Caddo pottery, ledger drawings and carved toys highlight LMFA exhibit

LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – Across the country people are celebrating America’s 250 th birthday including the Longview Museum of Fine Arts. But the museum wanted to do something different and put together an exhibit of Native American artwork called Native Perspectives: America 250.

Art pieces are strewn around several sections of the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, but Curator of Collections Derek Frazier has a vision of just where everything will go.

“So, this show has 13 Native American artists in it. And I believe it’s also 13 different tribes or nations from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,” Frazier said.

Some of the 70 pieces were shipped, but the bulk of it was picked up by Frazier himself.

“I drove all the way through Arkansas and then around Oklahoma and down through Texas. I think I did 960 miles or so,” Frazier said.

That trek happened because Frazier and LMFA Executive Director Tiffany Jehorek were brainstorming about their America 250 exhibit, and it came to them that:

“We could highlight Native American artists. So, that’s what we’ve done,” Frazier said.

There are expertly done traditional works of pottery and beads, and a melding of modern and ancient. Yes, there’s a ceramic R2D2 by Caddoan Artist Chase Earles, who was integral to the exhibit.

“He is our co-curator, or guest curator, helped us put this whole thing together,” Frazier said.

Frazier says Earles digs clay from a riverbank for his work.

“He had actually taught some of the other artists in the exhibition how to work with clay and things like that,” Frazier said.

Works vary in size. One called ‘Arbor’ takes up a whole room and floats above the floor.

“I’ve never seen anything like it ever in my whole life,” Frazier said.

And he’s handled thousands of art pieces. But who stands guard over all this? Why, the Native American Shogun Warrior of course.

The exhibit opens on May 23 and several artists will be in attendance. The museum is open from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M Tuesday through Friday and 10 to 2 on Saturdays.