Oklahoma City will be the center of Native American cultures June 8-17, 2012 as the 26th annual Red Earth Festival joins forces with the Myriad Botanical Gardens, deadCENTER Film Festival and the Jim Thorpe Native American Games to present a weekend of art, film and sports expected to draw thousands to Oklahoma’s capitol city.
Through the years the Red Earth Festival has matured into one of the most respected visual and performing arts events of its type featuring a juried Native American art market, dance, a youth art show, children’s activities, cultural performances and Native food.
A grand parade, unlike any other in the world, opens the Festival scheduled June 8-10, as the streets of downtown Oklahoma City vibrate in Native American tribal spirit to signal the opening of the award-winning event.
For 2012 the Red Earth Festival has joined forces with the downtown Oklahoma City Myriad Botanical Gardens to present the inaugural Red Earth Invitational Sculpture Show opening Festival weekend and continuing through Sept. 5.
The Red Earth Invitational Sculpture Show is the first major event scheduled for the 17-acre urban park following a $43 million transformation with improvements including water features, a Grand Lawn, event pavilion, children’s garden and more. Its’ central feature is the stunning seven story Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory, a cylindrical structure made from 3028 translucent acrylic panels that is suspended over a lake. The Conservatory features a 35-foot waterfall, skywalk and living plant museum with more than 2,000 tropical plants from around the globe.
The Botanical Gardens will feature stone, bronze, glass and water sculptures on display throughout the summer by some of the nation’s most recognized Native sculptors including Janice Albro, Enoch Kelly Haney, Denny Haskew, John Free, and Bill Glass, Jr.
The critically acclaimed deadCENTER Film Festival, named one of the “Top 20 Coolest Film Festival in the World” by MovieMaker magazine has scheduled numerous American Indian Films during their 11th annual event June 6-10 at venues throughout the city.
The Film Festival will present the world premiere of The Daughter of Dawn, a 1920 silent film recognized as the first to feature an all Native cast including a son and daughter of Quanah Parker. The film has been completely restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society including a new musical score by Comanche composer Dr. David A. Yeagley for the World Premiere on Sunday June 10 at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
As the Red Earth Festival winds down an exciting week of athletic competition will begin with the opening of the first Jim Thorpe Native American Games on Sunday evening June 10.
More than 3,000 Native American athletes will gather in the spirit of Oklahoma’s own Jim Thorpe, proclaimed “The World’s Greatest Athlete” by King Gustov V of Sweden during the 1912 Stockholm Olympics to which he replied “Thanks King.”
Athletes will participate in 11 sporting events throughout the city including basketball, softball, baseball, tennis, wrestling, track & field, golf, martial arts, stickball and beach volleyball. The event culminates with Closing Ceremonies June 17 at Remington Park.
Visit www.redearth.org for information about the Red Earth Festival with links to the other events scheduled in the city. Hotels will offer special discounted rates for attendees of these outstanding events.
