Minnie TallBear

Hello, my name is Minnie TallBear. I recently graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Expanded Media. I am a citizen of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. I grew up in a small, western town that was one square mile big. The Native community was small, but we were very familiar with each other. My hometown is a conservative country town, so I experienced micro forms of racism growing up, and it made it hard to be expressive about my culture. My dad made it important for my siblings and me to learn our Cheyenne ways and traditions. He taught us everything he could. My grandpa was a part of the boarding school assimilation and hardly taught my dad anything. I was slightly embarrassed to be expressive of my culture in school because there was hardly any representation among my peers. After I moved away, I fully embraced my culture and took the time to learn everything I could. I am very proud of who I am and all my ancestors before me. In the fall of 2022, I started to get a conceptual understanding of my work, and I began to enjoy my work process and works in the fall of 2023. My work talks about being Native American culturally, historically, and personally. I like to talk about the hardships Natives have been through while highlighting my culture's beauty. I use a multitude of mediums. I enjoy printmaking, oil painting, video performance, and making 3D sculptures of any material. Recently. I have been learning how to weld. My work is impacted by a myriad of Native artists, Native documentation, and the stories passed down by my father and family members. I am inspired by artists like George Levi, Kent Monkman, James Luna, and local artists who bead or make shawls and garments.

Nemehotatse

Medium: Linoleum Print

Digital Prints $20

This print shows the beauty of hair within Native culture. Our hair holds so much power, and the act of braiding someone's hair is a simple yet meaningful gesture.