NORMAN, Okla. – The Jacobson House Native Art Center in Norman had a call for artwork. Entries will be exhibited in their “Twenty First Century” show planned for Sept. 9 – Nov. 11, with an opening reception on Sept 8.
According to the entry rules, the artist must be 21 years or older, a resident of Oklahoma or Indian Country, and a member of one of the 39 federal or state recognized tribes. It is open to a broad range of mediums from painting to textile, sculpture and mixed media, photography and installation work. The artwork must have been completed on or after January 2001. Best-of-show prize money for first place is $1,000. Prizes for second and third place are $500 and $250. To apply, applicants were required to complete an online application and upload a photo of their artwork. The deadline was Wednesday, Aug 30.
Borders and Boundaries
EJ Sweetly (Comanche), programming chair for the art center, said the idea for the exhibition has been both collaborative and thoughtful, even down to the call-out flier itself. “The show evokes themes of borders and boundaries because we are currently redefining who we are as Native people with the reestablishment of Indian Territory in the 21st century.” Sweetly said.
Indian Territory as a present, jurisdictional entity was an important acknowledgement for Sweetly as was the collaborative nature of planning the show.
“It’s definitely been a board endeavor for sure. It was really fun putting together this show and thinking about what we could try to do to help cultivate Indian art here in our community…I’ve been leading the planning but I don’t want to say that I’ve done this all on my own. This show came together this year, all of this has just come from years of our talking about it.” Sweetly said.
Partnerships and Community
The call-out flier for the exhibition brought to mind the current shift in Indian Country jurisdiction since the 2020 McGirt decision that ruled portions of eastern Oklahoma are tribal reservation land. The art center has also gone though its own recent redefinition: a structural one.
The last public exhibition of new work held at the Jacobson House was “Azhwakwa: Contemporary Anishinaabe Art”. Curated by artist and publishing editor of First American Art Magazine America Meredith (Cherokee), the 2020 exhibition was an all-Woodlands artist show. It featured the work of artists from numerous tribes including the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Prairie Band Potawatomi, Gun Lake Potawatomi and Chippewas of Rama First Nation.
Held during the Covid-19 pandemic, the facility had numerous safety precautions in place for visitors and staff. The art center would then close temporarily for much-needed renovations. Partnering with the University of Oklahoma, the upgrades included structural repairs and display updates. The overhaul modernized the art center and was capped off with a reopening in May with an exhibition of its permanent collection of Kiowa Six works and other American Indian artists.
The Jacobson House is named after Swedish born artist, scholar, and curator Oscar Jacobson who headed the School of Art at the University of Oklahoma until the mid 1950s. Located at 609 Chautauqua Ave on the northwest side of the campus, it was built by Jacobson in 1917 as a family residence. The house has been part of the campus art community life in Norman ever since. Jacobson was a portrait and landscape painter, but is most known for his support and elevation of Native American Art, most notably the Kiowa Six.
The mentorship and partnership that he provided his students and collaborators extends to the current ethos the art center operates under. “The Norman Arts Council is supporting this show, which has been really awesome, because it does take partnerships to make all this work.” Sweetly said.
Sweetly, whose professional experience extends to past involvement in the Kimbell Art Museum and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, TX, hopes to see the exhibition become part of a tradition. “It’s kind of a learning curve for us in a way, because it is one of the bigger shows that we’re doing here at the house in a few years. If it is successful, I think it’d be really cool to turn this into a biennial.” Sweetly said. She is also hoping for opportunities to showcase the show winners in future exhibits.
For more information on submitting artwork, visit their website, Jacobson House Native Art Center.