Local Art Seen: Rabbett Before Horses Strickland at AICHO

Friday evening was an opening reception for a impressive two-man show featuring work by Ojibwe Birchbark & Quillwork Artist Pat Kruse and Rabbett Before Horses Strickland. Both artists were present with a strong turnout from the community including friends and fans of their work. This blog post will feature Strickland's work with Pat Krise in the near future.

Rabbett Strickland is a Native American painter of the Red Cliff and Bad River bands of Lake Superior Ojibwe near Bayfield. He was born in San Francisco, but in his early twenties came to the Midwest, the origin of his people. Over the course of many years he's produced a striking body of images, many quite massive in scale.

His work has been influenced by European Renaissance and Baroque masters, including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Velasquez, Rubens and Leonardo, as well as by Ojibwe mythology. He has been featured in the American Indian Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Fe Trend Magazine, Tea Party Magazine, and in the TV series Native Report.

"Getting Nibi"

The central character in his paintings is Nanabozho, the mythological Ojibwe archetype trickster figure and culture hero.  Strickland tells stories through the various images of Nanabozho, lamenting the loss of the wolf, creating butterflies or doing the Shut Eye Dance. One of his most impressive works, not on display here, is a 9' x 18' painting now in the possession of the Tweed titled "The Right to Consciousness."

Here are some images from Friday night at AICHO. Go see this show in person if able. Trepanier Hall is at 202 West Second Street, the former YWCA.

"Getting Nibi" (detail)

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"Young Nanbozho"

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"Sudden Gust of Wind"

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"Nanabozho Dances with the Crane"

Related Links
Konnie LeMay story in Indian Country Today.
Collection of Rabbett Strrickland images on Pinterest.
You can also follow the artist on Facebook here.