sat for hours as models. The Indian models received small stipends, and some of the students boarded with Indian families. A brief search on the internet
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