21st Annual Tulsa Indian Art Festival Brightens February Blahs

Eighty nationally recognized painters, potters, bead workers and cultural designers will gather in the heart of Indian Country Feb. 9-11 for the 21st Annual Tulsa Indian Art Festival.  Admission to the event, at the Tulsa Expo Square Exchange Building I, is $6 per person per day.

The festival honors and showcases the spirit of the American Indian, manifesting itself through art, dance, music and storytelling.  Nashville recording artist Arvel Bird will be a featured entertainer, and storytellers Will Hill and Geninne Washington will share vignettes of American Indian stories.  Attendees can also enjoy exhibition dancing, to be performed at intervals throughout the event.

Dan Townsend, a Creek-Cherokee artisan who carves ancient Southeastern designs and symbols on shells, has been selected as the 2007 featured artist.  His pieces are in collections around the world, and some are in use by a number of tribal communities as instruments in ceremonial teaching.  Townsend has donated a piece of original artwork to be auctioned during the patron reception dinner on Friday, Feb. 9, and additional artwork donated by exhibiting artists and items from area merchants will be offered at a silent auction.

The reservation-only reception is $50 per person, and complementary valet parking will be available.  Proceeds support the TIAF Scholarship Fund, which provides visual and performing arts scholarships to qualified American Indian students.  For reservations, call 838-3875 or 494-7742.

TIAF is an all-volunteer network committed to preserving and showcasing the art and culture of the American Indian.  For more information, direct general inquiries to (918) 838-3875.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 25 January 2007 )