Photos: ‘Indigenous Space’ exhibit opens at Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery

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Community members gathered Saturday for an event celebrating the opening of “Indigenous Space,” the inaugural exhibition of the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery inside Chalmers Hall at the University of Kansas.

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The gallery, presented by KU Endowment and the Department of Visual Art, will host an annual series of exhibits featuring the work of Native American artists and celebrate Indigenous excellence in the visual arts. 

“The significant outcome of the extended Native art portal of ‘Indigenous Space’ is to welcome, nurture, and support particularly young Indigenous artists while giving them a place to belong at the University of Kansas,” Edgar Heap of Birds, a KU alum, member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, and world-renowned artist, said ahead of Saturday’s event.

Read more about the exhibition in this article. The gallery is free and open to the public, according to KU’s website.

Photos by Carter Gaskins, gaskins-photography.com

Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Artist Edgar Heap of Birds (left), a KU alum and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, speaks with KU Chancellor Douglas Girod during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A visitor to the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery views “Drowning Elk,” by Norman Akers, on Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A visitor takes a photo of works by Edgar Heap of Birds on display as part of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Panels from Edgar Heap of Birds’ “Native Hosts” installment at the U.S. Virgin Islands, on display at the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A visitor views “Little House Effect,” by Norman Akers, at the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times “Listening for a Murmur,” by Norman Akers, on display at the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A crowd gathers at the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Left to right, KU faculty members Lori Hasselman, Native American student success coordinator; Melissa Peterson, the university’s first director of tribal relations; Andrew Shoemaker, executive director of University Academic Support Centers, and Susan Klusmeier, vice provost for academic success, during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Dale Seuferling, the longtime leader of KU Endowment who recently announced plants to retire later this year, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
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Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Manny King, a longtime staff member at Haskell Indian Nations University, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A crowd listens as Manny King speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A visitor at an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Elias Her Many Horses speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod, left, greets Dr. Robert Warrior, Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at KU, during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Visitors at an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Dr. Robert Warrior, Hall Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Kansas and a member/citizen of the Osage Nation, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Artist Edgar Heap of Birds, left, shakes hands with Robert Warrior during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Artist Edgar Heap of Birds, a KU alum and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
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Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Visitors at an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Visitors at an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Artist Edgar Heap of Birds, a KU alum and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times A crowd listens as artist Edgar Heap of Birds (not pictured), a KU alum and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, speaks during an event celebrating the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Artist Norman Akers, a KU visual art professor and member of the Osage Nation, speaks during the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Carter Gaskins/The Lawrence Times Works by Norman Akers on display as part of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022
Edgar Heap of Birds receives a handmade blanket from Norman Akers during the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
Shanna Ketchum-Heap of Birds receives a handmade blanket from Norman Akers during the opening of the “Indigenous Space” exhibition at the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery, Jan. 29, 2022.
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