The Wait, Norman Akers

Artwork Overview

Norman Akers, artist
Cultural affiliations: Osage
born 1958
The Wait, 2010
Where object was made: Lawrence, Kansas, United States
Material/technique: stenciling; reduction gum rollup; wove paper
Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 250 x 190 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 9 13/16 x 7 1/2 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 415 x 342 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 16 5/16 x 13 7/16 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 20 x 16 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Letha Churchill Walker Memorial Art Fund
Accession number: 2012.0034
Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Brosseau Center for Learning: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Access

The layers in this piece include a map of Kansas—part of the traditional land of the Osage—native Kansas birds, a depiction of the Osage creation story, and a portrait of an Osage chief. The map speaks to the land and to expanse, but also to the legacy and impact of colonization. Maps can broaden our horizons or create imposed borders. How is a sense of space cultivated in colonized land?

Brosseau Center for Learning: Six Degrees of Separation: Prints from KU and Beyond

Norman Akers is an associate professor in the Department of Visual Art at KU. By layering images within this print, Akers explores ideas of Osage identity and origin. A map of Kansas, the traditional land of the Osage, is overlaid with depictions of native Kansas birds, a depiction of the Osage creation story, and the portrait of an Osage Chief originally painted by George Catlin. By connecting the ideas of land, origin, and identity, Akers calls to attention the survival of Native peoples and the ongoing effects of colonization and removal.

Exhibitions

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