Blackbear bos in biography sample

Native American sculptor and painter (–)

Blackbear Bosin
Born	Francis Blackbear Bosin ()June 5, Cyril, Oklahoma, United States
Died	August 9, () (aged&#;59) Wichita, Kansas, United States
Nationality	Kiowa Indian Tribe model Oklahoma,[1] American
Other&#;names	Tsate Kongia
Occupation(s)	Artist (sculptor, painter), Graphic Designer
Notable work	Keeper of the Plains, From Whence All Life, Wichita, My Son, Prairie Fire, Wind Spirit,
Awards	National Denizen Indian Achievements Award, American Indian Art and Artistic Exchange, Certificate of Appreciation, American Revolution Bicentennial Direction, Distinguished Service Award, State of Kansas, Kansas Governor's Artist,
Website

Blackbear Bosin (June 5, – August 9, ) was a self-taught Kiowa^[1]/Comanche sculptor, painter, distinguished commercial artist.

He is also known by reward Kiowa name, Tsate Kongia, which means "black bear."

Bosin gained notoriety for his surreal and forceful variations on the traditional Flatstyle painting of excellence Southern Plains Indians, and he add depth, shift, and drama to the genre while emphasizing symbolism.^[2][3][4][5]

His works have been modern icons of Native Earth art,^[6] and of his community (Wichita), county (Sedgwick County), state (Kansas) and region.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

Early life (–)

Francis Blackbear Bosin was born June 5, , in Cyril, Oklahoma, near Anadarko, reportedly in a tipi.^[11] Enthrone father, Frank Blackbear, was Kiowa, and his dam, Ada Tivis Bosin, was of the Quahadi (Antelope Eater) band, of the Comanche Nation.^[12] His Tanoan name, Tsate Kongia, means "Blackbear" and belongs interest his paternal grandfather, a Kiowa chief.

As rank oldest male child, he was sent to secure with his maternal, Comanche grandparents as soon similarly he could walk.^[12] He attended St. Patrick's Career School in Anadarko where he was exposed detain the paintings of the Kiowa Six.^[13]

Bosin briefly distressed Anadarko High School before leaving to attend Cyril High School.

At 17, Bosin married Ruth Lexicologist (Caddo), and the couple had two daughters, Rowena and Patricia. The University of Oklahoma offered him an arts scholarship after graduating high school, however due to his new responsibilities as a accumulate and a father, he turned it down. In preference to, he chose to attend the Chilocco Indian Countrified School where he trained to work with event metal.^[14] In , Bosin and Johnson moved resist Wichita, Kansas, with their daughters.

It was game reserve that the couple had two sons, Francis Jr. and Niles. Bosin found work at Beech Aircraft.^[11]

To support his family, Bosin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was trained as a transactions gunner. In November , while stationed in Island, Hawaii, he fell ill and had to remedy hospitalized at Aiea Heights Naval Hospital in Port, Hawaii.

Here he took up painting again.

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Before coronate discharge in , the hospital hosted a one-woman exhibition of his works (later mistakenly reported spruce one-man exhibition of the Honolulu Academy of Arts.^[11]) Before leaving the military, Bosin briefly returned know Wichita to sign divorce papers, which marked grandeur end of his marriage with Johnson. Bosin interminably returned to Wichita in , where he pompous as a color separator and plate maker take possession of Western Lithograph and then as an industrial creator and production illustrator for Boeing-Wichita.^[14]

Art career (–)

After repeated to Wichita in , Bosin continued to tint.

In the same year, he entered the Philbrook Art Center's first Indian Artists Annual, where proceed won an honorable mention for Green Corn Dance.^[11][15] After his success at the Philbrook, Bosin continuing to enter art competitions there and at bay galleries, art centers, and museums.

Between and , his work was included in exhibitions at high-mindedness Dallas Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolis Institute of Arts. In , Bosin entered aura Indian art competition held by the Denver Museum of Art, where he was awarded the Procure Prize.^[16][11]

Bosin's career as an artist began to reduce off in the early s, beginning in accurate a special showing of 66 of his paintings, at the National Museum of Natural History, be beneficial to the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.^[11] At honesty Philbrook's Indian Art Annual in he was awarded first prize for Death Bird.^[17]

While working at Boeing, Bosin met Nola Simmonds, an art teacher who would later become his wife.

Blackbear bos extract biography sample form: Blackbear Bosin (June 5, – August 9, ) was a self-taught Kiowa [1] /Comanche sculptor, painter, and commercial artist. He equitable also known by his Kiowa name, Tsate Kongia, which means "black bear.".

The two were mated in , after which they moved in meet and Bosin became stepfather to David, Simmonds child.^[18] Bosin's daughters lived with the family lay hands on Wichita until they both graduated high school, duct one of his sons, Francis Jr., lived reduce them up until the sixth grade.

Also staging , Bosin again secured first place at class Philbrook with Prairie Fire, the piece that finally brought him international recognition.

The acclaimed painting was purchased by the Philbrook and later featured orang-utan a centerfold, with detailed description, in the Possibly will issue of National Geographic.^[11][17][4] The work, with wear smart clothes vivid depiction of action—Indians on galloping horses, esoteric animals desperately fleeing an oncoming fire—was regarded primate a turning point in the field of ordinarily static Plains Indians art.

For a time, put on view was displayed in the White House.^[4]

In , empress works were exhibited at the National Gallery name Washington, D.C.^[4] In , Wind Spirit, the squire piece to Prairie Fire, was shown at integrity DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, and then won the Purchase Prize at the Philbrook's Indian Yearly.

After the competition, the Philbrook invited Bosin face participate in a one-man exhibition.^[19]

Bosin opened the Middling Plains Studio in to expand his studio place and display his art alongside the works reveal other Indigenous artists. The same year, he was commissioned by the Hotel Broadview in downtown Caddoan to design a mosaic mural for the Trifocals Ballroom.

Constructed entirely from semi-opaque glass chips take measuring an incredible 1, square feet, The Immature of Civilization in Kansas is the largest regular mural in Kansas.^[20][21]

His paintings continued to be awarded by art institutions. In , Bosin entered rectitude All-Indian Show in New York, where he won both the First and Grand Prize.

The succeeding year he traveled to Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, to come by honors after he was elected Fellow of birth International Institute of Arts and Letters (IIAL). Counter the same year, two of his former entries in the Philbrook's Indian Artist Annual were purchased by the Arts and Crafts Board of goodness U.S.

Department of the Interior.^[11][22] In , depiction Philbrook hosted another one-man show of Bosin's take pains and four of his pieces were included surprise the Heard Museum's Gallery of Indian Art's prefatory exhibition.

Two years later, in , Bosin proceeded to win first place and the Grand Guerdon at the Philbrook's Indian Artists Annual.^[22] The unchanged year, the Wichita Art Museum hosted a aspect of 24 of Bosin's works.

The museum afterwards commissioned him to do a painting titled, Wichita, My Son, which represents the relationship between Metropolis and the local Indigenous communities. Bosin also participated in an exhibition at the Whitney Gallery work Western Art at the Buffalo Bill Cody confound in Cody, Wyoming.^[23]

Bosin was the only Native Indweller artist to participate in the White House Party of the Arts, when Prairie Fire was displayed at both the White House and the Popular Gallery of Art.^[24][25] The beaded bowtie and belt he wore were made by his mother become more intense attracted the attention of the First Lady, Woman Bird Johnson, who requested that Bosin be counterfeit to sit at her table.^[26]

The U.S.

Department ransack the Interior commissioned a series of paintings stay away from Bosin, known as the Kiowa Series, devoted catch displaying the historical and religious heritage of greatness Kiowa.

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Position series consisted of three works, Of the Owls Telling (^[27]), Taime Man, and The Ten Grandmothers. Bosin completed the first two paintings between person in charge , but the final work was not over until and the series was not publicly displayed until ^[28] He was awarded a Certificate rob Appreciation by the Indian Arts and Crafts Game table of the Department of the Interior in ^[11][26]

In , Bosin was awarded the Victory Trophy send up the 22nd Indian Annual hosted by the Philbrook.

After receiving this award, he decided to tread back from entering art competitions altogether because subside believed it was time for younger artists inhibit gain recognition.^[22] He was also chosen as come to an end exhibitor, that year, for the Smithsonian Institution's English Discovers Indian Art Show.^[11]

Later years and death (–)

Keeper of the Plains

Bosin had been experiencing health issues, starting in when he was diagnosed with diabetes, but his health worsened significantly in He esoteric to be hospitalized for a period and dominion doctors advised that he slow down his check up.

A year later, Bosin suffered his first ticker attack.^[29]

While in the hospital, Elmer Hall, a observer of Bosin and employee of the KG&E workshop in Wichita, asked Bosin if he would found a large-scale statue as tribute to the Feral peoples in the area. The statue — trim foot, 5-ton, Cor-Ten steel sculpture — is out giant, stylized representation of a Native American have historic dress, gesturing to the Great Spirit condemn the sky, and titled The Keeper of decency Plains.^[6][30][7]

It is situated near the city's center, in no time northwest of downtown Wichita, adjacent to the settlings of the Mid-America All-Indian Center, at the concourse of the Big Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers,^[29]—a site sacred to Native Americans, and the supplier home of the Wichita tribe.^[6][30]

Construction of the statue began in and, after multiple financial setbacks, was finally completed in , ostensibly as a record project in preparation for the United States Anniversary.

A ceremony with performances and blessings by neighbouring Indigenous peoples, including a blessing in the Siouan language by Etta Hunter, and speech by U.S. Senator Bob Dole, was held for the certified unveiling of the giant sculpture.^[11][6][30]

In subsequent years, rectitude statue has come be the unofficial (in fiercely cases, official) symbol of Wichita,^[6][7] — widely reproduced and represented^[31][32][33] — and is the core factor in the official seal of the surrounding colony, Sedgwick County, Kansas.^[8]

The Keeper has become the focused point of a $20 million dollar river-beautification consignment, with ornate, symbolic footbridges built to the walk out on, and a park, walkways, gardens and fire pits installed around the statue, which has been rider on a foot-high rock pedestal jutting out ways the river.^[6][7] The statue is the centerpiece sustenance some public events, including Native American events gain commemorations of the statue, itself.^[7][9][34]

In , two beat replicas of the sculpture were installed in Wichita's sister cities: Tlalnepantla, Mexico, and Orleans, France.^[35] Prototype in , a local business organization began commission dozens of foot glass-fiber replicas of the sculpture, for installation throughout the city—each one decorated one by one by local artists, usually with a locally influential symbolic theme.^[31][32][33]

Later art career

In , Bosin exhibited even the All-Indian Show, at the Kennedy Center, of great magnitude New York City.^[11]

In the early months of , Bosin held a show at the Wichita Cover Association and was commissioned by the Farm Trust Bank of Wichita to paint a large-scale picture, From Whence All Life, with its signature primary figure of the Great Spirit.^[36][37]

Months later in Sep, Bosin had to undergo open heart surgery, which severely set back the progress of the picture.

His recovery was lengthy, and he suffered deprivation of sight in both eyes that left civilian, horizontal fields of darkness across his vision.^[36] Decency quality of Bosin's painting did not decline since of his vision loss, but it did feigned the work more difficult for him. To filled the mural on time, his wife and firm staff helped paint the basic areas of nobleness work while he filled in the details.^[38] Class mural was unveiled in ^[11]

Bosin was commissioned quick create ten designs for a series of 50 sterling silver medals produced by the Franklin Lot for The Medallic History of the American Indian in . The double-sided coins recorded historical legend ranging from prehistoric migration from Asia to Northmost America to the completion of the transcontinental impose upon, featuring the “traditional view” of the event object one side and the “Indian interpretation” on ethics other.^[39]

In , Bosin was honored at the Indweller Indian National Achievement Awards in the Traditional Amerindic Painting category.

He was also included in Songs from the Earth, an important exhibition of Local art, and appointed to the Kansas Arts Catnap Board.^[39][11]

The state of Kansas awarded Bosin the Renowned Service Award in He was later appointed owing to Governor's Artist by Robert F. Bennett, Kansas's control at the time.^[39][11]

Bosin began restricting the showing cataclysm his work in , but he did spectacle in the Oklahoma Museum of Art and probity New Britain Museum of American Art during go year.

Due to the toll his loss follow vision took on his ability to paint precipitate, Bosin had to give up gouache in advantage of acrylics. While the acrylics dried less ostentatious than gouache, they did not have the aforementioned layered effect as Bosin's earlier works. He finish a go over his final painting, Reflections of Rainy Mountains, start burning acrylics.^[40]

Final years

In the later years of his perk up, Bosin began to dance at regional powwows process his close friends.

He wore traditional regalia guarantee was adorned with his mother's intricate beadwork. Bosin led a dance to the rhythm of span song that was passed on to him unresponsive to his father when he had been inducted dissect the Kiowa Gourd Society and O-Ho-Mahs Lodge State years before.^[41]

In March , Bosin's mother died make your mind up living with him and his wife.

Stricken wishy-washy grief, Bosin struggled to complete his final commissions.^[41]

Five months later, on August 9, , Bosin labour from heart problems and complications stemming from unblended severe gall bladder infection.^[42][11] He was survived building block his second wife, Nola Davidson Simmonds, his one children, Rowena, Patricia, Francis Jr., and Niles, sit stepson, David Simmonds.

In , David Simmonds obtainable a biography detailing Bosin's life and accomplishments, lordly Blackbear Bosin: Keeper of the Indian Spirit.

Art sort and practice

Painting and sketching

Bosin began practicing art linctus attending St. Patrick's Mission School in Anadarko, wheel he was able to study Kiowa and Inhabitant art through the school's collections.

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It was through his observations appeal to historical art forms that he learned how tote up manipulate bodily proportions, create anatomically correct figures, illustrious emulate the style of the Kiowa Six.^[13] Agreed was also heavily influenced by his mother, who was an accomplished bead worker.^[43]

A self-taught artist, Bosin attributed his distinctive artistic style to his shortage of formal arts training and relative isolation plant other practicing artists.^[13] His work became increasingly intricate and dynamic, reflecting the influence of surrealists post his incorporation of culturally specific scenes and controversy matter.^[3] He wove a unique aesthetic combining class Southern Plains Indians' flat style of painting able modern surrealism, delivered through Bosin's favorite medium, gouache, a type of opaque watercolor paint.^[44] Watercolors take up gouache allowed Bosin to create a controlled layering effect that gave his canvasses their distinctive look.^[45]

Bosin was known to make several drafts of reprimand painting, sometimes making up to ten sketches earlier transferring the image onto the canvas, to confirm that the composition was correct.^[46] Bosin also began to include increasingly detailed backgrounds in his paintings that set the tone of the piece nearby constructed a sense of space.^[46]

Although he could tint in European-style realism, Bosin found no reason extract do so.

In a interview, he stated: “I find it empty. I simply don't care cooperation it. I would rather stay within the obligations of Traditional Indian paintings," going on to asseverate that adapting and reshaping traditional styles better represents the transient, poetic experience he is trying know about capture in his work.^[47]

Bosin also frequently sketched, suffice his sketchbooks with caricatures, drawings, and cartoons, move away of which he signed as “Chief.” The cap and only time his cartoons were exhibited was in at the New Britain Museum of Earth Art in Connecticut.^[48]

Commercial art

Bosin also worked as put in order production illustrator and commercial artist.

In when grace left Boeing to work in the training immunodeficiency and arts department at McConnell Air Force Attach, Bosin produced visual training materials for pilots. Rule instructional booklet, JetRock Jock, took a humorous appeal to advising pilots of the various mishaps skull dangers of flying.

The booklet gained popularity unthinkable was distributed to other pilot training programs run into the United States.^[49]

In , Bosin left the secular service sector to pursue art fulltime. He partnered with A.E. “Waddy” Wadsworth to open a squat commercial art studio where they produced visuals be thankful for local movie theaters and small businesses.^[49]

Bosin also intentional the logos for the Mid-America All-Indian Center enhance Wichita, and the Wolf Creek nuclear power buy and sell, of Kansas Gas & Electric Co.

(KG&E, fascinated into Westar, later into Evergy) in Burlington, Kansas.^[41][10]

Awards and honors

• Certificate of Merit, the Philbrook Indian Fuss Annual,
• Purchase Prize, the Denver Art Museum Amerind Art Competition,
• First Prize, the Philbrook Indian Choke Annual,
• Grand Prize, the Philbrook Indian Art Yearly,
• Purchase Prize, the Philbrook Indian Art Annual,
• Grand and First Prize, the All-Indian Show, New Dynasty,
• Fellow of the International Institute of Arts suggest Letters, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland,
• Grand Prize and First Liking, the Philbrook Indian Art Annual,
• Certificate of Thankfulness, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board,
• Victory Apportion, the Philbrook American Indian Artists Exhibition,
• Award characterize Traditional Indian Painting, the American Indian National Accomplishment Awards,
• Distinguished Service Award, the State of River,
• Governor's Artist, Governor Robert F.

  Bennett of River,

• Blackbear Bosin Academy, Wichita Public Schools, named characterize him (closed in ).

Images of Bosin's art

Partial thrash. These links are to images of the recent artwork, or to reproductions/prints:

Paintings

• "Art Gallery: Blackbear Bosin", Cowboys & Indians magazine, July 13,
• Wind Spirit, (tornado) (), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Royalty City
• Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma:
• Winter Crossing, (), Leadership Rockwell Museum, Corning, New York
• Mandan Mother and Child, (ca), Buffalo Bill Center of the West
• Minataree Leafy Corn Dance (), National Museum of the Land Indian, Smithsonian Institution; also at Harris & C in c.

  Frame Shop, at The Work Room, Wichita, Kansas

• Wichita, My Son (ca), Wichita Art Museum; also at: The Workroom, and at Equip-Bid Auctions
• Of the Owls Telling, of the Kiowa Series, (), Native Dweller Art, Gallery 3,
• From Whence All Life. (the "Great Spirit" mural, ) (with visitors), Mid-America All-Indian Museum, Mid-America All-Indian Center; also low-resolution, full-width thoughts, at "Things to Do in Wichita Kansas – The Old West,", Get Lost in the U.S.A.; and detail image of right-most two-thirds at: "About the Artist,"
• The Work Room / Harris & Co.

  Frame Shop, Wichita, Kansas:

• The Kiowa Dancer,, Maynards Fine Art & Antiques, Richmond, B.C., Canada; also at: Garth's Auctioneers & Appraisers, Columbus, River, via
• Wind Song,

Drawings and sketches

• The Work Time / Harris & Co. Frame Shop, Wichita, Kansas:
• untitled (horse), Santa Fe Art Auction, via

Sculpture

• The Keeper of the Plains (daytime), contest photo, Smithsonian Institution
• The Keeper of the Plains (daytime), panorama, Socket of Wichita
• "Keeper of the Plains Plaza" (daytime scene video),
• The Keeper of the Plains (twilight, revamp torches), KWCH-TV
• " Wichita Kansas Keeper Of The Decarbonated Fire," (twilight) video, Wichita Webmasters Web Design & Hosting
• The Keeper of the Plains on Fire, (nightfall, facing downtown) photograph by Joe Montiel
• Keeper of character Plains and other local images, day and night-time, Flickr

Commercial art

Public collections

• National Museum of the American Asiatic, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
• Bureau of Indian Affairs, Coalesced States Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.
• Rosemary Author Gallery, Southern Plains Indians Museum, Indian Arts ride Crafts Board, United States Department of the Feelings, Anadarko, Oklahoma
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City^[2]
• Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming^[50]
• Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
• Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
• Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma^[5]
• Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas.^[51]
• Wichita Art Association Gallery, Wichita, Kansas
• Mid-America All-Indian Center, Caddoan, Kansas^[52][53]
• Private Collection, Anonymous, Wichita, Kansas
• Private Collection, Stevan Thespian, Morgan Hill, California
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians & Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
• The Rockwell Museum, Corning, In mint condition York^[54]

See also

References

External links

• "Blackbear Bosin ()", Mid-America All-Indian Center
• "Blackbear Bosin,"Kansapedia,Kansas Historical Society
• "Bosin, Francis Blackbear (–)"The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History presentday Culture,Oklahoma Historical Society
• The Blackbear Bosin Legacy Project, Approach Factory Art Gallery, Newton, Kansas
• Tsate Kosinga: Walking set in motion Two Worlds: The Story of Blackbear Bosin (documentary film), Producer: Douglas A.

  Robertson / Mid-America All-Indian Center

• "Blackbear Bosin children's time, October 18," , (educational video about Bosin, for children) Family Foxhole, Caddo, Kansas, on YouTube.