Artists Karl Bodmer, Yellow Feather focus of program

      (July 14, 2008) – The Center will present “Plains Encounters and Artistic Expression in the 19^th Century” with Dr. Tracy Neal Leavelle at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 20. Admission will be free.

     Leavelle’s illustrated presentation will explore the meeting of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer and Mandan artist Yellow Feather in the fall and winter of 1833-34 north of present-day Bismarck, N.D., almost 30 years after Lewis & Clark wintered there. Leavelle is co-director of the American Studies Program at Creighton University, Omaha.

     Bodmer and Yellow Feather became friends, admired each other’s work, and shared materials and techniques. Their collaboration showed the influence of cultural encounters on artistic expression of Plains life in the 19^th century.

     “The introduction of new materials and forms of presentation led to innovations in artistic expression that more fully interpreted life on the Plains, from early contact through the Battle of Little Big Horn,” says Leavelle who holds a doctorate in history from Arizona State University and a bachelor’s in cultural anthropology and Native American studies from Dartmouth College.

     Leavelle’s program is presented in conjunction with “Lewis & Clark and the Indian Country,” a traveling exhibit on display at the Center through Aug. 8. It is based on a major exhibition of the same name created by The Newberry Library in Chicago. It tells the story of the explorers’ 1804–1806 expedition from a different point of view - that of Indians who lived along the route. The Center is one of 27 sites in the nation selected for the exhibition. It is presented in cooperation with Briar Cliff University’s Bishop Mueller Library.

     “Lewis & Clark and the Indian Country” was organized by the Newberry Library in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. The exhibition is made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Additional support came from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Sara Lee Foundation is the lead corporate sponsor; Ruth C. Ruggles and the National Park Service also supported the exhibit.

     “Lewis & Clark and the Indian Country” draws from original documents in Native American collections of the Newberry Library; the Washington State Historical Society; Minnesota Historical Society and other institutions. Photographs of handwritten documents, maps, paintings and drawings provide a colorful background for the story of encounters.

     The Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Mandan and Walla Walla are among the nations encountered by Lewis and Clark who continue to live in the same areas but on greatly reduced tribal lands. These tribes are committed to carrying on lifeways and values of their ancient cultures, and to preserving their languages and traditions. “We are still here,” they often say.

     The Betty Strong Encounter Center is a private, non-profit institution connected to the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center on the Missouri Riverfront, exit 149 off I-29. It was built and is sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD). For more information, visit www.siouxcitylcic.comm

Return to top