Frank Big Bear facts for kids

Frank Big Bear is a talented Native American artist. He was born in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and is part of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, specifically the White Earth Band. Frank Big Bear creates amazing art using many different styles, like drawings, paintings, and photo collages. His art is known for being colorful and abstract, and it shares important messages about his life and how he sees the world.

Early Life and Learning

Frank Big Bear was born on July 8, 1953, in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. He grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Pine Point. He is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Band.

When he was 16, in 1968, Frank Big Bear moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. He wanted to start his art career there. He also worked as a cab driver to help support his family. During this time, he went to North High School. Later, he studied Studio Arts at the University of Minnesota. There, he learned alongside another famous artist named George Morrison.

Frank Big Bear kept working as a cab driver for more than 30 years. In 1973, he also became an "Artist in residence" at Heart of the Earth School in Minneapolis. This meant he was a special artist who worked and taught there.

His Art Career

Frank Big Bear says he is a self-taught artist. This means he learned how to create art mostly on his own. He makes art to show his feelings and thoughts. He doesn't want to draw extra attention to himself, just to his artwork.

When he lived on the Reservation, his ideas for art often came from his culture's rich imagination. At first, these ideas appeared in his dreams. Over time, his view of the world became a mix of his identity in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and St. Paul) and his Anishinaabe tribal background.

Because of this, his art started to show many different things. It displayed parts of his Native past, important political issues, and special symbols. His art also showed his own journey to understand who he is.

Amazing Artworks

Frank Big Bear uses different art tools and materials. He often uses Prismacolor pencils and paint. He creates drawings, paintings, and photo collages. These artworks show his heritage, his people, and the different worlds he lives in.

Some people have compared his art to Picasso's work. This is because Big Bear uses a style like "cubism and surrealism." These styles help him show the complex parts of modern human life. He uses "highly personal signs, symbols, and images" to tell stories, much like tribal storytelling.

Chemical Man in a Toxic World

Chemical Man in a Toxic World is a large drawing. It is 90 by 44 inches and is not framed. You can see it at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Big Bear made this piece using Prismacolor pencils. He used lines and colors to show how he sees the world around him.

This artwork is like a "visual dictionary" of images from Big Bear's life. He used colored pencils and paper to create many different, bright, and contrasting images. For example, one part shows a man with a "Live Hard Die Young" tattoo on his arm. Across from him is a woman covered in patterns and symbols. These images show Big Bear's own experiences. They also show his views on stereotypes about American Indians. Frank Big Bear's unique style always creates a strong contrast between the images and bright colors in his art.

From the Rez, to the Hood, to the Lake

This art show was displayed at All My Relations Arts in Minneapolis in 2011. It was the first time Big Bear had a major painting show since 1970. His painting, titled "From the Rez, to the Hood, to the Lake," was made by putting together many "highly personalized signs, symbols, and images." These images show how complex modern life is.

In this painted picture, you see a person with geometric shapes and patterns all over the canvas. The person is not clearly defined. However, Big Bear often draws people he knows well, like family members or friends. This painting is a good example of modern art. Big Bear's colorful style not only creates an abstract artwork, but it also shows his Anishinaabe tribal identity.

Mother of Fire/Sun of Water

This drawing was shown at Purdue Galleries in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 2007. It shows how Big Bear uses pop art and comic book styles. These styles create a rich way for him to share his imagination and tell stories.

Frank often gets ideas from the White Earth Reservation and the tribal stories passed down to him. These stories remind him of his spiritual side and his connection to his tribe and people. Big Bear often feels like he lives in different worlds. He uses his art skills to share his values and beliefs with people who see his work. For example, the drawing of a respected woman seems to have a special link to nature, both the sun and water. This is based on the title. This drawing tells a story about a spiritual being and its role in the modern city life of Native Americans.

Where You Can See His Art

Frank Big Bear's artwork is part of many important art collections, including:

• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts
• Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
• Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul
• Plains Art Museum, Moorehead, Minnesota
• North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
• Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis

Awards and Honors

Frank Big Bear has received many awards and grants for his amazing art, including:

• 2015 USA Knight Fellow, United States Artists, Chicago
• 2015 Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Fellowship, Duluth
• 2013 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant
• 2008 Bush Foundation, Enduring Vision Award, St Paul
• 1998 Bush Foundation Fellowship, St Paul
• 1992 McKnight Foundation Fellowship, Minneapolis
• 1986 Bush Foundation Fellowship, St Paul
• 1982 Jerome Foundation Fellowship, Minneapolis