Edgar Heap of Birds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edgar Heap of Birds
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Heap of Birds at the 2009
Americans for the Arts convention |
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| Born |
Hock E Aye Vi
November 22, 1954 Wichita, Kansas, United States
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| Education | MFA Tyler School of Art, BFA University of Kansas, Royal College of Art |
| Known for | Painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, conceptual |
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Notable work
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In Our Language, Wheel |
Edgar Heap of Birds (whose Cheyenne name is Hock E Aye Vi) is a talented artist who works in many different ways. He creates public art messages, big drawings, paintings, prints, and large outdoor sculptures made of porcelain and steel.
He is a member of the Southern Cheyenne people and is part of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
He also helps guide the MoMA PS1 museum by serving on its board.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hachivi Edgar Heap of Birds was born on November 22, 1954. His birthplace was Wichita, Kansas. His father worked in the airplane industry there.
He went to East High School in Wichita and finished in 1972. After high school, he studied at Haskell Indian Junior College in Lawrence, Kansas.
In 1976, Heap of Birds earned his first college degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He received it from the University of Kansas in Lawrence. In 1979, he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree. This was from Temple University's Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Between these two degrees, he also took classes in London, England. He studied at the Royal College of Art from 1976 to 1977.
Later, in 2008, he received an honorary doctorate degree. This special award was from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. In 2018, he received another honorary doctorate. This one was from the California Institute of the Arts.
Artistic Career and Famous Works
Edgar Heap of Birds has taught art at many well-known universities. He has been a visiting professor at places like Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design. He also taught at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in South Africa.
At the University of Oklahoma, he teaches in Native American Studies. He used to teach Fine Arts there too.
He is famous for his art that uses text and words. One example is his work called Dead Indian Stories. This piece is displayed at the Honolulu Museum of Art. It looks a bit like public signs. However, it actually shares important messages about the experiences of Native American people.
One of his public art projects is Building Minnesota from 1990. This art piece was set up along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Walker Art Center asked him to create it. Heap of Birds placed forty large, metal signs, like billboards, along the riverfront.
These signs honored forty Dakota men. They were sentenced to death by President Abraham Lincoln after the Dakota War of 1862. This event was the largest mass execution in American history. The art piece became a place where people could remember these men. They would bring gifts and offerings to honor them.
These 39 men were among 303 Sioux who were first sentenced to death. This happened after a conflict known as the Dakota War. President Lincoln personally reviewed the cases. He decided there was enough evidence to execute only 39 men. This number was later changed to 38. These men were found guilty of specific massacres, not just battles.
Heap of Birds also created a very large outdoor sculpture called "Wheel." It is fifty feet tall. This sculpture is a special entrance piece for the Gio Ponti (North) building at the Denver Art Museum. The museum asked him to create this circular artwork. It is made of porcelain enamel on steel. The design was inspired by the traditional Medicine Wheel found in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming.
Exhibitions and Awards
Edgar Heap of Birds has shown his art in many places. He has exhibited his work both in the United States and in other countries. One of his early solo shows was called Full Blooded. It took place in 1984 at the Center of the American Indian in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He has received many important grants and awards for his art. These include support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. He also received awards from The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the Bonfil Stanton Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
In 2012, Edgar Heap of Birds was recognized as a Fellow of United States Artists. This is a special honor for artists.
Books Featuring His Work
- Blasted Allegories, an Anthology of Artists Writings, New Museum-MIT Press, 1987.
- Makers, Point Riders Press, 1998.
- The Myth of the Primitive, Susan Hiller (Editor), Routledge Press, 1991.
- Completing The Circle: Artists’ Books On The Environment, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1992.
- Visit Teepee Town, Native Writing After the Detours, Dianne Glancy and Mark Nowak, Coffee House Press, 1999.
