Harvey Pratt facts for kids
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Harvey Phillip Pratt (born in 1941) is an amazing American artist. He is known as a forensic artist and a Native American artist. For over 40 years, he has helped law enforcement solve mysteries. He has created thousands of drawings to help find people. He also helps identify people who are missing or unknown. His special art skills have helped police all over America and even other countries. He also teaches classes and gives talks about his work. In the early 2000s, Harvey Pratt even helped research Bigfoot!
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About Harvey Pratt
Harvey Pratt was born in El Reno, Oklahoma. He is a proud member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. His people recognize him as one of the traditional Cheyenne Peace Chiefs. This is a special group called the Council of Forty-Four. He is also known as an Outstanding Southern Cheyenne. Harvey Pratt has important family connections. He is the great-grandson of Edmund Guerrier, who was a scout and interpreter. He is also the great-great-grandson of William Bent, an American frontiersman. Today, Harvey Pratt lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
How Forensic Art Helps Solve Mysteries
Harvey Pratt started his career in 1965 with the Midwest City Police Department in Oklahoma. As a police officer, he made his first drawing that helped catch a criminal. This showed how powerful his art could be! Now, he works full-time as a forensic specialist.
Pratt's special art skills have helped with many important cases. He helped police identify people and solve crimes. He even developed a unique method called "soft tissue postmortem drawing." This is a way to draw or paint on a photo of a person who has been hurt. The drawing helps fix the image so it looks more clear. This makes it easier for police or the public to recognize the person.
Harvey Pratt's Native American Art
Harvey Pratt is a very creative artist. He does many types of art, like painting, sculpting, and carving wood. He also creates murals, bronze statues, and designs buildings. He taught himself how to create art. He uses different materials like oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, metal, clay, and wood. His art often combines his police work experience with traditional Native American themes.
Pratt has won many awards for his artwork. He received honors at the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonials in Gallup, New Mexico. He also won awards at the Red Earth Festival in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2005, Red Earth gave him the special title of "Master Artist." He was also chosen as the "Red Earth 2005 Honored One."
His artworks are displayed in many important places. These include the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution. You can also find his art at the Sequoyah National Research Center. The University of Oklahoma also has his works. He was even asked by Governors Frank Keating and Brad Henry to join the Oklahoma Arts Council.
A very special project for Harvey Pratt was the National Native American Veterans Memorial. The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian chose his design. It's called the "Warriors' Circle of Honor." It is a 12-foot tall, stainless-steel circle. It sits on a curved stone drum. This beautiful memorial was put outside the museum in 2020. It honors all Native American veterans.
Bigfoot Art and Research
Harvey Pratt has also used his forensic art skills to research Bigfoot. He worked with David Paulides on books like Tribal Bigfoot and The Hoopa Project. Pratt traveled and interviewed many people. He created dozens of forensic sketches based on what witnesses described. He even has an online store where he sells his Bigfoot artwork!
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