Drum provided by the "Dibaajmowin" students,
and flute by Jonathan Rinehart.
Courtney Biggs Artist Statement
I currently live in Kent City, Michigan a small farming community north of Grand Rapids, with my wife, Bonnie and our daughter, Lois. Although I have lived in the greater Grand Rapids area for the majority of my life, I was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas close to Cherokee country in northeast Oklahoma. My mother was full blooded Indian. Her father (Mishomis) was Cherokee from Bunch Ok. and her mother (Nokomis) was Anishinaabe, from Ponsford Mn. on the the White Earth Reservation. My father was English and Irish. He came from a wheat farming family in central Washington State.
When my mother was growing up it wasn't "interesting" to be Native American. It was feared that you might be frowned upon by the larger world. What should have been a proud sense of self, often was replaced by shame or fear. It wasn't until my mother embraced her roots in the late 1960's, did I realize what it meant to be Indian. An original American wasn't something to be ashamed of, but an inheritance that internalizes a sense of pride. I wish I could say that my mother completely overcame her insecurities about her culture. Sometimes she would say she was hillbilly first and then an Indian. It is through my mothers history and generation of Indians before her that I dedicate my talents and gifts. I proclaim through my art that I am proud of my family and that I reflect the colorful and vibrant people they truly were.
In the early 90's I had a one man show through the local Community College titled In Nature There Are No Straight Lines, Only Bloodlines. This show consisted of a series of oil paintings of relatives from my mothers side of the family, going back to my great grandparents. My kins memories and experiences were given voice and respect through my research of photos, genealogy, and the searching out their stories.
Currently, I enjoy working with Beechwood bowls I purchase from the Holland Bowl Mill in Holland Mi. and I am still working with Pine and all of its imperfections. The variations of grains and knots have something to say about nature and its forces. I listen with my eyes and give voice to the wood through a paint stroke, a color placement or the cut of a knife. Whether I am revealing "Native Voices" in bowls, plaques, lamps or birdhouses (sconces) the poetry of the wood etches and stores my legacy.
Miigwetch, (Thank you)
When my mother was growing up it wasn't "interesting" to be Native American. It was feared that you might be frowned upon by the larger world. What should have been a proud sense of self, often was replaced by shame or fear. It wasn't until my mother embraced her roots in the late 1960's, did I realize what it meant to be Indian. An original American wasn't something to be ashamed of, but an inheritance that internalizes a sense of pride. I wish I could say that my mother completely overcame her insecurities about her culture. Sometimes she would say she was hillbilly first and then an Indian. It is through my mothers history and generation of Indians before her that I dedicate my talents and gifts. I proclaim through my art that I am proud of my family and that I reflect the colorful and vibrant people they truly were.
In the early 90's I had a one man show through the local Community College titled In Nature There Are No Straight Lines, Only Bloodlines. This show consisted of a series of oil paintings of relatives from my mothers side of the family, going back to my great grandparents. My kins memories and experiences were given voice and respect through my research of photos, genealogy, and the searching out their stories.
Currently, I enjoy working with Beechwood bowls I purchase from the Holland Bowl Mill in Holland Mi. and I am still working with Pine and all of its imperfections. The variations of grains and knots have something to say about nature and its forces. I listen with my eyes and give voice to the wood through a paint stroke, a color placement or the cut of a knife. Whether I am revealing "Native Voices" in bowls, plaques, lamps or birdhouses (sconces) the poetry of the wood etches and stores my legacy.
Miigwetch, (Thank you)