War Club: Native Art and Activism with Bob Haozous

Native artists overtly and covertly utilize their work in the intergenerational fight for sovereignty. Join WAR CLUB: Native Art and Activism artists Anita Fields, Yatika Fields, and Bob Haozous as they discuss the influence of Native art activists of the past and their effect on the present and future of Native representation in the arts and beyond. Native artists overtly and covertly utilize their work in the intergenerational fight for sovereignty. This exhibition will be on view at the Philbrook Museum of Art from October 5, 2024, to June 29, 2025.

Bob Haozous is a man with a mission, or two. Some thirty years ago, he set out to be a damn good sculptor. He has since achieved this, successfully wedding Native and especially Apache imagery with powerful form and a sharp, unequivocal wit aimed at contemporary American life, at “the white man in all of us.” Between them, he and his father – the deeply respected artist Allan Houser – have defined the range of Native American sculpture.

Born in Oklahoma, Anita Fields is a contemporary Native American multi-disciplinary artist of Osage heritage. She is known for her works which combine clay and textile with Osage knowledge systems. Her sculptures have been featured in many solo and group exhibitions, including the 2020-2021 Weaving History Into Art; The Enduring Legacy of Shan Goshorn, Gilcrease Museum, Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics, Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, the 2018-2020 Hearts of Our People, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the 2018 Art for A New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950’s to Now at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Yatika Fields is an Osage/Cherokee/Creek painter and muralist. While attending the Art Institute of Boston from 2000 to 2004, he became interested in graffiti aesthetics, which has been integral to his knowledge and process, along with landscape painting, and continues to influence his large-scale projects. Fields recently moved to Tulsa as a Fellow in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. He has lived in Seattle and New York City where the energy of urban life inspires and feeds the creative force in his artwork. He seeks to influence his viewers to rethink and reshape their relationships to the world around them. His compositions are often spontaneous and left open for interpretation so that multiple stories can be drawn from them. His kaleidoscopic imagery with its dynamic pop and culture aesthetic reference both historical and contemporary themes. His canvases and murals are alive with movement and filled with images that rely on vibrant colors and swirling patterns to build narratives that carry the eye.

About Tulsa Artist Fellowship

With the belief that arts are critical to the advancement of cultural citizenship, Tulsa Artist Fellowship supports artists and arts workers in the heart of Oklahoma’s Green Country. Socially invested artistic practitioners live and work here, intentionally engaging with our city. Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a cultural initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation.

About Philbrook Museum of Art

Philbrook strives to make a creative and connected community through art and gardens.

Visitor Experience

When visiting, please be aware all accessible parking spaces are located in the upper-level lot. The lower-level parking lot connects to the museum entrance by stairs.

For parking and direct access at the Garden-level, please visit the admissions desk when you arrive or call a member of our Guest Experience Team at 918-748-5300 to learn more about additional accessible parking options.

Personal wheelchairs and mobility devices are welcome. A limited number of wheelchairs and seated walkers are available on a first-come, first-served basis at no charge to visitors.

All restrooms at Philbrook are wheelchair accessible. Much of the museum and the garden and grounds are accessible for those using a wheelchair or mobility device. Some paths are steep and may have uneven surfaces.

Download a map of the campus that marks accessible routes.

Single-user/family restrooms that are private, accessible, and open to all genders are available on the Museum’s upper-level.

All restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

Guide dogs and other trained service animals are welcome at Philbrook. Pets, therapy, and emotional support animals are not permitted.

Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a cultural initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Open House programs are made possible, in part, by The Bush Hughes Foundation for Progress. Special thanks to the dedicated staff, visionary awardees, artistic contributors, cultural partners, media platforms, presenters, culinary experts, and champions for supporting this ambitious weekend.

Host or Publisher Philbrook Museum of Art