Josephine Myers-Wapp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josephine Myers-Wapp
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circa 1930, probably made while a student as Haskell Institute, photo by Moore Studio, Lawrence, Kansas
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| Born | February 10, 1912 near Apache, Oklahoma
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| Died | October 24, 2014 (aged 102) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Josephine Myers, Josephine Wapp |
| Occupation | educator, weaver |
| Years active | 1934–2013 |
| Known for | finger weaving and inaugurating Native American traditional arts at both Chilocco School and the Institute of American Indian Arts |
Josephine Myers-Wapp (born February 10, 1912 – died October 26, 2014) was a talented Comanche weaver and a dedicated teacher. She helped bring traditional Native American arts to many students.
After finishing her studies at the Haskell Institute, she went to the Santa Fe Indian School. There, she learned about weaving, dancing, and other cultural arts. Later, she taught arts and crafts at the Chilocco Indian School. She then joined the new Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.
At the Institute, she taught weaving, design, and dance. In 1968, she helped organize a dance show for the Mexican Summer Olympic Games. She stopped teaching in 1973 to focus on her own art. Her work was shown in galleries across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Her art is part of the permanent collection at the IAIA. It has also been shown at the Smithsonian Institution. From 2014 to 2016, her work was featured in an exhibit of Native American women artists. This exhibit was at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Josephine Myers was born on February 10, 1912. Her family lived near Apache, Oklahoma. Her parents were Hevah (Lena Fischer) and James H. Myers. She was one of nine children.
Josephine went to St. Patrick's Indian Mission School. She finished high school at the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. She studied to become a secretary there.
In 1933, she went to the Santa Fe Indian School. This program trained Native Americans to teach art. They would then teach at Native American boarding schools. For two years, she learned fingerweaving and loom-weaving. She also learned pottery making from the famous artist Maria Martinez.
Teaching Career and Art
In November 1934, Josephine Myers went back to Oklahoma. She started the first art classes at the Chilocco Indian School. When she began, the school only had one loom. Other parts of the school helped build more looms and spinning wheels.
She taught many different crafts. Beginners learned basket weaving, beading, and pottery making. More advanced students learned to make rag dolls, cross-stitch, dyeing, fingerweaving, rag weaving, and spinning.
Josephine continued to teach art. Around 1940, she married Edward Wapp. They had two children, Barbara and Edward Jr. Edward Jr. later became a well-known Native American flautist.
She made the arts department bigger at Chilocco. By the 1950s, she started a drama department. Her students performed traditional dances for important events. Josephine also kept studying during the summers. She earned her bachelor's degree in education in 1959 from Oklahoma State University. She taught at Chilocco until 1961. Then she taught briefly at the Santa Fe Indian School. Soon after, she became one of the first teachers at the new Institute of American Indian Arts.
Teaching at IAIA
Josephine Wapp was a key teacher of traditional arts at IAIA. She taught courses like beadwork, costume and fashion design, and weaving. She focused on using natural materials. She taught her students to value Native clothing and accessories. She also shared the tribal traditions behind these art forms.
Wapp also taught a class in traditional Indian dance. While at IAIA, she learned a special type of fingerweaving. This was from the Eastern Woodlands tribes, not her Comanche heritage. She became famous for the arrowpoint pattern, which is very difficult to weave without a loom.
She continued her own education. She earned a master's degree from the University of New Mexico. She encouraged her students to use skills from their home management classes in her traditional art courses. This helped them show their tribal pride.
Exhibitions and Recognition
In 1968, Wapp and ceramic artist Otellie Loloma worked together. They were colleagues at IAIA. Their students performed a dance exhibition at the White House. Then they performed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Two years later, the school started a fashion club. This club put on fashion shows across the country. Students realized that Wapp's fashion design classes could help them create their own designs and travel. In 1972, she took students to fashion shows in Houston, Texas. They also went to the Indian Fashion Show at the Denver Art Museum in Colorado. They visited New York City and showed designs at the La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe. The next year, she retired from teaching. She wanted to focus on her own art.
After retiring, Wapp gave demonstrations of hand weaving. She also spoke widely about traditional Indian arts. She helped start the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center in Lawton, Oklahoma. Her work was shown at the museum's opening in 2007. She was on the museum's board for several years. In 2009, she was the featured artist for her 97th birthday.
Wapp's work was shown at the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Manhattan in 1994. This helped raise money for the museum's future opening in Washington, D. C. in 2001. In 2009, her art was shown at the Oklahoma State Capitol. This solo exhibit was called The Artistic Legacy of Josephine Myers-Wapp: The Weaving of Stories and Tradition. In 2013, she received the Povi’ka Award from the Santa Fe Indian Market. This award recognized her leadership and support for Native American artists and communities.
Later Life and Impact
Josephine Myers-Wapp passed away on October 26, 2014, in Lawton, Oklahoma. She was buried in Fairview Cemetery in her hometown of Apache.
From 2014 to 2016, an exhibit honored Native American women artists. It featured works by Jeri Ah-be-hill, Margarete Bagshaw, and Wapp. This exhibit was at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe. The Institute of American Indian Art's Museum of Contemporary Native Art has some of her work in its permanent collection.
Her teaching had a big impact on many students. Wendy Ponca, who taught Wapp's traditional techniques courses later on, was inspired by Wapp's legacy. She continued to teach Native fashion designers into the 1990s. Phyllis Wahahrocktah-Tasi, who directs the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center, was one of Wapp's students.
