The Wigwam Gallery in Altus, OK, is presenting a solo exhibition by Chickasaw artist Mike Larsen through Oct. 31 that features work from the NBC collection and pieces on loan from the artist. A parallel exhibit is on view at the Museum of the Western Prairie, also in Altus. Stop by the museum to the see the studies for all eight of the murals Larsen completed for the Oklahoma Arts Institute; these murals are installed at the Quartz Mountain Arts and Conference Center.
Included in the Wigwam Gallery show is the painting that Larsen did in 2003 as the first artist in the NBC Oklahoma Artist Series, called “Legend Keeper.”
Larsen is a highly acclaimed Native American artist from Perkins who grew up in Oklahoma and Texas and is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. The Five Civilized Tribes Museum named him a Master Artist in 1996. He is a member of the Chickasaw Nation Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. In 2007 the U.S. Postal Service selected his painting “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” for a postage stamp to celebrate Oklahoma’s Centennial. In 2012 he received one of the Governor’s Arts Awards – the Special Recognition Award.
Earlier in September, Oklahoma State University unveiled a 10-foot-tall bronze statue that Larsen did of Burns Hargis, the university’s 18th president. This new work is on the OSU Stillwater campus between the Student Union and the Edmon Low Library.
Larsen studied art at Amarillo Junior College, the University of Houston and then the Arts Student League of New York. His work is in corporations, museums and institutions throughout the United States, and he has done large-scale murals such as “Flight of Spirit” in the Oklahoma State Capitol Rotunda.
The Chickasaw Press published Larsen’s series of paintings of Chickasaw elders in a two-volume series – “They Know Who They Are” and “Proud to Be Chickasaw” featuring 72 portraits. His autobiography “Don’t Never Be Afraid of Your Horses” came out in 2017.
Larsen has won awards like Best of Show from the American Indian and Cowboy Artists Association and the 1996 Spirit of Oklahoma Award at the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. In 2006, Larsen was the Red Earth Festival’s Honored One.
He paints and sculpts contemporary and historical figures and captures the beauty of the world in his work, he notes on his website. He’s also a student of history and researches the past events of the subjects of his artwork.
See it by appointment by calling Lillie-Beth Brinkman, Communications Director at the bank at 580-477-1100. See more at nbcwigwam.art or nbc.bank/art.
About NBC Oklahoma’s Artist Series
NBC Chairman Ken Fergeson has a lifelong interest in art and a personal mission to support artists and share the beauty of it with as many people as possible. Almost every year since 2003, the bank has commissioned a prominent artist with Oklahoma ties to produce an original piece of art for the NBC Artist Series. The series also has included a calendar and a book, numbered and signed prints and posters the bank has given away to customers. The original pieces are part of NBC’s art collection. Participating artists have included Mike Larsen, Harold T. Holden, Jean Richardson, Kenny McKenna, Otto Duecker III, Mitsuno Ishii Reedy, Benjamin Harjo Jr., Mikel Donahue, Brent Learned, Tom Palmore, Carol Beesley, Bert D. Seabourn, Sonya Terpening, Poteet Victory and Jeff Dodd. Read more about them and see their NBC work here.
About Wigwam Art Gallery
Several years ago, NBC Oklahoma built the Wigwam Art Gallery in Altus, OK, to resemble the 1920s-era Wigwam Movie Theater that was once located there. A vision of NBC Chairman Ken Fergeson, the art gallery is used to promote Oklahoma artists and art and to host events for some nonprofit institutions. The Wigwam Gallery is located next to NBC Oklahoma in downtown Altus on the corner of Commerce and Hudson. Go online to nbcwigwam.art for information about the gallery, current exhibits or NBC Oklahoma’s art or to take a virtual tour of current and recent previous exhibits.