Rick Bartow
Encyclopedia
Rick Bartow is a Native American
artist of Wiyot
and Yurok heritage. He works in sculpture, print, etching, ceramics, mixed media, and painting.
and graduated in 1969 with a degree in secondary art education. He then served 13 months in the Vietnam war
as a teletype operator and as a musician in a military hospital, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star
.
in Washington, DC; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
in Salem, Oregon; the Heard Museum
in Phoenix, Arizona; the de Saisset Museum
; and the Portland Art Museum
. In 2003 his works were exhibited at the George Gustav Heye Center, a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian
in New York City
.
His carving The Cedar Mill Pole was displayed in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
at the White House
in 1997; it had been designated one of the most highly-regarded Native American public sculptures in the country. The pole was partially inspired by Bartow's work with the Māori artist John Bevan Ford. Presented as a gift to the Portland, Oregon
metropolitan community from Oregon's Washington County and the Oregon College of Art and Craft, it was intended to help heal the controversy that surrounded an urban development project. The 26-foot-tall carving was created using one of the giant cedars
that were removed for a road project.
As influences, Bartow cites Marc Chagall
, Francis Bacon
, Odilon Redon
, and Horst Janssen
, in addition to his Native American heritage and his work with the Māori. These artists also worked expressionistically
with human and animal forms.
Bartow is also a musician and singer with his own band; he plays the guitar.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
artist of Wiyot
Wiyot people
The Wiyot people are a native people of the Humboldt Bay, California and nearby environs.-History:The Wiyot and Yurok are the farthest southwest people whose language has Algic roots; Wiyot and Yurok are distantly related to the Algonquian languages...
and Yurok heritage. He works in sculpture, print, etching, ceramics, mixed media, and painting.
Early life
Rick Bartow attended Western Oregon UniversityWestern Oregon University
Western Oregon University is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College...
and graduated in 1969 with a degree in secondary art education. He then served 13 months in the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as a teletype operator and as a musician in a military hospital, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
.
Art career
His work can be found in several museum collections including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana; the National Museum of the American IndianNational 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...
in Washington, DC; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus...
in Salem, Oregon; the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
in Phoenix, Arizona; the de Saisset Museum
De Saisset Museum
The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University opened in the early 1950s after Isabel de Saisset, the last member of a French pioneer family bequeathed her estate to the University of Santa Clara...
; and the Portland Art Museum
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
. In 2003 his works were exhibited at the George Gustav Heye Center, a branch of the 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...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
His carving The Cedar Mill Pole was displayed in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
The Jacqueline Kennedy Garden is located at the White House south of the East Colonnade. The garden balances the Rose Garden on the west side of the White House Complex.-History:...
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 1997; it had been designated one of the most highly-regarded Native American public sculptures in the country. The pole was partially inspired by Bartow's work with the Māori artist John Bevan Ford. Presented as a gift to the Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
metropolitan community from Oregon's Washington County and the Oregon College of Art and Craft, it was intended to help heal the controversy that surrounded an urban development project. The 26-foot-tall carving was created using one of the giant cedars
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
that were removed for a road project.
As influences, Bartow cites Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (painter)
Francis Bacon , was an Irish-born British figurative painter known for his bold, austere, graphic and emotionally raw imagery. Bacon's painterly but abstract figures typically appear isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds...
, Odilon Redon
Odilon Redon
Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon was a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist.-Life:...
, and Horst Janssen
Horst Janssen
Horst Janssen was a German printmaker and draftsman.- Early life and education :He was born in Hamburg. His mother, Martha Janssen, was a dressmaker from Oldenburg; he never knew his father. Janssen was brought up in Oldenburg by his mother and grandparents in Lerchenstraße fourteen...
, in addition to his Native American heritage and his work with the Māori. These artists also worked expressionistically
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
with human and animal forms.
Bartow is also a musician and singer with his own band; he plays the guitar.
External links
- Rick Bartow, Vision Project, by Gail TremblayGail TremblayGail Tremblay is a Mi'kmaq and Onondaga writer and artist.-Background:Trembley was born on 15 December 1945 in Buffalo, New York. She received her BA in drama from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in English from the University of Oregon, Eugene in 1969.-Writing and education career:She...
- A Time of Visions – Interview with Larry Abbott
- Art in America review of Salem, Oregon exhibition
- Art in America review of San Diego exhibition