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Wendy Red Star Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird

From June 18, 2022 to October 17, 2022

Location: KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab

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Created by the MASS MoCA

Multimedia artist Wendy Red Star, a member of the Apsáalooke* (Crow) tribe, creates art to offer a narrative of Native people in America that focuses on an indigenous perspective rather than the typical stories told by non-Native scholars. An avid researcher, Red Star uses historic imagery and material culture as direct references for her own photographs and installations.

At the center of Children of the Large-Beaked Bird are portraits taken during the 1873, 1880, and early 1900s Crow Delegations that brought Crow leaders to Washington D.C. to meet with U.S. officials to negotiate territory and reservation boundaries. Red Star adds details and annotations to these images that highlight the leaders’ humanity and importance.

Children of the Large-Beaked Bird provides an opportunity for children and adults to look at the history and identity of a people as told through their point of view. As the artist notes: “It is critical to preserve and pass along culture, heritage, and shared values while also providing future generations with a sense of identity, solidarity, and empowerment.”

* “Apsáalooke” means “children of the large-beaked bird.” White men misinterpreted the word as “crow,” which is how they became known as the Crow tribe.

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About the Artist

Wendy Red Star

Wendy Red Star (b.1981, Billings, MT) lives and works in Portland, OR. Red Star has exhibited in the United States and abroad at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY), Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn, NY), both of which have her works in their permanent collections; Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain (Paris, France), Domaine de Kerguéhennec (Bignan, France), Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), Hood Art Museum (Hanover, NH), St. Louis Art Museum (St. Louis, MO), Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN), the Frost Art Museum (Miami, FL), among others.

Red Star holds a BFA from Montana State University, Bozeman, and an MFA in sculpture from University of California, Los Angeles.  She is represented by Sargent’s Daughters.

Special Thanks

Wendy Red Star, Apsaalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird, curated by Laura Thompson, Ed.D., was organized by MASS MoCA. Major exhibition support was provided by the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation, The Willow Tree Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, and Mass Cultural Council.

The exhibition at the KIDS ROCKWELL Art Lab is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc., and by Rochelle Media Works.

The Rockwell Museum’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support from the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.