Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1958)
Valerie Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1959)
Beauty, Strength and Resilience – We Are Still Here
INV-2696
Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1958)
Valerie Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1959)2023
Beauty, Strength and Resilience – We Are Still Here
Kevin Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1958) Valerie Pourier (Oglala Lakota, born 1959) →contemporary21st Centurynative americannative north americancarvinghorn
Date
2023
Medium
Buffalo horn inlaid with coral, gold mother of pearl, lapis, shell, and resin
Dimensions
27 × 17.9 × 10.7 cm (10 11/16 × 7 1/16 × 4 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Purchased with funds provided by Jenni Turner Gordon and M. Scott Gordon
Kevin and Valerie Pourier carved this spoon with a portrait of Red Cloud, Mahpíya Lúta in Lakota, who led the Oglala Lakota from 1865 to 1909. An accomplished military strategist and diplomat, Red Cloud defeated the US Army in Wyoming in 1868. The Pouriers’ spoon presents this powerful Native hero against a background of flowers and vines; Kevin Pourier recounts being inspired by the lush foliage of American painter Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of former President Barack Obama, now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. This contemporary reference emphasizes, as the title suggests, that Native artists, communities, and practices are still thriving today.
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