Release Date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010
By Sharmina Manandhar, Media Relations Specialist
Chickasaw Nation Media Relations Office
Two renowned Chickasaw artists will showcase their works at the Chickasaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, Okla. during the 22nd Annual Chickasaw Festival.
"Portraits of the Elders" by Mike Larsen and "Mahota Women Art/Designs" by Margaret Roach Wheeler will be displayed Sept. 25 through Oct. 2 in the Center's Aatifama Room.
An opening reception is scheduled 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 25.
Following up on the overwhelming success of his first series of 24 elder paintings "They Know Who They Are," Mr. Larsen displays the second set of Chickasaw elder paintings, which will be featured in the upcoming publication from the Chickasaw Press, "Proud to be Chickasaw."
Commissioned by the Chickasaw Nation in 2004, "They Know Who They Are" was intended to capture the tribe's elders on canvas.
Mr. Larsen and his wife, Martha, spent numerous hours interviewing and sketching each of the elders portrayed.
Mr. Larsen's artwork has found a home at several significant places, including the Oklahoma State Capitol Rotunda, where "Flight of Spirit," a 26-foot mural of five world-famous Native American ballerinas is displayed.
Also hanging in the State Capitol is his breathtaking landscape featuring the sun-drenched Cimarron River, which was chosen in 2006 as the image for Oklahoma's Centennial postage stamp.
He was named "Oklahoman of the Year" by the official state magazine, Oklahoma Today in December 2006.
Mr. Larsen has also been commissioned by the Oklahoma Art Institute, the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Civic Music Hall to create art for their venues.
Ms. Wheeler is an award-winning weaver, fiber expert, textile artist and designer. She was one of the four Native American fashion designers chosen to speak at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in New York. She was also an NMAI Artist in Residence.
Ms. Wheeler has exhibited works at the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the National Museum of the Indian in New York, and the Institute of American Indian Arts, among many others.
She has also won numerous awards, including the President's award at Red Earth Festival and Eiteljorg Indian Market Purchase award for the feather cape and kilt she designed for the Chickasaw Nation original production, "Lowak Shoppala." She also won "Best of Class" at the Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market and placed first and second in textiles and the 2009 Southeastern Art Show and Market.
She was recently inducted into Chickasaw Hall of Fame.
Formerly an educator, Ms. Wheeler is now owner/operator of her company, Mahota Handwovens, designing and marketing hand woven contemporary fashion, costumes, and traditional Native American regalia. She actively participates in Chickasaw Nation events and generously offers her time to teaching Chickasaw youth in the Chickasaw Nation Summer Arts Academy.
The Cultural Center is located at 867 Charles Cooper Memorial Road.
In addition to the exhibit, several other activities and events, including Cultural Evening (Sept. 27 at the Cultural Center) and Chickasaw Princess Pageant (Sept. 28 at the Ada High School Cougar Activity Center in Ada, Okla.) are scheduled throughout the Chickasaw Nation Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Chickasaw Annual Meeting.
For a complete listing of events, locations and schedules, visit
www.chickasaw.net or contact the Chickasaw Festival office at (580) 371-2040 or 1 (800) 593-3356.
