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Vandals targeted the Native American art at KU, but dozens gather to celebrate the reinstallation

Ryan Waggoner
/
Spencer Museum of Art
A public celebration Thursday at the Spencer Museum of Art on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence included students from KU and Haskell Indian Nations University, as well as KU officials.

Artist Edgar Heap of Birds' "Native Hosts" was vandalized and stolen last month from the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. It was re-installed this week — an achievement highlighted by speakers and musicians.

The vandals are still on the run, but the public artwork "Native Hosts," created by Edgar Heap of Birds, is back where it belongs, prompting an outpouring of gratitude.

Last month one of the five panels of "Native Hosts" was stolen and four were damaged. All five were reinstalled on Wednesday.

"What is it about the panels that invoke such a response in someone, that they would want to destroy or desecrate?" asked D’Arlyn Bell, a doctoral student and officer in KU’s First Nations Student Association. Bell was one of the speakers at the museum's celebratory event filled with flute playing, singing and drumming.

Ryan Waggoner
/
Spencer Museum of Art
Native American drummers, including Ron Brave of Haskell Indian Nations University, at left, performed during the event at the Spencer Museum of Art.

According to Bell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, Indigenous people see themselves in the artist’s work "and that's why we took such personal offense."

She added, "And when something is destroyed, we build it back up, we recreate it, we do it again. And that's what we're doing here today."

The panels include the names of tribes from the region now called Kansas. They feature the colonial name of Kansas, and the names of the area's original occupants, who were from tribes such as Kaw and Kickapoo.

Kansas is spelled backwards — and that's one of the reasons Robert Warrior says people will take a second look at the work.

"The way that Edgar (Heap of Birds) describes that is he says there's a 'turning back,' that is an invitation that is part of these panels," said Warrior, a professor of American Literature and Culture at KU and a member of the Osage Nation. "He's saying you're going to look behind you to give some extra thought."

Ryan Waggoner
/
Spencer Museum of Art
"Native Hosts" by artist Edgar Heap of Birds at the Spencer Museum of Art features tribes native to Kansas, such as the Kaw, Kickapoo, Potawatomi, Ne Me Ha Ha Ki and Ioway.

Museum director Saralyn Reece Hardy said she was "deeply troubled" by the recent acts of theft and vandalism.

"This series is a land acknowledgment, an acknowledgment of place," explained Hardy. "The panels recognize the land we occupy, who has been here before, and call us to know erasure."

Hardy said that the museum and the university were determined to re-install all five panels — with added security.

“We remain committed to displaying public art," said Hardy, "and to amplify Indigenous and native voices."

She added, "The panels represent the creative work of Edgar Heap of Birds and the work of all artists who strive to express their freedoms."

According to the Deputy Chief of KU Public Safety James Druen, the theft case was sent to the Douglas County District Attorney's office for "charging considerations."

Investigators have photos of the vandals.

But, Druen said, the vandalism case remains open, and "until somebody comes forward and identifies the people in the images we are kind of at a standstill.”

Kansas City is known for its style of jazz, influenced by the blues, as the home of Walt Disney’s first animation studio and the headquarters of Hallmark Cards. As one of KCUR’s arts reporters, I want people here to know a wide range of arts and culture stories from across the metropolitan area. I take listeners behind the scenes and introduce them to emerging artists and organizations, as well as keep up with established institutions. Send me an email at lauras@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @lauraspencer.
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