Voices From The Drum

​Voices From the Drum, produced by the Osage Nation Foundation (ONF) and curated by the Osage Nation Museum (ONM), is the result of a remarkable community arts initiative of the Osage Nation Foundation.  The concept originated with an inspiring conversation between members of the ONF and Wilson Pipestem. Pipestem was motivated by his brother Rock Pipestem’s participation in Osage drum making. Wilson presented the concept of using the hand drum as an artistic canvas. The ONF commissioned singer and drum maker, Rock Pipestem, to produce 19 drums to be provided to select Osage artists.  The artists used the beautiful, natural form of the drum as a canvas to express their individual ideas and understanding of its significance among Osages.

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“Voices from the Drum is a project several years in the making and a collaboration between some of the most talented artists in the Osage Nation,” said Bill Webb, executive director at the Osage Nation Foundation. The exhibit was developed specifically to share the Osage culture with those who might not have been able to experience it firsthand, according to Webb. “It is carefully and thoughtfully curated to communicate the value and importance of the drum in Osage culture and to allow those seeing the exhibit to see and feel what it is like to be a part of an Osage dance or other cultural event where the drum takes center stage,” he said.

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The Voices from the Drum exhibition is thematically arranged to examine how the artists approached the drum, through their culture, their artistic vision, and in relationship to the annual I Lonschka dance. In addition to the 20 drums, the exhibition also includes fine art and a digital display. “With the drum at the center of the dialogue, participating artists articulate Osage experiences around the drum through visual narratives,” said Marla K. Redcorn-Miller, Osage Nation Museum director. “Their resulting collaborative works of art offer a path of understanding to a cultural item that has long kept our people together.”

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The exhibit assembles the creativity, knowledge and talent of 19 practicing artists including: Norman Akers, Dante Biss-Grayson, Joe Don Brave, June Carpenter, Sarah Elsberry, Anita Fields, Yatika Fields, Jessica Moore Harjo, Kilan Jacobs, Jonathan Lunsford, Harleigh Moore, Ted Moore, Vanessa Moore, Rock Pipestem, Wendy Ponca, Alex Ponca Stock, Jon Red Corn, Addie Roanhorse, and Jen Tiger.

 

For more information about the exhibit, please contact:

Bill Webb
Executive Director
Osage Nation Foundation
bwebb@legacyfem.com
(214) 205-7495