In Conversation: The Artwork of Susette “Bright Eyes” La Flesche Tibbles and Sarah Rowe

In Conversation:
The Artwork of Susette “Bright Eyes” La Flesche Tibbles and Sarah Rowe

Where: Joslyn Castle & Gardens
When: Friday, 26 April 2024
5:00pm to 8:00pm
Admission: FREE and all-ages

Art-talk scheduled for 7pm with Artist Sarah Rowe and Elizabeth Lovejoy Brown, Executive Director of the Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Center

About the Artists:
• Susette “Bright Eyes” La Flesche Tibbles (1854-1903), a citizen of the Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation, is perhaps best known for her service as a court translator to Ponca Chief Standing Bear during his trial challenging the removal of the Ponca Tribe to Oklahoma, and for her lifelong campaign for Native American rights. In addition to her tireless service as a civil rights activist, Susette is also recognized for her writing and journalism – including her investigation of the Battle of Wounded Knee, a series of events that resulted in the death of 250-300 First-Nations People. Susette was also a gifted artist and is largely considered to be the first mass-media published Native American artist, graphic designer, and writer.

• Sarah Rowe is a multimedia artist whose collective body of work includes painting, printmaking, fiber arts, performance, and Native American ceremony. Sarah’s work re-imagines traditional Native American symbology to fit the narrative of today’s global landscape and she projects her vision of contemporary Indigenous experience into the mix with an offbeat enchantment. Sarah’s most recent public work is Starseeds—a mural that spans 15 silos at Ardent Mills (visible from Highway 75 near F Street in South Omaha). Sarah is of Lakota and Ponca descent.

Note: While this is a standalone show, “In Conversation” is exhibited as part of the Castle and Cathedral Creative District and is a collaborative-district event with the Cathedral Arts Project’s Standing Bear Cantata –a cantata for baritone and strings written by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate (Chickasaw), an award-winning composer and pianist. The Standing Bear Cantata tells the story, through music, of Ponca Chief Standing Bear’s journey back to his native homeland to bury his son. It is an intimate reflection of the nature of relationships and their connections to homelands. The Standing Bear Cantata will be held at Saint Cecilia Cathedral (701 N. 40th Omaha, NE 68131) on Sunday, 28 April. The event is free and open to the public.