Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty facts for kids

A beautiful "Give Away Horses" dress (2006) made by the Growing Thunder Fogarty family.

Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty was born in 1950. She is a talented Native American artist. She belongs to the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes, which are also known as the Dakota people. Joyce is famous for her amazing beadwork and quillwork. She creates traditional clothing and items from the Northern Plains tribes. The Smithsonian museum has even called her "one of the West's most highly regarded beadworkers."

Early Life and Family

Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty was born in Poplar, Montana. This town is located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. She learned how to bead and sew when she was just a child. Her grandmothers on the reservation taught her these important skills.

As she grew up, Joyce continued to create art. She used traditional designs from the Plains Indians. She became the leader of a family of many skilled beadwork artists. Her daughter, Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty, and her granddaughter, Jessica "Jessa Rae," are also talented artists.

Amazing Artwork

Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty is a very special artist. She is the only person to have won the "Best of Show" award three times. This award is given at the famous Santa Fe Indian Market. She has made over 500 dresses in her lifetime. She also creates other beautiful items. These include cradleboards, dance outfits, horse masks, and dolls.

Materials and Designs

Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty uses special materials for her art. She works with tiny seed beads. She also uses natural materials like horse hair and soft, brain-tanned leather. She even uses earth pigments, which are natural colors from the ground.

Her dolls are very detailed. They show designs that are special to her tribe and her family. Each piece of her art tells a story.

Where to See Her Art

You can find Joyce Growing Thunder Fogarty's artwork in many museums. Some of these include the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Her work is also at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Other places include the Ralph T. Coe Foundation and the Fenimore Art Museum. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art also has her pieces.

Her art is also shown in books. These include Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women's Dresses. Another book is The Responsive Eye: Ralph T. Coe and the Collecting of American Indian Art.

See Also

• List of Native American artists
• Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas