“Decaying Boat,” an oil on canvas board painting by Shoalwater Bay tribal member Eugene Landry, was among those displayed in a December exhibit at an Astoria gallery. The 1964 work was one of 70 paintings discovered in a disused building in 2019. Landry’s work is being displayed in Tacoma and Olympia.

TACOMA — The story of Tokeland artist Eugene Landry is earning double statewide recognition. Artist Judith Altruda, who has spearheaded widespread awareness of the Shoalwater Bay tribal member’s art, reports that two exhibits are planned.

An exhibit of Landry’s work opens at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma Sept. 22. Entitled “What is Native Art? Eugene Landry and the Creative Spirit,” it will run until March 30, 2025.

Landry, who lived from 1937 to 1988, was a gifted painter who captured the region’s scenery and people. Paralyzed as a teenager, the bulk of his work dates from 1960 to 1979, a pivotal time in the tribe’s history.

After his death, he was largely forgotten outside the tribe until 2019 when Altruda discovered 70 of his paintings stored in a disused building. With a Humanities Washington Storytellers grant, the tribe partnered with Altruda to produce an exhibition and book called “Portrait of Gene — An Artist, A Tribe, and a Time.”

The museum is at 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. Its regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It is open until 8 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month, with free admission after 3 p.m.

Adult admission is $14, with military, students and seniors (65 and older) paying $11; admission is free to museum members.

Also this month, a display of his work is opening at the Washington governor’s mansion in Olympia. There will be a portrait grouping of art from 1961 to 1967 called “Faces of Washington State.” It will be on view through June 2026.