Wendy Red Star: Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird

Exhibition

November 12, 2022 – February 26, 2023

a person seated on a set modeled after a forest — Wendy Red Star, Indian Summer – Four Seasons, 2006. Full color print on phototex, 119 x 123 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.

annotated archival photograph of Déaxitchish/Pretty Eagle seated — Wendy Red Star, Déaxitchish/Pretty Eagle, 2014. Framed archival pigment print on photo paper and red ink, 25 x 17 inches. 1880 Crow Peace Delegation, in Washington D.C., original photograph by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ethnology.

Déaxitchish/Pretty Eagle (b.ca. 1846 – d. 1905) was a reservation-era leader who, by 1890, was recognized along with Plenty Coups as head chief of the Crow Tribe from 1886 to 1903.

annotated archival photograph showing Peelatchiwaaxpáash / Medicine Crow (Raven) sitting on a chair — Wendy Red Star, Peelatchiwaaxpáash / Medicine Crow (Raven), 2014. Framed archival pigment print on photo paper and red ink, 25 x 17 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.

Overview

Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird is a traveling exhibition by multimedia artist Wendy Red Star, a member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) tribe. Red Star’s work offers accounts of American history that rectify the frequently flawed narratives about Native people. An avid researcher, Red Star re-examines cultural artifacts and primary source historic imagery, and uses them as the foundation for her beautifully annotated photographs and installations. The Children of the Large-Beaked Bird exhibition provides an opportunity for adults and children to look at history and representation with fresh eyes. As Red Star notes: “It is critical to preserve and pass along culture, heritage, and shared values while also providing future generations with a sense of identity, solidarity, and empowerment.”

two people seated on a sofa — Wendy Red Star, Apsáalooke Feminist #2, 2016. Full color print on phototex, 109 x 170 inches. Courtesy of the Artist.

Support

Wendy Red Star Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird, curated by Laura Thompson, Ed.D., was organized by MASS MoCA. Major exhibition support was provided by the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation, The Willow Tree Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and Mass Cultural Council.

Presenting Sponsorship for the Wisconsin presentation of Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird has been provided by Jan and Bill DeAtley. Additional support has been provided by Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation, and the Hoocąk Language Division and the Ho-Chunk Nation.

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