I had the great fortune today to interview Michael Holloman about the Abstract Expressionist legend Clyfford Still and how Still’s time on the Colville Indian Reservation was a transformative experience for the artist. The interview was recorded as I am a Resident Fellow at the Clyfford Still Museum Institute in 2026, as Michael Holloman was in 2025.

The renowned Abstract Expressionist painter, Clyfford Still, had his life and art changed remarkably while on the Colville Reservation in the 1930s. That was something that came out of a 2025 Institute Residency Fellowship at the Clyfford Still Museum. Michael Holloman (AKA M. Yellowbear) is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation, located in Northeastern Washington State. A tenured Professor in the Department of Art at Washington State University in Pullman, he teaches Native American Art History & the studio arts. He also serves as Drawing Coordinator for the department and Coordinator for Native Arts, Outreach and Education for the College of Arts and Sciences.