Albert Lee Ferris
Encyclopedia
Albert Lee Ferris was a Native American genre artist. He was an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
and also had Lebanese/Arabic ancestry. His works have been exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
, Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Southern Plains Indian Arts Museum, and other galleries across the United States.
in north-central North Dakota. The oldest of 4 sons born to Samuel Ferris and Dora Charette, he spent his formative years living in a multi-cultural family environment, with strong American Indian and Lebanese cultural influences from his family.
He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of North Dakota
prior to entering the US Army during the late 1950s.
After spending much of his career as an artist working in the commercial genre, Albert Lee began to expand into fine arts during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His works were featured at the Southern Plains Indian Art Museum and Crafts Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma
in 1982. Following a solid showing, he was asked to participate in the Night of First Americans art expo in Washington, DC, by President Ronald Reagan. His works were also shown widely in such venues as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
, the Kennedy Fine Arts Center, and other shows across the United States. He was successful in painting (acrylic and oil), sculpture, bronze, and multimedia.
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians is a Native American tribe of Ojibwa and Métis peoples, based on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. The tribe has 30,000 enrolled members...
and also had Lebanese/Arabic ancestry. His works have been exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
, Kennedy Center for the Arts, the Southern Plains Indian Arts Museum, and other galleries across the United States.
Early life and education
Albert Lee Ferris was born on July 17, 1939 on the Turtle Mountain Indian ReservationTurtle Mountain Indian Reservation
Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is an Indian Reservation located primarily in northern North Dakota. It is the land-base for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians ....
in north-central North Dakota. The oldest of 4 sons born to Samuel Ferris and Dora Charette, he spent his formative years living in a multi-cultural family environment, with strong American Indian and Lebanese cultural influences from his family.
He attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
prior to entering the US Army during the late 1950s.
Career
Following his service in the military, he worked for the Department of Defense at Fort Sam Houston (Texas) where he honed his artistic talents illustrating combat medical training manuals.After spending much of his career as an artist working in the commercial genre, Albert Lee began to expand into fine arts during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His works were featured at the Southern Plains Indian Art Museum and Crafts Center in Anadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County.-Early History:Anadarko got its name when its post office was established in 1873...
in 1982. Following a solid showing, he was asked to participate in the Night of First Americans art expo in Washington, DC, by President Ronald Reagan. His works were also shown widely in such venues as the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
, the Kennedy Fine Arts Center, and other shows across the United States. He was successful in painting (acrylic and oil), sculpture, bronze, and multimedia.