The Pawnee traditionally lived between the Platte and Loup Rivers in what would become central Nebraska. In 1875 the majority of the Pawnee Nation moved to Indian Territory, bringing to an end their traditional way of life on the plains. My grandfather, the son of a tribal chief, was an important figure in the preservation of Pawnee artifacts in the twentieth century through large donations to major U.S. museums.
These artifacts, along with the myths and folktales of the Pawnee, have inspired my artwork. I am fascinated by the Pawnee culture and am very proud to be a part of the Pawnee Nation. I look to draw meaning and insight from these traditions using glass as my chosen medium of expression. I combine the traditions of western art that I have spent the last sixteen years studying with the stories and traditions of this “lost universe” in an effort to live with the traditions of my ancestors. “We tell the stories of our past”, writes the ethnographer Keith Basso, “and in turn, history breathes life into us.”
I have produced three individual pieces that are each based on a specific Pawnee myth. The final form of each piece is based on an architectural modeling process that best suites the conceptual thrust of the piece. I am interested in the intersection of art and architecture and how materials along with tradition meet at this point. Ultimately, I am interested in using architectural space as an atmosphere in which the sacred elements of the Pawnee may be embodied in an effort to represent the culture through stories.