A great giver, Jaune earned recognition for her poignant artworks, only to encourage and to enable other artists to likewise gain a leg up.
Her name embodied Jaune’s gift for sizing up all sides of many different realities, be they political (local, national and international) or a myriad of different subjects.
Jaune stood up with her voice, through her paintings and sculpture.
On January 24, 2025 she succumbed to pancreatic cancer having been assigned to hospice in October 2024. Assisted by her son Neal Ambrose Smith, Juane continued generating work for an upcoming exhibition to be held at the Garth Greenan Gallery in NYC sometime in the spring.
On January 1, 2025 Jaune wrote regarding her health:
“I haven’t shed a tear and have encouraged my kids to see every little bird, bee, flower and human. We all do this sometime, it’s part of life’s journey.
The New York Times in an article by Jillian Steinhauer on February 3, 2025 covered Jaune’s magnificent accomplishments in great detail https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/arts/design/jaune-quick-to-see-smith-appraisal.html
Jaune’s I See Red: Target is roughly 11′ in height, a mixed media statement. It represents the National Gallery of Art’s first acquisition of an artwork by an American Indian artist.
To gain a better grasp of Jaune’s contribution you might choose to examine the hard-bound publication accompanying her solo exhibition held at the Whitney Museum of American Art 2023. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith Memory Map
ArtForum and Artnet also immediately championed Jaune’s accomplishments. CBS news aired a 5 minute segment depicting Jaune in the process of making a painting, while speaking to her art-making intent.
Corinne Cain of SavvyCollector.com