On Tuesday, the National Endowment for the Arts announced its 2021 class of National Heritage Fellowship winners, which includes Osage textile and ceramic artist Anita Fields.
Over the course of her more than 40 year career, the multi-disciplinary artist from Hominy has infused traditional Osage ribbon work designs worn for cultural dances with the modern and contemporary in her textile and clay work.
For a piece commissioned by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for the exhibit 'Hearts of Our People,' Fields created an elaborate Osage wedding coat called 'It's in our DNA It's who we are', which featured Osage language on the inside of the coat as well and a DNA pattern woven onto the ribbon work.
Fields said she was inspired by the Osage women in her life, including her grandmother.
"One of the things I hope to achieve in making expressions in art is to dispel the many myths and stereotypes that surround us," Fields said. "I just keep saying we need to tell our stories."
Other NEA fellowship honorees in this class include the Mexican-American band Los Lobos and fellow textile artist Nellie Vera Sánchez.
Oklahomans who have previously earned National Heritage Fellowships include:
- Osage ribbonworker Georgeann Robinson (1982) - Bartlesville, Okla.
- Comanche artist and flutist Joyce Doc Tate Nevaquaya (1986) - Apache, Okla.
- Kiowa regalia maker Vanessa Paukeigope Morgan (1989) - Anadarko, Okla.
- Sac and Fox-Pawnee German silversmith Bruce Caesar (1998) - Anadarko, Okla.
- Kiowa sacred song leader Fred Tsoodle (2001) - Mountain View, Okla.
- Early country, rockabilly and gospel singer Wanda Jackson (2005) - Oklahoma City, Okla.
