A collection of imagery and sources designed to explore the work of artist Edgar Heap of Birds.
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Edgar Heap of Birds
‘Based in Oklahoma City and on tribal land, where he has lived since 1981, Heap of Birds consistently creates works that confront repressed or unacknowledged histories of state and settler violence against Native communities in the United States. His work often draws parallels between historical violence and ongoing injustices today. By employing the contemporary term “active shooter” to characterize massacres committed by U.S. troops against Native Americans over a century ago, Heap of Birds reanimates the past in the language of the present. In so doing, he points to the violence of history itself: the power of a dominant culture to erase, forget, or otherwise obscure its own acts of oppression.’ –MoMA
At 00.55 there is an artwork in the background with language you may not want to show young students.
Questions To Ask Students
How does Edgar Heap of Birds incorporate his identity into his artwork?
How would you describe the monoprints?
What do you like about the physical appearance prints?
How does the work make you feel?
Are these prints important? Why? Consider both the artist and the audience in your answer.