About the artwork
Wendy Red Star
Apsáalooke Feminist #2, 2016
Dimensions(h x w x d): 34" x 41"
Digital print on archival silver rag
Located in Fariborz Maseeh Hall, first floor north hallway
Apsáalooke Feminist #2 is one in a series of four photographs of artist Wendy Red Star and her daughter clothed in what she considers the epitome of Crow culture—the elktooth dress, which is, in her words, a woman’s way to “[show] off the hunting abilities of the men in her family.”
About the artist
Wendy Red Star is a Native American contemporary multimedia artist raised on the Apsáalooke (Crow) reservation in Montana. Her humorous approach and use of Native American images from traditional media draw the viewer into her work, while also confronting romanticized representations. She juxtaposes popular depictions of Native Americans with authentic cultural and gender identities. Her work has been described as "funny, brash, and surreal." Intergenerational collaborative work is integral to her practice, along with creating a forum for the expression of Native women’s voices in contemporary art. She holds a BFA from Montana State University, Bozeman, and an MFA in sculpture from University of California, Los Angeles.
See more of Wendy Red Star's work on her website.
This work was acquired through Oregon's Percent for Art in Public Places Program, managed by the Oregon Arts Commission.
Banner image courtesy of the artist.