story by
Darl DeVault, contributing editor
Native American art enthusiasts have a unique opportunity from March 21-23 while attending the 39th Annual Red Earth Festival at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. They can also take a short drive to view the most extensive retrospective of Oklahoma’s internationally known Native American artist, Edgar Heap of Birds, for free. The historically significant thought-provoking Heap of Birds exhibit spans all 8,000 square feet of the Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center downtown, only 6 miles away.
Red Earth Festival starts with a ticketed Awards Ceremony and Celebration Dinner, held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 20th, at Coles Garden near the museum. This event is a unique opportunity to unite artists, leaders, and supporters in an elegant setting to celebrate achievement and tradition. The festival then runs from Friday through Sunday, featuring outdoor dance and musical performances, craft demonstrations and lectures, and the large juried Art Market.
The festival’s 39-year rich history of promoting the traditions of Native American artists and dancers makes it a significant event. You can visit Red Earth Festival to see how It shares the richness and diversity of their heritage with the world. Festival attendees will view the creations of some of America’s most celebrated Native artists as they present their work for sale.
Liichokoshkomo, the Museum’s interactive outdoor venue, showcases the West’s diversity and serves as an educational platform. It features intertribal native dwellings as a backdrop for hands-on arts and crafts stations, artist demonstrations, live music, and special presentations of tribal dance throughout the weekend.
With tickets priced at $20 per day or $45 for all three days, Red Earth is an affordable and inclusive celebration of Native art. Children aged five and under can enter for free with a paying adult, making it a perfect family-friendly event. The festival is recognized as one of America’s premier Native art festivals, honoring Indigenous artistry’s spirit, resilience, and beauty.
Having traveled the world lecturing as a representative of Native American art and exhibiting at many prestigious museums, Heap of Birds will see his Contemporary Art Center retrospective close in stages. It will show in the Eleanor Kirkpatrick Main Gallery through August 4, and a significant part will remain in the Mary LeFlore Clements Gallery through October 20.
“I haven’t had a show like this in my career, so it’s a real special opportunity. I titled it “Honor Song” because I am being honored, while the real theme is to honor my art process, the content that reflects my involvement and honor for the other Indigenous populations across the planet,” Heap of Birds said. “I’ve always set out to honor their wishes and histories by including them in my collaboration process. So, the “Honor Song” is also about honoring Indigenous youth, even children, because I work with children and elders who have part of the exhibit.”
The show features many of his colorful prints, abstract paintings, drawings, glassworks, sculptures and conceptual art pieces.
Because it takes so long to take in the more than 100 art pieces from his 40-year career, art patrons are presented with an embarrassment of riches. They might want to alternate back and forth between Red Earth and the Contemporary show to take it all in. There’s just that much to see. When headed out to Red Earth to see the Native American art for sale, patrons might want to stop by the Contemporary. Or on the way back. Or take two days to ensure they have a once-in-a-lifetime immersion in Native American art because the Heap of Birds art engages the mind.
Retired from teaching at the University of Oklahoma after 30 years of service, this professor emeritus in the Native American Studies Department’s creations are both intense individualism and communal. They express his unique vision and experiences, rooted in Cheyenne and Arapaho culture and collective identity. You can see more about his art at eheapofbirds.com.
World-renowned for his “Social Justice Consciousness through Art,” Heap of Birds’ retrospective is complex and cognitively challenging. This agenda sometimes presents the viewer with such complexity that they become absorbed in the message so much that it is a while before they can move on to the next thing to take in.
Heap of Bird’s social justice artistic expression raises viewers’ awareness. It seeks to motivate people to take action on social issues by challenging the injustices done to the Native American community and inspiring positive change. Heap of Bird is known internationally for his thought-provoking advocacy pursuing Indigenous rights sovereignty in relationships to place.
Much of Heap of Birds’ art is thought-provoking, as it is conceptual art. This type of art places the idea or concept as the most important aspect of the work. In some pieces, it is an interrogation of what language-based art can convey to the viewer.
His creations are known for his impactful use of language and stark visuals. His work frequently challenges dominant narratives and calls attention to injustices faced by Native Americans. For example, his public art installations often feature monochromatic signs with pointed messages that confront viewers with uncomfortable truths about colonialism and its legacies.
Beginning in 1988, his signature ongoing series of public artworks features signs acknowledging the Indigenous peoples who were the original inhabitants of the land where the signs are displayed. His work maintains the functional aspect of the signs while adding a layer of social commentary. The signs often juxtapose the Indigenous names with the current place names, which highlights the displacement and erasure of Native history.
“We are deeply grateful for the support from the National Endowment for the Arts for Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds: Honor Song,” said Trent Riley, Contemporary Arts Center executive director. “Their commitment to advancing the arts and promoting dialogue around important social issues is invaluable. With their support, we can further amplify the voices of Indigenous artists like Edgar Heap of Birds and foster meaningful conversations within our community.”
Admission to Oklahoma Contemporary is free to ensure accessibility for all community members. Visit Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds: Honor Song | Oklahoma Contemporary to learn more about the exhibit.
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