Holly Wilson facts for kids

Holly Wilson (born 1968) is a talented Native American artist from Oklahoma. She is a member of the Delaware Nation and also has Cherokee family roots.

Holly Wilson lives and works in Mustang, Oklahoma. She creates art using many different materials, which is why she calls herself a "multimedia artist." Her works can be made from paint, bronze, clay, wood, and even photography. You can find her art in museums and private collections all over the world!

Her art often tells stories from Native American traditions that she heard as a child. These stories include characters like shape-shifters, tricksters, and special messenger birds. Her sculptures often show stick-like people and animals that seem to have human feelings or qualities. Holly Wilson says her figures are like storytellers, sharing tales about family history, personal experiences, and the sacred parts of life.

Education and Learning

Holly Wilson has studied art at several universities. In 1992, she earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics, from the Kansas City Art Institute. She also got a teaching certificate in 1993 from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma, which allowed her to teach art to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Later, she earned two more degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas: a Master of Arts in ceramics in 1994, and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in sculpture in 2001.

Amazing Artworks

Bloodline

Bloodline (2015) is a very long sculpture that hangs on a wall. It is about 22 feet wide! Holly Wilson created this piece to share her family's history and identity. She was inspired by a Native American story about the "Stick People."

The artwork shows many bronze figures walking in a line along a piece of locust wood. The wood is cut lengthwise, so you can see its own history, just like the figures represent generations of her family. The first figures in the line are her five children (including three who did not survive). Then come her siblings and herself, followed by her parents, and so on. When light shines on Bloodline, it creates a shadow. This shadow represents the artist's memories and the unseen parts of her family's history. The figures walking together show how her ancestors and their children are connected and build a family together.

A critic named Brian T. Allen once wrote about Bloodline, saying it was one of his favorite pieces in an exhibition. He described the small bronze figures processing in a line on the wood, noting how the tree's own history is shown. He felt the artwork beautifully showed how our ancestry, even if we know little about it, is unique and important to who we are.

We Need A Hero

We Need A Hero (2015) is a bronze sculpture that shows a young boy standing bravely. Sharp tacks are stuck on the wall around him, looking like incoming messages or challenges from society. These messages come in different shapes and colors. Some blue ones are harmless, but the white ones can be destructive. The little boy, who looks like Wilson's own son, stands proudly on a bronze paper airplane. By placing him in the middle of these challenges, Wilson shows that the child is ready to face the world.

Under the Skin

Holly Wilson created Under the Skin after being inspired by her children and their crayon boxes. She heard two children talking about their classmates using colors, without any bad intentions. This sparked an idea! She used leftover crayons from her kids to create many small, colorful figures arranged in rows on a wall, forming a rainbow. The main idea of Under the Skin is to show that no matter our skin color, body shape, or where we come from, we are all the same inside.

Exhibitions and Displays

Holly Wilson's art has been shown in many places.

Solo Exhibitions

These are shows where only her art is displayed:

• Dream within a Dream (2019), M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma
• On Turtle's Back (2019), Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida
• Holly Wilson Solo (2019), Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, Arizona
• Below the Surface (2019), Travois, Kansas City, Missouri
• On Turtles Back (2018)
• I'm Still Here (2017)

Group Exhibitions

These are shows where her art is displayed alongside other artists' works:

• Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now
• Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present
• Four by Four 2016: Midwest Invitational
• Expressions of Spirit 1994

Where to Find Her Art

Many galleries and museums show Holly Wilson's amazing artworks.

The M. A. Doran Gallery has pieces like "Dancing by the Light of the Fireflies She Was Herself" (made with oil paints), "Frayed" and "Finding My Way Back" (made from bronze), and "Carried in the Wind" (also bronze). She also created "The Promises of Tomorrow She Held Within" using encaustic (a hot wax painting method) and "Brother and Sister" with bronze, patina, and wood.

The Bonner David Gallery displays eight of her artworks. These include "Gathering" (bronze, patina, and wood), "Paper Wings: Fearless", "Guarded Self", and "We Need a Hero" (all made from bronze and patina). You can also see "Night Garden" (encaustic on a panel), "It's My Party" (patina and bronze), "The Interwoven Dragon" (bronze, steel, cedar, and patina), and "Girl in the Red Dress" (cold wax and oil paint on panel).

Public Collections

You can find Holly Wilson's sculptures in important public collections, meaning they are owned by museums or other public institutions for everyone to see.

The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art has her sculptures "Belonging" (2014) made from geodes and bronze, and "Masked" (2012) made from African Mahogany and Bronze.

Other places that have her art include:

• Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian

Awards and Recognitions

Holly Wilson has received special honors for her art:

• 2015: She was awarded the Eiteljorg Fellowship from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis.
• 2017: She received the SWAIA Discovery Fellowship from the Santa Fe Indian Market.