Josephine Myers-Wapp, the artistic legacy of Josephine Myers-Wapp : the weaving of stories and tradition : East Gallery, June 22-August 23, 2009.

              Josephine Myers-Wapp East Gallery June 22 - August 23, 2009
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Josephine Myers-Wapp
Works by Josephine Myers-Wapp
Josephine Myers-Wapp
The Artistic Legacy of Josephine Myers-Wapp:
The Weaving of Stories and Tradition
East Gallery - June 22 ? August 23, 2009
April 4, 2011
Josephine Myers-Wapp of the Comanche Nation was born
in Apache, Oklahoma in 1912. She is an artist, educator,
and specialist in Native American traditional art. At 97
years of age, Wapp is an Oklahoma legend.
As a child, Wapp learned the ways of the Comanche
woman from her maternal grandmother, Tissy-chauer-ne.
Her grandmother taught her to dig herbal medicines and
gather clay from Cache Creek to use for cleaning
buckskin. Wapp credits her grandmother as her artistic
inspiration and the reason for her emotional connection to
the arts.
In the early 1930s, Wapp went to Santa Fe, New Mexico
to attend a two-year teacher training course in American
Indian arts and crafts. There, she learned both traditional
and contemporary weaving techniques, including finger-weaving,
as well as how to weave on treadle-looms and
hand-frame looms. She also studied pottery under the instruction of Maria Martinez, a
renowned potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico.
In 1934, Wapp returned to Oklahoma to teach at
Chilocco Indian School in Newkirk. Chilocco
taught American Indian children basic schooling
with an emphasis on learning a trade. Wapp was
the first teacher to introduce arts and crafts at
the school. Her curriculum included five goals to
teach American Indian children to: develop an
appreciation of American Indian art; revive and
preserve old American Indian handcrafts; develop
interest, technique, skill, and a high standard of
workmanship in making articles for the home or
sale toward earning a living; utilize discarded
clothing and natural resources, such as clay and
native dyes; and, find a worthy use of "leisure
time." It is easy to see the lessons learned from
Wapp's grandmother reflected in her teaching.
Prudent sensibilities paired with the gift of vision and talent have provided Wapp's students
with the tools necessary to carry their culture with them while making their way in the
world. Chilocco, open from 1884 until 1980, was named to the National Register of Historic
Places in 2006.
During her summer breaks from Chilocco, Wapp attended
the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University
and earned her degree in Education. In 1962, she was
invited to be one of the first faculty instructors at the
newly-opened Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in
Santa Fe. IAIA offers post-secondary education in the
creative arts to American Indians from across the country.
At IAIA, Wapp taught traditional techniques of art,
Capitol Exhibitions
The Capitol is home to four art
galleries, exhibiting works of
current and past Oklahoma
artists.
East Gallery
North Gallery
Governor's Gallery
Betty Price Gallery
About the East Gallery
Located on the first floor of the
Capitol, the East Gallery
features paintings and mixed
media works by current
Oklahoma artists. Exhibits rotate
approximately every 60 days.
Hours:
Weekdays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Weekends 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (use
west entrance)
The East Gallery is curated by
the Oklahoma Arts Council. For
more information contact Alyson
Moses at 405.521.2931 or
alyson.moses@arts.ok.gov.
Past East Gallery Exhibitions
Selection of Artists for
Exhibition
Upcoming East Gallery
Exhibits
Pamela Husky (Stigler)
December 10, 2012 -
February 10, 2013
Regina Murphy (Oklahoma
City)
February 10 - December 10,
2012
Gina Dowling (Norman)
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