Oklahoma Contemporary

Etching plate for Edgar Heap of Birds, Was Told 12 Times

A printmaking block

Scratch the Surface

Scratch the Surface: Knowledge Transfer and Reciprocity in the Printmaking Practice of Edgar Heap of Birds

October 11-13, 2024

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center with support from the Getty Foundation through its Paper Project Initiative was honored to host a workshop related to the works of artist Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation). Heap of Birds worked with master printer Marina Ancona (10 Grand Press) and assistants Conor Frey (Fourth Dimension Studios) and Wesley Kramer (Oklahoma City) to present culturally informed practices associated with the artist’s printmaking process while producing a limited-edition portfolio print of original work using the Oklahoma Contemporary Studio School printing press. The limited-edition portfolio print showcased during the Getty Papers Project workshop was commissioned by Oklahoma Contemporary as part of the artist’s first major institutional retrospective exhibition, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds: Honor Song.

Prints in various colors read "DO NOT DANCE FOR PAY"

Edgar Heap of Birds, Detail, Was Told 24 Times

Oklahoma Contemporary invited diverse curators, educators, and printmakers interested in learning about how Indigenous values intersect with monotype and intaglio printmaking processes to participate in this important workshop. The Getty Paper Project workshop, organized by exhibition curator Pablo Barrera (Wixáritari) and the artist, addressed how mechanically produced art can uphold cultural protocol beyond educated gestures.

The workshop also explored Heap of Birds’s collaborative printmaking process for creating a featured limited-edition portfolio print. Through roundtable discussions and Q&A with the artist, Heap of Birds presented and demonstrated salient elements of his art practice. Getty Papers Project Workshop participants also explored a hands-on printmaking component inspired by Heap of Birds’s works that will be considered for inclusion in the Learning Gallery of the upcoming exhibition.

The workshop took place October 11-13, 2024 to coincide with Indigenous Peoples Day weekend, inviting local, national, and international participants to our campus in downtown Oklahoma City.

Please submit any questions via email with the subject line as GETTY WORKSHOP to Getty Project Coordinator Erin Turner.


"Getty" in bright blue

This workshop was made possible with support from the Getty through The Paper Project Initiative.


Images:

Etching plate for Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne and Arapaho Nation), Was Told 12 Times, 2022. Magnesium plate, 22½ x 15½ inches. © Edgar Heap of Birds. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Pablo Barrera.

Detail of various paper substrates and ink layouts that comprise Was Told 24 Times, 2022 at artist’s studio. Photo by Pablo Barrera.

Getty logo. Provided by the Getty.

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Oklahoma Contemporary
P.O. Box 3062
Oklahoma City, OK 73101

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