Skirball Cultural Center

"The search to save these languages is the search for home. The people who pass it on to the next generation are, in many ways, mapmakers." – B.A. Van Sise

Language is more than an essential tool of communication. It connects us to our culture, to those who came before us. On the National Language: The Poetry of America’s Endangered Tongues shines a light on languages at risk of disappearing and on those helping to keep them alive. It also invites us to reflect on the rich linguistic diversity and complex cultural heritage of the United States.  

This exhibition features forty-six portraits of speakers and students of endangered languages living in the US—from a Tongva speaker in Los Angeles to a Yiddish speaker in Montana. Artist B.A. Van Sise collaborated with each of the subjects on developing their portraits. Accompanying each photograph is a word or phrase usually chosen by the subject in their endangered language, along with poetic interpretations by the artist and subject. He produced seventy-two works total in this series, each featuring a different language and portrait subject.

Van Sise worked with dozens of indigenous and diasporic cultural organizations, Native tribes and nations, and the Tribal Trust Foundation. The New York State Council and the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation provided essential support for the project.

B.A. Van Sise (b. 1983) is a photographic artist and linguist focused on the intersection between language and visual arts. He has authored three monographs: Children of Grass: A Portrait of American Poetry with Mary-Louise Parker; Invited to Life: After the Holocaust with Neil Gaiman, Mayim Bialik, and Sabrina Orah Mark; and On the National Language: The Poetry of America’s Endangered Tongues with DeLanna Studi, Philip Metres, Linda Hogan, Crisosto Apache, Matthew Lippman, KT Herr, James Thomas Stevens [Aronhiótas], Lehua Taitano, and dg nanouk okpik.

Van Sise’s artwork has been featured in exhibitions at the Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ; Woody Guthrie Center, Tulsa, OK; Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA; Los Angeles Center of Photography; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. His short nonfiction and poetry have appeared in such publications as Poets & Writers, Rattle, the North American Review, and the Los Angeles Review. 

Van Sise lives in New York and holds degrees in visual arts and modern languages from Fordham University. He is fluent or conversational in English, Ladino, Italian, French, German, and Russian. 

Curatorial Acknowledgment

On the National Language: The Poetry of America’s Endangered Tongues is co-curated by Associate Curator Vicki Phung Smith and Exhibition Coordinator Sarah Daymude.

On the National Language was produced with the assistance of the Tribal Trust Foundation, a 501(c)3 dedicated to the preservation of indigenous cultures and wisdom through philanthropy and education. The project was awarded the 2024 Anthem Award for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, and was made possible by the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.