Details

By Kaili Berg

October 27, 2023

Native American Women’s Conference
Chandler, AZ
November 3, 2023

The Native American Women’s Conference is a full-day, annual conference that occurs on the first Friday in November and is dedicated to the issues that affect Native American Women. Participants come from all walks of life and the speakers and presenters focus on the concerns that are forefront in the minds of women, especially Native Women.

American Indigenous Arts Celebration
Clewiston, FL
November 3-4, 2023

Taking place during Native American Heritage Month, the AIAC is one of the top festivals in the Southeast and will feature an exciting array of Seminole and Indigenous art, music, food, dance and more. Event highlights will include adult and youth fashion shows, live alligator wrestling, Native American dance performances by Native Pride, and the exciting return of New Zealand’s HAKA Maori Cultural Experience. Attendees can shop among the numerous booths of Native artists and craft vendors while enjoying delicious Seminole cuisine, including fresh fry bread.  

Native American Heritage Month
Chicago, IL
November 11, 2023

Did you know that Chicago is home to one of the largest urban Indigenous populations in the U.S., with more than 65,000 Native Americans living in the metropolitan area? Come join to celebrate the city’s vibrant Native communities and a history that spans centuries.

Native Pride Dancer
Eau Claire, WI
November 16, 2023

Colorful regalia, pulsating drumming, and fancy footwork are part of the excitement of a Native American powwow. Feel this excitement and experience the artistry of The Native Pride Dancers as they perform flamboyant movements passed down by their ancestors through song and dance. 

4th Annual Native American Heritage Day
Blakely, GA
November 11, 2023

Take a bird’s eye view of the ground that was inhabited long ago on top of the Temple Mound. Hike with Ben Kirkland as we talk about birds and their importance to the culture found at Kolomoki. This will be a short hike from the Temple Mound parking lot to the top of Mound A.

Native American Heritage Night
Cedar Rapids, IA
November 7, 2023

KirkwoodCenter will commemorate and educate on the history of Indigenous people. There will be a display of dancing, information booths from the Meskwaki Settlement and a chance to learn more about the only federally recognized tribe in Iowa – The Sac & Fox tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. 

Dreamcatchers for Native American Heritage Night
Norcross, GA
November 7, 2023

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month by learning about the Ojibwe Tribe as well as other tribes, and how to weave a dreamcatcher at the Gwinnett County Public Library. 

Native American Heritage Month
Cedar City, UT
November 11, 2023

Everyone is invited to join The Navajo Crafting Co. for a celebration of the Native community’s diverse cultures, rich traditions, histories, arts & crafts! Navajo Taco & Frybread sale by Desert Rose and shop from local Native artists and vendors! Events will also include 11 am – Honoring the Navajo Code Talkers, 11:30 am – Children’s Storytime, 12 pm – Paiute Youth Flute Group, and 1 pm – Dance performances by The Native American Student Association.

Native American Heritage Month Storytimes
Grand Rapids, MI
November 13, 2023 

Come join in for a series of storytimes during National Native American Heritage Month. Storytimes will highlight Native American stories and include songs, fingerplays, and hands-on fun. Classes end with a special activity and playtime.

Native American Heritage Month Celebration
Culver City, CA
November 16, 2023

Come join in to celebrate Native American Heritage Month by learning about the history and culture of the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe. We will decorate plant pots inspired by Tongva art and plant white sage seeds to take home.

Third Annual Native American Heritage Month Luncheon
Tupelo, MS
November 4, 2023

The Chickasaw Inkana Foundation’s third annual Native American Heritage Month Luncheon celebrates and appreciates the diverse and rich cultures, histories, and traditions of all Native Americans. This is an educational fundraising event and 100 percent of all monies raised will go toward the Chickasaw Heritage Center Journey Home Capital Campaign Fund.

Native American Holiday Market
Collinsville, IL
November 24, 2023

Join us for the most unique shopping experience of the holidays. Meet the artists from around the United States that have hand-made these one-of-a-kind items for your precious gift-giving ideas. These special items include jewelry, paintings, pottery, metalwork, sculptures, musical instruments, hide paintings, cedar boxes, wood carvings, and much more. Some are traditional, and some are contemporary pieces brought to you by artists from the Navajo, Cherokee, Ho-Chunk Zuni, Hopi, and Santo Domingo tribal affiliations.

Young at Heart: Create a Nature Collage Kit
Chicago, IL
November 8, 2023

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, you are invited to take a walk to connect with the land and its natural elements and make a unique work of art. You will be supplied with a tote bag containing the supplies needed to turn elements of nature into an art collage to display in your home.

Native American History and Culture in Illinois 
Prospect Heights, IL
November 1, 2023

Honor Native American Heritage Month with Kim Sigafus, an internationally published award-winning Ojibwa author and speaker, as she shares the American Indian way of life as it once was, focusing on the tribes of Illinois. Dressed in her Native regalia, she discusses the Trail of Tears, native gardening, harvest, music, and culture.

Native American Heritage Celebration
Chicago, IL
November 7, 2023

Join Mayor Brandon Johnson and celebrate Chicago’s diverse Indigenous communities at the 2023 Native American Heritage Month Reception.

Baashkaakodin-Giizis Freezing Moon Traditional Powwow
Houghton, MI
November 4, 2023

Help kick off Native American Heritage Month by joining the American Indian Science and Engineering Society at Michigan Technological University at the Gates Tennis Center for the Baashkaakodin-Giizis Freezing Moon Traditional Powwow. The doors will open at 10 am for the public to check out our craft and food vendors, and the powwow begins at noon. There will be a traditional feast at 4 pm and will have a second grand entry at 6 pm.

Author Talk with Darcie Little Badger
Grand Rapids, MI
November 7, 2023

In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, GRPL presents an author talk with Darcie Little Badger. Enjoy a discussion with the award-winning writer of Elatsoe and A Snake Falls to Earth. The event will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Books & Mortar, a local independent bookstore, will be onsite selling Darcie Little Badger’s books.

Voices for Justice: 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo
Chicago, IL
November 29, 2023

Chicago Public Library is welcoming the 23rd United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo as part of our Voices for Justice Series and as our closing program for Native American Heritage Month. 

REIGN’s Native American Cultural Celebration and Conference 
Miami, OK
November 10-11, 2023

REIGN’s Native American Cultural Celebration and Conference honors the life and contributions of author and philosopher Vine Deloria, Jr. The celebration will be held at the historic Coleman Theater. This year’s conference will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Deloria’s masterpiece, God is Red, and the 90th anniversary of “Uncle Vine’s” birth.

Osioyo Premiere of Season 9
Tulsa, OK 
November 2, 2023

Cherokee Film, the world’s largest production organization dedicated to the advancement of Native American storytelling, will premiere Season 9 of the Emmy-Award winning docuseries, Osiyo, Voices of the Cherokee People on November 2 to begin Native American Heritage Month. Season 9 will continue the show’s legacy of educating audiences on the Language, Culture, and History of the Cherokee Nation. Audiences will have streaming access to the Season 9 premiere at https://osiyo.tv. 

More Stories Like This

“Painted: Our Bodies, Hearts, and Village” Symposium Set for Colby Museum on Nov. 3 & 4
Buffy Sainte-Marie to Those Who Question Her Indigenous Roots: “I Know Who I Am”
Dawn Houle Elected Board Chair of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts
Margo Gray Writes a Poignant Letter to Her Great-Grandfather, One of the Murder Victims Portrayed in “Killers of the Flower Moon”

About The Author

Author: Kaili BergEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Staff Reporter

Kaili Berg (Aleut) is a member of the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Nation, and a shareholder of Koniag, Inc. She is a staff reporter for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. Berg, who is based in Wisconsin, previously reported for the Ho-Chunk Nation newspaper, Hocak Worak. She went to school originally for nursing, but changed her major after finding her passion in communications at Western Technical College in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.

INDIANAPOLIS – Visitors will experience unique works of contemporary Native art in the new exhibition UNSETTLE/Converge, open at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art from Nov. 11 to Feb. 25. 

Five groundbreaking Native artists from the U.S. and Canada were chosen for the prestigious 2023 Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship. As part of the Fellowship initiative, UNSETTLE/Converge features examples of the fellows’ art, including innovative beadwork, assemblage, works on paper, photography and sculpture. During the exhibition’s opening weekend, there will be opportunities for the public to meet the artists. A special exhibition opening and artist celebration will kick off the fellowship on Friday, Nov. 10.

As one of the leading institutions internationally presenting and supporting contemporary Native art, the Eiteljorg Museum has awarded a combined quarter of a million dollars to this year’s five Fellows. It also has purchased more than $100,000 of their artworks to add to its permanent collections.

The 2023 Fellows are an impressive group, and each has made an impact on the contemporary art world:

The well-established career of invited artist Ruth Cuthand (Plains Cree) of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, includes works in printmaking, painting, drawing, photography and beadwork. Confronting the settler-colonial roots of Canada, her art pays homage to the resiliency of Indigenous communities. Cuthand’s recent body of work includes beaded depictions of various mental health conditions — as shown by brain scans — that embody the intergenerational trauma experienced by many First Nations communities

Natalie Ball (Klamath Tribes [Klamath / Modoc]) of Chiloquin, Oregon, is an elected official: a member of the Klamath Tribal Council. Her artistic practice draws upon her Native and African American heritage to create mixed-media assemblages that include quilt patterns, unconventional objects and natural materials to investigate definitions of Native identity.

Sean Chandler (Aaniiih [Gros Ventre]) of Harlem, Montana, creates personal narrative mixed-media works on unstretched canvas about the subjects of U.S. settler colonialism and his experiences of growing up in eastern Montana. His career as an artist coincides with his academic roles as an educator and community college administrator: Chandler serves as president of Aaniiih Nakoda College on the Fort Belknap Agency in Montana.

Mercedes Dorame (Gabrielino Tongva) of Altadena, California, uses installation and photography to examine and revitalize her family’s connection to their ancestral land, Los Angeles. Utilizing natural materials, including fibers, shells or flora, her work in that region explores the roles of Gabrielino culture and ceremony, past and present.

Raven Halfmoon (Caddo Nation / Choctaw / Delaware) of Norman, Oklahoma, continues her tribe’s rich history with ceramics by creating large-scale stoneware sculptures that focus on Caddo culture and history, as well as her experience as a 21st century Native woman.

Selected last year for the 2023 Fellowship, these five artists join a prestigious community of Eiteljorg Fellows from 11 previous rounds. Cumulatively, the works by past fellows in the museum’s collections now comprise one of the best collections of contemporary Native art anywhere.

“Native art is having a moment; before many others, the Eiteljorg has recognized and celebrated contemporary Native art since 1999. While the rest of the world has had to play catch-up, the Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellowship continues to lead in presentation and admiration for contemporary Native art,” said Curator of Native Art Dorene Red Cloud (Oglala Lakota), who is curating the fellowship.

In addition to the experiencing the exhibition, Eiteljorg Museum guests can learn more about the current and past Fellows on the website, contemporaryartfellowship.eiteljorg.org, and from the exhibit catalog featuring scholarly essays about each artist. The full-colorUNSETTLE/Converge catalog is available for $30 from the Frank and Katrina Basile Museum Store.

For the opening weekend of UNSETTLE/Converge, a series of special public events is planned:

Thursday Nov. 9

3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Basile Auditorium, IUPUI campus, Indianapolis: Public talk by 2023 Invited Fellow Ruth Cuthand. This event is free. A reception will follow.

Friday Nov. 10

6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: The community is invited to an Exhibition Opening and Artist Celebration at the Eiteljorg Museum, featuring an awards ceremony, signature drink, hors d’oeuvres, and DJ Toyacoyah (Numunuu [Comanche]). Reservations: $25, and $15 for students. Visit eiteljorg.org/events, or purchase tickets at the door. 

Saturday Nov. 11

9 a.m.: Members’ Coffee and Conversation at the museum with the 2023 Fellows; register by contacting jhiatt@eiteljorg.com.

10 a.m.: Public tour of the exhibition with the Fellows, followed by a Q-and-A session with the Fellows facilitated by Heather Ahtone, Ph.D. (Chickasaw Nation / Choctaw), director of curatorial affairs at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Included with regular admission, the tour and talk are free for museum members. 

Date Published: January 1, 1970

Dutchess County’s history and culture has been shaped by the Indigenous, First Nations and Native Americans that call the Hudson Valley home. Immerse yourself in vibrant Indigenous art from contemporary creators, discover natural destinations and historic sites important to the community and examine history through enriching events.

Arts and Events for Indigenous Heritage Month

Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination Since 1969

Now through November 26, Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson

Discover more than 100 works by artists from a vast range of perspectives and cultures at Bard College’s Hessel Museum of Art. These contemporary Indigenous creatives create art in a variety of media including sculptures, paintings, choreography, performance art, beadwork, video, drawings and other forms. The first large-scale exhibition of its kind, “Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination Since 1969” also showcases archival material chronicling the New Native Theater movement in Sante Fe in the late 1960s. Native American, Alaska Native, Inuit, Métis and First Nations artists inspire discourse and contemplation with pieces that tackle cultural criticism with humor and inventiveness. The title “Indian Theater” refers to a 1969 document, Indian Theatre: An Artistic Experiment in Process, published by the Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Hessel Museum is free to the public, and making a reservation via free timed ticket is strongly encouraged. For more information on this exhibit (including oral histories with artists you can listen to online), click here.

On November 18, several performances will be held at this groundbreaking exhibition. First, experience the installation “White Carver” by Nicholas Galanin, a Tlingit and Unangax̂ multidisciplinary artist. A commentary on the appropriation and fetishization of Native art and artists by non-Indigenous peoples, “White Carver” has an unnamed white man attempting to recreate Galanin’s work while separated from it by a velvet rope. This performance begins at 12 p.m.

Next at 2 p.m., Maria Hupfield (Anishinaabek, Wasauksing First Nation [Canada]) presents “Total Synchronization”, where works transcend their medium. Hupfield’s creative choreography has sculptures become performers and the art gallery becomes a performance space. Four of her pieces are on display at the Hessel Museum, but this unique performance of shared experience and collective creation is one not to miss. The performance incorporates score, vocalizations and sounds as art. 

At 8 p.m., “Listener” by Kite concludes the day of live encounters with art. Suzanne Kite of Oglála Lakĥóta heritage breaks new ground by using machine learning (a form of AI) in art practices. Demonstrating the intersection of historical tradition and modern innovation, Kite meshes elements of Lakota Visual Language with futuristic technologies. The performer wears an electronic interface that plays synthesizers and poetry woven into their hair, which is sacred to the Lakota people.

Discussion on the Lenape People of the Hudson Valley

Saturday, Nov. 4, 1 p.m. at Mount Gulian Historic Site, Beacon 

The Lenape People were among the first inhabitants of the Hudson Valley region. Visit Beacon’s Mount Gulian Historic Site for a discussion of Lenape history, culture and current resurgence. In 1685, Gulian Verplanck and Francis Rombout purchased the land Mount Gulian stands on from the Native Amerians who lived there. The 85,000-acre parcel was exchanged for about $1,200 worth of goods. Prior to this purchase, the Lenape used this property as a seasonal encampment along the Hudson River. Scholar Harv Hilowitz from the Maritime Museum in Kingston presents this discussion and examines the Lenape diaspora.

Related: Top 10 Events in November

Historic Sites and Natural Destinations

Mesier Homestead, Village of Wappingers Falls

Tour Mesier Homestead in the charming Village of Wappingers Falls, and learn about the Wappinger (Wappani) tribe’s culture through a collection of artifacts. The name Wappinger is derived from “Wapinkw”, meaning opossum and Eastern People. The Dutch added “er” to the name. The Wappinger peoples were related to the Algonquins, and inhabited the lands east of the Hudson River stretching from New York City north to the capital region. More than 2,000 objects belong to the collection at Mesier Homestead, some of which date back nearly 8,500 years ago. Tools like scrapers, hatchets, knives and projectiles like spear points and arrowheads provide insight into the approach and lifestyle of the Wappinger people. Professor and archaeologist Thomas Lake examined and cataloged the collection in 2012, helping to tell the story of hunting, farming, trading and celebrations of the Wappinger. See these items on a guided tour, offered on weekdays by reservation and on select Sundays. To make your reservation, click here.

Appalachian Trail, Dover, Wingdale and Pawling

Participate in an iconic tradition by walking stretches of the Appalachian Trail through Dutchess County. The Harlem Valley Appalachian Trail Conservancy strives to celebrate and conserve the cultures of the diverse peoples that have called these lands home. Schaghticoke ancestral homelands cover the Hudson Valley and Harlem Valley regions of New York, and extend through neighboring portions of modern-day Massachusetts and Connecticut. In fact, historical documentation of the Schaghticoke peoples in this region dates to the 1670s. Schaghticoke means “the mingling of waters”, and carries the special significance of referring to where local watersheds join as well as the merged union of related Algonquin speaking tribes. For more resources from Schaghticoke First Nations, click here.

Today, Appalachian Trail through-hikers can climb to the top of Schaghticoke Mountain via Dutchess County trailheads. On these trails, visitors can see the beloved Dover Oak, the oldest known tree on the AT which has a 22-feet circumference and is estimated to be over 300 years old. Be sure to keep the tranquil trails and beautiful landscapes of Eastern Dutchess as you found it by “carrying in-carrying out”. For more hidden-gem hikes, get our Zen Finder outdoor experience passport.

Dover Stone Church, Dover Plains

Looking for a truly unique natural wonder? Visit the cathedral-shaped cave of Dover Stone Church. This metamorphic rock cavern stands a short distance away from the Appalachian Trailheads mentioned above. Approaching the cave’s entrance, naturally resembling a church’s cathedral window, is a memorable experience for even the most seasoned hikers. (Don’t worry, this short half-mile out-and-back trail is manageable for even novice hikers). A waterfall runs through the cave’s interior, providing nature photographers with dazzling reflections via a natural “skylight”. The Stone Church Brook, a tributary of the Ten Mile River, flows through and out the cavern entrance. The first reference to Dover Stone Church is from a legend from the mid-1600s when Pequot Sachem Sassacus and his warriors hid in the cave to escape from the British Army. The four-year Pequot War began in 1634 and is possibly the first war associated with the history of the country. The Pequot resided just across the border in Connecticut, and were traveling to Albany to seek assistance from the Mohawk tribe. It is assumed by Dover historians that Sachem Sassacus knew of the Dover Stone Church beforehand, and intentionally planned to stop there with his people as a hidden place of refuge. Sassacus’ great-grandson Sachem Gideon Mauwee oversaw a settlement in Dover Plains. The Pequot also became a part of the Schaghticoke tribe.

Bannerman Castle, Pollepel Island, Beacon

There is little historical evidence that the Native American tribes living along the Hudson River—The Wappinger, The Algonquin and the Lenni-Lenape, among others—also inhabited Pollepel Island. However, they were aware of the island and there is documentation supporting references to it. One group referred to the island as “Manahtis”, meaning “small island”. Another designated it the “divider of the waters”. Though few artifacts have been uncovered on the island, major excavations uncovered well-developed Indigenous encampments on the eastern shore of the Hudson River facing Pollepel Island directly. These researchers discovered and identified oyster shell mounds and other tools. In fact, Francis Bannerman VI found a centuries-old arrowhead on the island, so Indigenous activities on the island may be revealed in the future through ongoing research. According to local legend, the island was considered haunted by a few of the tribes, and the Dutch sailors in the area often told fanciful tales of what happened to them on and around the island.

Today, from May-October, Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island can be toured via ferry ride from Beacon. Just steps away from the MTA Beacon Train Station, board the Estuary Steward and explore the island, discovering the ruins of a medieval-style castle as well as live performances, screenings and living history events.

Dining and Community

The Hog, Village of Wappingers Falls

Chickasaw Business

Hungry for farm-fresh foods? The Hog in the Village of Wappingers Falls serves every palette, from those seeking light and nutritious salads and bowls to hungry diners looking to indulge in outrageous fried chicken sandwiches and other decadent breakfast creations. Husband-and-wife duo Adam and Corrinne Sternberg run this community staple hangout, and while Chef Adam prepares the dishes, you’re most likely to interact with Corrinne when you visit. As a member of the Chickasaw community, Corrinne and The Hog were recently recognized with the official Chickasaw Business Certification, connecting them with other Chickasaw-owned businesses through a registry. 

“Having The Hog registered as a certified Chickasaw business makes me feel a connection to the tribe beyond recognition of my bloodline.  It means my contributions to the community are valued as a contribution to the tribe’s community as well, which is an honor.  Above all else, it’s a means to showcase my pride for the tribe on a public level,” Sternberg says.

“Because of this, I was able to connect with a Chickasaw follower who actually worked on the reservation and we look forward to connecting more.  I hope this certification paves the way for more of these connections, because I know there are more of us here in the Hudson Valley!”

To see the ever-changing menu at The Hog, click here.

Three Indigenous artists and content creators are Indigenizing nerdy popular culture while battling stereotypes, building communities and collaborating with one another.

Alina Pete, an artist from Little Pine First Nation in Saskatchewan, has edited a collection of stories into a graphic novel called Indigenerds, which is set to publish next year.

She said popular culture spheres have been mainly white-centric and through her artistic journey she has worked toward creating space for Indigenous creators. 

“I really like seeing these stories celebrated because so often we can get pigeon-holed and stereotyped especially with Native people,” she told CBC Indigenous from her home in Surrey, B.C.

“There’s this idea that we’re really still focused in the past and a lot of people’s perception of us is teepees and buckskin and not, like, playing Nintendo on the reserve like I used to with my cousins [when] I was a kid.”

Indigenerds includes 11 stories from Indigenous people from all backgrounds.

Pete said much of her own work is within the science fiction genre, including the story she wrote for Indigenerds. Pete based her story off of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode which features a common trope in sci-fi.

A group of Indigenous people have occupied land and are looked at as a “primitive” society while the futuristic heroes resemble a “civilized” culture.

“They are being asked to move off of their planet once again; my story is how [the episode] affected me even as a young child,” Pete said.

Pete remembers thinking it was cool to see that Indigenous people were represented in this futuristic setting. 

“We’re in space. We’ve got our own sovereignty even if it means having to leave Earth,” she said.

“But how depressing it was to know that even in the far future where everything is supposed to be utopian, we’ve fixed all of our problems now in space, [and] colonization is still happening and we are still being forcibly removed from our land.”

Her own science fiction writing, she said, is written with a more hopeful and decolonized focus.

“It’s sort of idealized, back to living in sync with the land and we [bring] a lot of sustainable practices, traditional practices in fact, with us back to the future,” she said.

“I know we spend a lot of time thinking about the colonial traumas that are affecting us currently and I really like thinking about a future where that’s no longer the case.”

Another Indigenous author and illustrator said they enjoy starting with fresh ideas and not so much the old western themes.

Jordanna George, from T’Sou-ke Nation in B.C. and currently living in Coquitlam, is an artist and illustrator featured in Indigenerds with a story called Roll Your Own Way.

“In an ideal world [those tropes] are just a bridge to original ideas from Indigenous creators that don’t use that western lens as a starting point,” they said.

“We can just have our own things from the base up.”

George’s story in the novel revolves around Dungeons and Dragons, something they themselves are passionate about.

‘Safe way to explore … identity’

George said Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop games are similar to writing or any other creative outlet.

“You’re building a story and you’re building a character and you’re building this narrative,” they said.

“It’s a safe way to explore your own identity [and] different ways of living.”

Bianca Martin, a Mi’gmaq Twitch streamer from Gesgapegiag in Quebec, does a variety of things on her stream revolving around her own First Nations identity, like teaching her language and going through Indigenous literature to teach people Indigenous history and truths.

She said streaming has given her a sense of community by forming connections with people from different backgrounds.

“[I] have authentic connections with people who have similar values, who have similar ideas or who have an interest in learning,” Martin said, adding her viewers come from around the world.

“Because they don’t have access to that education, they don’t have access to those resources.”

Martin said along with providing education, streaming is a way for her to be in an industry where Indigenous people are underrepresented.

“Land back is about taking up space and taking back ownership and our ability to make decisions for ourselves and our land … It also extends to digital environments, to me,” Martin said.

“I want to occupy space that might not have been very friendly or safe [for] Indigenous people and I want us to take that space.”

#inform-video-player-1 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

#inform-video-player-2 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

Norman artist Steve Hare has made Jim Thorpe (1888-1953) the subject of his paintings more than 75 times.

There’s something he’s learned about the Sac and Fox, Citizen Potawatomi and Kickapoo Nations athlete born near Prague in Indian Territory right before Oklahoma statehood. People either have memories, possibly distant ones about Thorpe or they don’t know a thing about him. They often have never heard of the first Native to win an Olympic gold medal representing the USA in 1912. Hare curated an exhibition titled “Breaking Barriers: The Jim Thorpe Collection” that’s up now at Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery, 122 E. Main Street with a closing reception on Art Walk night November 10.

“I believe that art encourages memory and discovery,” Hare said. “It allows us the opportunity to reconnect with things that we once knew but maybe had forgotten and it gives us the opportunity to discover new things if we weren’t familiar with the subject matter.”

That’s been Hare’s North Star since the idea for Breaking Barriers occurred to him. Thorpe has been deceased for over 70 years. His entire stellar professional athletic career and later playing parts in Hollywood films was before most Americans had a TV set in their homes.

“I think people will reconnect with Jim Thorpe through the exhibition because if they grew up in Oklahoma they learned about him as a kid,” Hare said. “The other group will be those completely unfamiliar with Thorpe.”

Breaking Barriers includes work by Norman High School art students. These 17 young people were led by NPS instructor Tauri Simms. Not a single one of the students knew who Jim Thorpe was before being recruited for this project.

“It’s a younger demographic who have not heard the stories passed down by their parents or grandparents,” Hare said. “What I hope to achieve with this exhibit is remembering or discovery.”

Hare has been painting since 2015. He’s an Executive Council member and artist with the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame which has an extensive collection of athlete themed art. Hare’s work recalls paintings by American artist Leroy Neiman (1921-2012) who also painted athletes and used brilliant colors with expressionistic flair.

“I like the way this exhibition has come together,” Hare said. “It’s been a long journey for me, it’s been well over a year. Last year, Thorpe’s two Olympic gold medals were officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee and that was the last box a collective group of people wanted to check to right a wrong.”

Thorpe’s gold medals had been rescinded because he’d played semi-professional baseball before the Olympics, violating amateurism rules of the day.

“I was coming at this exhibit from a different place before July of 2022 and all these things Jim Thorpe accomplished throughout the course of his career still had some wrongs to right,” Hare said. “There was obviously a huge celebration and at that point I pivoted to more of that for Jim Thorpe instead of a place that was a little angrier because of all the wrongs that had been done to him over the years. I’m thankful I was able to do the pivot.”

Norman artist Ginna Dowling and Corbin Leonard who is a novice artist working in metals contributed to Breaking Barriers.

“Ginna Dowling is a longtime friend, incredible artist, great storyteller and gallery windows are her fingerprint,” Hare said. “When I assembled this it was super important for me to be able to visually tell the story on the outside of the exhibit before the patrons even walked in. It sets the tone for what they’re going to see on the inside. Corbin Leonard is completely unknown, so this is a great opportunity for him.”

Hare is a Norman High School alum and reached out to his alma mater to get a fresh perspective on Jim Thorpe through student work.

“Each of the participating 17 students created work in their medium of choice, their own version of what Thorpe’s story means to them,” he said. “I’m proud to have been able to touch these 17 lives of young people who didn’t know about him before. It’s my hope that the 20 voices that are in this exhibit from an artistic expression standpoint have the opportunity to share their point of view about what Jim Thorpe meant to us.”

Hare was able to take Dowling, NPS’s Tauri Simms and the 17 students to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame to steep in the history they’d be involved with in this project.

“The students all did their own research and I had the opportunity to spend time with each one of them,” Hare said. “They each wrote an artist’s statement and it’s awesome the way Jim Thorpe had an impact on their learnings over a very short amount of time. I’m excited for the public to see their work over a variety of mediums.”

Each year the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame presents the Jim Thorpe Award to the USA’s best defensive back in college football. Hare is both on the award selection committee and then paints a portrait of each year’s recipient.

“I’ve done that for several years now and that level involvement has allowed me to come from a really great place to understand what the Jim Thorpe award stands for,” Hare said. “And it’s the only major college football award where we evaluate the athletes by 49% what they do on the field and 51% character. That was super important to Thorpe’s family and we do everything we can as a committee to uphold that. Breaking Barriers is another opportunity to educate as many people about the Jim Thorpe story as we possibly can.”

#inform-video-player-3 .inform-embed { margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; }

Details

By Native News Online Staff

October 26, 2023

The Colby College Museum of Art and its Lunder Institute for American Art, located in Waterville, Maine, will host a two-day symposium Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4. The symposium was organized in conjunction with the Painted: Our Bodies, Hearts, and Village exhibition, on view through July 28, 2024.

Exhibition collaborators, artists, curators, and scholars will gather for a series of panel discussions on Native American art, American art, and art of the American West. Topics will include how Native artists delve into historical collections to assert visual sovereignty, how to activate museum collections in new and reparative ways, collaborations between institutions and Native communities, and more.

The symposium will provide an opportunity to participants to reflect on the relationship between art, shared histories, and lived experiences, incubating new paths within art history, art practice, and the museum field. Register here. 

Friday, November 3

4–5 pm: Viewing of Painted: Our Bodies, Hearts, and Village
Colby Museum, Lunder Wing, lower level

Join us for close looking and informal conversation in the exhibition’s galleries, facilitated by exhibition curators and members of the museum staff.

5–6 pm: Welcome and conversation with project collaborators
Given Auditorium, Bixler Art and Music Center

Opening remarks from Jacqueline Terrassa, Carolyn Muzzy Director, Colby Museum, followed by a conversation moderated by Beth Finch, Head Curator, Colby Museum

Participants:

• Juan Lucero (Isleta Pueblo), exhibition co-curator, Program Manager for Native Art Professional Development, First People’s Fund
• Jill Ahlberg Yohe, exhibition co-curator, Associate Curator of Native American Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art
• Siera Hyte (Cherokee Nation), exhibition co-curator, Manager of Programs and Fellowships, Lunder Institute for American Art and former Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Colby Museum
• Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti Pueblo), exhibition designer, artist
• Ron Martinez Looking Elk (Taos Pueblo/Isleta Pueblo), exhibition advisory council member, artist, International Community Development Specialist for Americans for Indian Opportunity, First People’s Fund board of directors
• Theresa Secord (Penobscot), exhibition advisory council member, artist, founding director of the Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance, First People’s Fund board of directors, Colby Museum board of governors

6–7:30 pm: Opening reception
Colby Museum lobby

Join us for celebratory food and drinks in the Colby Museum lobby. Free and open to all.

Saturday, November 4

10–10:45 am: Opening address from Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo)
Given Auditorium, Bixler Art and Music Center

Brian Vallo served as governor of Acoma Pueblo in 2019–21, formerly directed the Indian Arts Research Center, and was the founding director of the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum. He has spent more than thirty years working in museum development, repatriation of ancestors and cultural patrimony, cultural preservation, the arts, and tourism.

11 am–Noon: Artist panel on visual sovereignty
Given Auditorium, Bixler Art and Music Center

More Stories Like This

Buffy Sainte-Marie to Those Who Question Her Indigenous Roots: “I Know Who I Am”
Dawn Houle Elected Board Chair of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts
Margo Gray Writes a Poignant Letter to Her Great-Grandfather, One of the Murder Victims Portrayed in “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Here’s What’s Going On In Indian Country, October 19th—26th

About The Author

Author: Native News Online StaffEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at [email protected].