We are lucky to live in a time where Indigenous art is increasingly centered and celebrated across Oklahoma and the 39 tribal nations whose land we occupy. You can see Indigenous perspectives on display at the Oklahoma Capitol, at the First Americans Museum, and in tribal art centers from Tahlequah to Lawton and Calera to Wyandotte. And, from November 11, 2023 to April 28, 2024, you can view Preston Singletary’s take on the Tlingit origin story at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, presented by Chickasaw Nation.
We know the unprecedented post-contact representation of Indigenous art and perspectives is the result of a long history of artistic traditions, community organizing, and resilience from tribes, Indigenous peoples, and Indigenous artists. Join local artists, curators, and storytellers in their own right, as they talk about the continued importance of Indigenizing our art appreciation, and how we can continue to center and celebrate Indigenous art as a broader art-loving community. After the panel, stay for bites, beverages, and a chance to continue the rich conversation as you enjoy Preston Singletary: Raven and The Box of Daylight.
Moderns members can register to attend for $5, and the public can secure tickets for $15. Registration fee also includes exhibition admission, 1 drink ticket, and bites after the panel. Theater seating opens at 5:00 pm, and the panel will begin at 5:45 pm.
EVENT SCHEDULE
5 pm | Exhibition Galleries Open
5:45 pm | Panel Discussion in Noble Theater
6:45 pm | Reception in Museum Lobby
8 pm | Museum Closes
FEATURING
Molly Murphy Adams (descendant, Oglala/Lakota)
Molly Murphy Adams works as an exhibiting artist, scholar, and community maker and advocate, specializing in contemporary sculptural beadwork. Raised in western Montana, Murphy Adams earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The University of Montana in 2004 and an MA in art history from Oklahoma State University in 2023. Murphy Adams’ work illustrates the blending of culture, identity, and histories, borrowing from multiple disciplines to create fiber and mixed media art pieces and reflecting her mixed indigenous and settler background and traditions. Focusing on her artistic practice and research, Murphy Adams works with collections and institutions that currently hold and care for Indigenous beadwork material culture and art.
Jordan Poorman Cocker (Kiowa Tribe & Kingdom of Tonga)
Jordan Poorman Cocker serves as the Curator of Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges Museum. She is a beadwork artist from the Kiowa Tribe and of Tongan descent. She holds a Master of Museum and Heritage Practice from Victoria University of Wellington and a Bachelor of Design from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand. Her curatorial practice focalizes Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, linking artistic pedagogies to curatorial frameworks and processes. She is an artist mentor for the Institute of American Indian Art’s Master of Fine Arts, Studio Arts program.
heather ahtone (Choctaw/Chickasaw Nation), Moderator
Dr. heather ahtone is Director of Curatorial Affairs at First Americans Museum (FAM) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and descended from the Choctaw Nation. Her work examines the intersection between Indigenous cultural knowledge and contemporary art. Working in the Native arts community since 1993, she has curated numerous exhibits, publishes regularly, and continues to seek opportunities to broaden discourse on global contemporary Indigenous arts. Additionally, she serves the Native arts community as an instructor, cultural advisory board member, and is currently president of the Native American Art Studies Association.
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Image Credit: Installation photograph of the exhibition Preston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight, at the Museum of Glass Tacoma, October 3, 2018-September 2, 2019, photo by Russell Johnson.
