Jolene Rickard facts for kids

Jolene Rickard, born in 1956, is a proud citizen of the Tuscarora Nation, from the Turtle clan. She is a talented artist, a curator (someone who organizes museum exhibits), and a visual historian at Cornell University. She focuses on topics important to Indigenous peoples. Jolene Rickard helped create two of the main exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

About Jolene Rickard

Jolene Rickard was born in 1956 in Niagara Falls, New York. Her grandfather was Clinton Rickard, a respected Tuscarora chief. Jolene studied art at several colleges. In 1977, she attended the London College of Printmaking. She earned her bachelor's degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Later, she received her master's degree from Buffalo State College in 1991.

She continued her studies and earned her Ph.D. in American Studies in 1996. After finishing her education, Jolene worked as an art director for television and a graphic designer. She then moved back to the Tuscarora Reservation in upstate New York.

Jolene Rickard's Artworks

Jolene Rickard is known for her powerful art, especially her photography. One famous piece is 3 Sisters from 1989. This black-and-white photo shows her sleeping face combined with images of squash, beans, and corn. These are known as the Three Sisters, which are important traditional crops for many Indigenous communities.

Another important work is I See Red in the 90's from 1992. This is a series of six photographs. It was created to protest the 500th anniversary of Columbus arriving in America. This series also includes a self-portrait of Jolene.

Her artwork ...the sky is darkening (2018) includes beautiful beadwork. This beadwork was made by older traditional and modern artists. The piece talks about the Cayuga people reclaiming their land. Jolene believes her photography connects to the ancient art of Iroquois beadwork. She sees how both use light, texture, and spiritual ideas.

Her Work at Cornell University

Jolene Rickard is an Associate Professor at Cornell University. She teaches in the Department of Art History and also in American Indian and Indigenous Studies. She is also the Director of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program at Cornell. From 2009 to 2010, she was the temporary head of the Art Department there.

Museum Exhibits She Curated

Jolene Rickard has helped create many important museum exhibits.

• She co-curated the first exhibits at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. These were "Our Peoples" (2004-2014) and "Our Lives" (2004-2015).
• She also co-curated "Across Borders: Beadwork in Iroquois Life." This project was a collaboration with Dr. Ruth Phillips and other cultural centers. It was shown in Quebec from 1995 to 1999.

Selected Art Exhibitions

Jolene Rickard's art has been shown in many places around the world.

• Red River Crossing at The Swiss Institute, New York City (1996).
• Reservation X at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Quebec (1998).
• Native Nations at the Barbican Art Center, London, U.K. (1998).
• Lifeworlds – Artscapes: Contemporary Iroquois Art at the Museum Der Weltkulturen, Germany (2004).
• Western New York and Beyond Exhibition at the Albright Knox, Buffalo, New York (2005).
• The American West at Compton Verney Gallery, U.K. (2005).
• Oh So Iroquois at The Ottawa Art Gallery, Ontario (2007).
• Hearts of Our People at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minnesota (2019). This exhibit also traveled to other museums.

Awards and Honors

Jolene Rickard has received several important awards for her work.

• She received a Ford Foundation Research Grant.
• She was given a Cornell University Society of the Humanities Fellowship. This was for her research on "Global Aesthetics" from 2010 to 2011.

See also

• Native American women in the arts
• Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas