Ponca Chiefs Portraits - ISM Museums and Galleries
Ponca Chiefs Portraits
An exhibit of ten portraits of Ponca chiefs, by Janice Rockwell of Macomb, is presently on display at the Illinois State Museum-Dickson Mounds. The exhibit will be on view through September 28. The stylized representations by Rockwell are her interpretations of these men. She expresses, with deep respect and admiration, the pride and dignity of each chief, to honor each man's spirit. In addition to the portraits, text relates the story of each man, their culture, and the Ponca contribution to Native American civil rights.
In a time when Indian Wars were fought in the West, the Ponca tribe attempted to settle their quarrels with the government peacefully by treaty and by appealing to their humanity. The individual portraits in the exhibit are based on the group photograph, "Ponca Delegation to Washington, D.C.". This photo, included in the exhibit by permission of the Nebraska State Historical Society and attributed to William Henry Jackson, was taken in 1877 when the Ponca tribal leaders and their interpreters were taken to Washington to protest the tribe's forced relocation to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.
Collage is used throughout the Ponca chief portraits. Mixed-media and water-based paint are brushed or stained on various papers and fibers. A variety of approaches are taken to express each man's individual character and personality. Many of the items used in the portraits are from throw-away materials that have been reworked such as egg cartons and packing cardboard.
Janice Rockwell is a professional artist who lives in the wooded rolling hills and corn fields of west central Illinois. She is a former educator and Illinois Department of Natural Resources State Artisan who works from her rural home studio. More of her work can be viewed at www.earthairwater.com. Rockwell exhibits her work at various Midwest venues including the Illinois State Museum shops. She studied art at the University of Illinois and graduated from Western Illinois University, where she holds degrees in Art Education and School Counseling.
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