Larry Bird (artist) explained

Larry Bird
Other Names:Larry Littlebird
Birth Name:Lawrence A. Bird
Nationality:Kewa Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo

Lawrence A. "Larry" Bird or Larry Littlebird (born 1941) is a Kewa Pueblo/Laguna Pueblo painter, filmmaker, actor and writer from Santo Domingo, New Mexico.[1] [2] He has utilized ink and tempera in his works, which often display a loose, abstracted style. Bird has exhibited his artwork across the country[3] [4] and has works in the public collections of several institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.[5]

Bird first attended the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) for design in 1963.[6] He worked for a time at the Museum of New Mexico and was the recipient of an Interior Design (magazine) Award for Painting. In 1971, a critic called Bird's painting "Son Returning Home" "one of the finest combinations of contemporary art and Indian heritage," saying the painting displayed "great grace and power."[7]

Bird returned to the IAIA in the 1980s as an instructor. He later began working in the performing arts as a filmmaker, producer, writer and actor, and was one of the first Native American artists to create films about Native people.

Notes and References

  1. Book: King, Jeanne Snodgrass . American Indian painters; a biographical directory . 1968 . New York : Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation . Smithsonian Libraries.
  2. Book: Lester, Patrick D. (Patrick David) . The biographical directory of Native American painters . 1995 . Tulsa, OK : SIR Publications ; Norman, OK : Distributed by University of Oklahoma Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-8061-9936-8.
  3. News: 1964-05-17 . Students Exhibit In Capital Show . 2024-07-04 . The Santa Fe New Mexican . 41.
  4. News: 1970-05-03 . Larkins Gallery showing two IAIA graduates . 2024-07-04 . The Santa Fe New Mexican . 36.
  5. Web site: Yellow National Museum of the American Indian . 2024-07-04 . americanindian.si.edu.
  6. Web site: Browse by Artist: Larry Bird . 2024-07-04 . IAIA - Action/Abstraction Redefined . en.
  7. News: Kirby . V. G. . 1971-01-17 . Santa Fe Art . 2024-07-04 . The Santa Fe New Mexican . 30.