OKLAHOMA CITY – Award winning artists from the past 25 years of the Red Earth Festival art competition are showcased in the Silver Anniversary Red Earth Master Artist Show currently on view at the Red Earth Museum in downtown Oklahoma City.
The Master Artist show features items from the Red Earth Museum permanent collection including contemporary paintings “When Clayton Became an Indian,” a 34 x 52 gauche and 1989 Red Earth Grand Award winner by Benjamin Harjo, Jr. (Seminole/Shawnee); and “Dali Buffalo” a 36”x 48” acrylic by Tillier Wesley (Muscogee).
Other artworks in the show include the 1990 Red Earth Grand Award winner, “The Happy Fisherman” a sculpture by the late Bill Prokiopof (Aleut); “Waiting for the Grand Entry” a 25” x 31.25” acrylic painting by Ruthe Blalock Jones (Shawnee/Delaware/Peoria), director emeritus and associate professor of art, Bacone College; and “The Gathering” a 30”x 40” acrylic by Oklahoman Mirac Creepingbear (Kiowa).
“During the past 25 years Oklahoma City’s Red Earth Festival has been privileged to feature some of America’s most prominent American Indian artists,” said G. Calvin Sharpe, Of Counsel for Phillips Murrah P.C. Attorneys and Counselors at Law and president of the Red Earth Board of Directors. “The annual Red Earth Festival is known for featuring the most talented Native artists in the country.”
The Silver Anniversary Red Earth Master Artist Show will also feature works of art on loan by previous award recipients from the Red Earth Festival art competition.
“Previous Red Earth Festival art market participants, such as Benjamin Harjo, Jr, Denny Haskew, Tillier Wesley, Pahponee and Mike Larsen, have gone on to have fruitful and illustrious careers,” said Sharpe. “Who knows, our 25th Anniversary art market will most likely feature America’s next great Native American art sensation.”
As it celebrates its Silver Anniversary, the Red Earth Festival has matured into one of the most respected visual and performing events of its type - setting the standard for many of today’s Indian art shows held throughout the nation. The Silver Anniversary Red Earth Master Artist Show in downtown Oklahoma City continues through June 30.
The Red Earth Museum & Gallery is open free to the public Monday through Friday and Saturday’s by appointment at 6 Santa Fe Plaza in Oklahoma City. Visit www.redearth.org or call (405) 427-5228 for additional information. Red Earth, Inc. is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote the rich traditions of American Indian arts and cultures through education, a premier festival, a museum and fine art markets.