Lakota Country Times: War shirt wins top prize at Native POP show

Friday, August 12, 2016  

Jared Lanz (Oglala) won Best in Show for Sitting Bull’s War Shirt. Photo courtesy Native POP: People of the Plains

Native Art Market Recognizes Artist Achievement At Awards Reception
By Lakota Country Times Staff
lakotacountrytimes.com

RAPID CITY --The fourth annual Native POP: People of the Plains art market and cultural celebration took place last month in Rapid City. The contest is a juried fine-art show featuring established and emerging Native American artists from across the Great Plains.

On Friday, July 15, Native POP hosted an awards presentation and artist reception at the Dahl Arts Center. The Native POP organizing committee appointed a select panel of experts to recognize achievement in four major art categories: Two Dimensional, Three Dimensional, Adornment, and Emerging. Additionally, there were prizes for Innovation, People’s Choice and a Special Publicity award with $17,000 in total award money. Juried artists submitted their original art for judging on July 15.

Best of Show and Best of Division I: Adornment went to Jared Lanz (Oglala Lakota) for Sitting Bull’s Warshirt, a beaded and quilled brain-tanned leather war shirt. This is the second year in a row that the top prize goes to an emerging artist and also to what is typically categorized as “traditional,” but is more aptly described as a cultural art form.

This particular piece being something that was well-made, meant to be worn, highly conceptually and culturally specific; that is, being tied to Indigenous or more specifically Lakota aesthetics. Native POP characterizes the Adornment category as “something added to make a person or object more attractive. Items may include (but are not limited to) jewelry, clothing, regalia.” This war shirt is considered “regalia” – in Native American culture, this meant something that imbued the wearer with prestige and power while also signifying cultural, familial and social significance.

Artists and patrons gathered a Native POP: People of the Plains reception on July 15, 2016. Photo from Facebook

Visitors voted in the competition during the market on Saturday. Wade Patton (Oglala Lakota) , also an emerging artist, won the Best of Emerging Category and also the Publicity award. Except for People’s Choice, the show’s $17,000 award winners were selected by a panel of judges that included Terry Pechota, Dixie Thompson, and Dwayne Wilcox.

Peter Strong, chair of Native POP’s organizing committee, commented on the importance of the event, “We are honored to have a venue to recognize the work of the incredibly talented and creative Native artists who participate in Native POP. This reception honors the best of the best in a rare experience for our community and collectors to get an advance viewing of the art prior to the market, not to mention the opportunity to meet and visit with the artists.”

The Native POP art market ended on Saturday, July 16, with a brief thunderstorm followed by the closing concerts. There was art, entertainment, cultural demonstrations, a film showcase, live musical performances, and a fashion show! The organizing committee is hopeful for next year and beginning to think about how to continue to grow this annual event

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Here is a list of the 2016 award winners:
Best of Show: Jared Lanz, Sitting Bull’s Warshirt

Best of Division I, Adornment: Jared Lanz, Sitting Bull’s Warshirt
Best of Division II, Two Dimensional: Henry Payer, K(no)w Home
Best of Division III, Three Dimensional: Betty Willems, Bird House
Best of Emerging: Wade Patton, Summer Storm
Innovation Award: Marlena Myles, Dog Soldier, Star Dancer Boy
Publicity Award: Wade Patton, Summer Storm

Special Award—Division I, Adornment
Christie Latone, Zuni Legends Bracelet
Beverly (Bear King) Moran, Dakota
Brenna Ravenshead, Dedication Pipebag
Emil Her Many Horses, Tasunka OTA WI (Many Horses Womans) Shoes
Molina Parker, Grandma’s Garden, Revisited

Special Award—Division II, Two Dimensional
Keith BraveHeart, 200 Horse Give Aways Jennifer White, Ready Set Go
Angela Babby, Born In The USA
Roger Broer, Everyone Waited
Martin E. Red Bear, Savage Bear

Special Award—Division III, Three Dimensional
Janice Albro, Prairie Chicken Dance
Nelda Schrupp, Horse Effigy Dance Stick
Randall Blaze, Prayer Figure
Brenna Ravenshead, Beaded Violin
Jared Lanz, Braided Quirt

Special Award—Emerging
Charles Her Many Horses, Elk Medicine
Fredrick Clarin, Hope in the Hills
Galen LaRoche, Weaving off the Rez

People’s Choice – Brenna Ravenshead

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