Caddo Nation News Archives - February 2005

20 February 2005, 3 PM: Opening of exhibit "Hobay: Painting and Sculpture by Joe B. Lucero" at USAO Art Gallery. Located in the Art Gallery, USAO Davis Hall, 3rd Floor. Featuring American Indian finger food by Kiowa Chef Darin Zotigh, a full-sized tipi, Native American story tellers, and the Hasinai Society, Caddo traditional dance group. At 6 PM, the USAO Inter-Tribal Heritage Club will host a benefit pow-wow. All events are free and open to the public.
The Caddo Nation is in receipt of the following letter.

U.S. Department of Labor
Employment and Training Administration
200 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20210

February 17, 2005

Ms. Larue Parker, Chairman
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma
P.O. Box 487
Binger, OK 73009

Dear Ms. Parker:

As you are aware, the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration has been seeking an alternative entity to provide employment and training services to Caddo tribal members in Caddo County. Your recommendation has been carefully considered in identifying the best alternative to serve your community members as well as the alternatives provided by the Division of Indian and Native American Programs (DINAP).

After considering all factors including geographic accessibility, performance options as well as capability of the grantees to assume the responsibility for the additional service area and funds, including the oversight of reporting and performance outcomes, I have decided to designate the Four Tribes Consortium of Oklahoma to serve the Caddo tribal members in Caddo County.

I have informed DINAP of this decision and have advised them to contact the Executive Director of the Four Tribes Consortium to proceed with the follow-up for employment and training services to the Caddo Tribe.

If you have any questions or need additional information please contact Duane Hall, Federal Project Officer at (214) 767-2154.

Sincerely,
[sgnd] Eric Luetkenhaus
Grant Officer
Office of Grants and Contract Management
Local 669 Sprinkler Fitters Apprenticeship Opportunities (18 February 2005)

The Local 669 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee conducts a 5 year apprenticeship program for Sprinkler Fitters who are piping mechanics specializing in Fire Protection. They are very interested in recruiting qualified applicants. The minimum qualifications for entry into the Program are: must be 18 years of age or older, must be a high school graduate or have a GED, must be physically fit to perform the work of the trade, must have military discharge under other than dishonorable conditions, if applicable, and must pass appropriate drug test.

Applications are accepted between the hours of 9 to 11:30 AM and 1:30 to 3 PM at the following locations:
 All completed applications will be held on file until there is a need to interview applicants for expected opportunities. Applications must be completed 45 days prior to interview date.

For more information, contact the Sprinkler Fitters Local Union's Apprenticeship Program at 7050 Oakland Mills Road, Suite 100, Columbia, Maryland 21046 or call 410.314.5202 or 800.638.0592. You can also visit www.jatc-outreach.org or www.sprinklerfitters669.org.

Caddo Mounds declared endangered historic place (17 February 2005)

The Caddo mounds in southeastern Oklahoma have been listed on the Oklahoma's Most Endangered Historic Places List for 2005, according to Preservation Oklahoma. Since 1993, this list has been sponsored by Preservation Oklahoma and the State Historic Preservation Office. It serves as a sample of the thousands of landmarks across Oklahoma in need of attention.  This list serves to inform the general public about properties such as the Caddo mounds and to focus attention on the challenges that historic properties face. Inclusion on the list raises public awareness and helps build the resources necessary to save endangered sites.


Caddo Museum receives grant for art exhibit (1 February 2005)

BINGER, Okla. --  This spring, the Caddo Heritage Museum will open its newest exhibition, “A Loving Struggle: Contemporary Caddo Art.” Making this endeavor a little easier is a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council. The museum announced this week that it applied for and received a matching grant to help with expenses related to this exhibit.

“A Loving Struggle: Contemporary Caddo Art” will feature artwork by several contemporary Caddo artists. The title of the exhibit is taken from the Caddo-Kiowa artist T.C. Cannon’s observation that his own work was “a loving struggle with brush and surface.”

In many ways, this applies not only to Cannon’s work, but to the work of many contemporary Indian artists. These artists lovingly struggle to represent their experiences in paint, stone, or pottery. They also struggle to revive long-forgotten techniques, to find the time to raise families and maintain jobs, and to master their craft.

The exhibit will display artwork in a variety of media. “I’m very excited about the range of artwork in this exhibit,” says Rhonda S. Fair, curator for the Caddo Heritage Museum. The exhibit will include traditional art forms, like Caddo pottery and silverwork, as well as what is often considered fine art, such as paintings and sculpture.

The various styles in the exhibit are intended to convey the full range of artistic abilities and inspirations found among the Caddo people. “We hope to demonstrate the influences that traditional art forms have on contemporary art and the ultimate interconnectedness and overlap that exists,” Fair said.

To date, several artists, including Billie Ruth Hoff, Dolores Purdy Corcoran, Jeri Redcorn, and Mary Lou Downing Davis, have loaned their work to the museum for the exhibit. Several paintings by Charlie Arnold will also be included, as well as a painting by his brother Thomas Arnold. Tragically, Thomas Arnold passed away before he could see his work displayed in the Caddo Museum, but he was very excited about the upcoming exhibit and proud to know that his work would be included.

Because of the demands placed on professional artists, the structure of the exhibit is to be fairly flexible. “We plan on having the art exhibit up for six months, but many artists can’t really commit to that long of a showing because of their own obligations. We’re allowing artists to contribute pieces for as long as they can and take them when need be,” says Fair. The result will be an exhibit that will change periodically throughout its run at the museum.

The exhibit will be anchored by key pieces in the Museum’s permanent collection, including paintings by Michael Martin, also known as Silver Moon. A collection of six Silver Moon paintings was recently donated to the Museum by Stacy Harris of Edmond, Oklahoma. Also featured will be some sketches by T.C. Cannon and silverwork by Son Supernaw and Merle Keyes.

The matching grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council will help pay for some of the costs associated with the exhibit.

Through state appropriations and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oklahoma Arts Council funds over 1,200 events annually with an estimated total attendance of over 3.5 million. Projects funded by the Oklahoma Arts Council generally account for over $20 million in grants and matching fund distributed throughout Oklahoma’s economy and throughout the state’s rural and urban communities.

For more information on “A Loving Struggle” or if you are a Caddo artist who would like to participate in this exhibition, please contact the Caddo Heritage Museum at 405.656.2344. A date for the opening will be set in the early spring of 2005. For information regarding the Oklahoma Arts Council, contact the OAC’s Public Information Director at 405.521.2931 or by email at okarts@arts.state.ok.us.


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