The OSU Museum of Art celebrates Benjamin Harjo Jr. at exhibition reception Oct. 4


Benjamin Harjo Jr., Before the Tears, 1995, gouache on paper, 29 x 37 inches. Collection of Joe and Valerie Couch. Photo by Phil Shockley.

Media Release

The OSU Museum of Art will host a reception celebrating contemporary Native American artist Benjamin Harjo Jr. and an exhibition of his art in Benjamin Harjo Jr.: We Are a Landscape of All We Know on Oct. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Oklahoma City artist has been widely-exhibited in public collections across the country. With an education from the Institute of American Indian Arts and OSU, Harjo was inducted into the OSU Alumni Hall of Fame in 2012.

Harjo’s work draws on his Native American heritage (Seminole and Absentee Shawnee) and the wider American and international aboriginal communities. His colorful, richly patterned abstractions and figurative work engage memory, place and family. The selection of more than 30 paintings, prints and sculpture evokes sacred connections that speak to the relationships among land, body, mind and spirit.

“This exhibition showcases the work of an OSU alumnus who has achieved national success on his own terms,” said Cassidy Petrazzi, curator of the exhibition.

Petrazzi is a writer, curator, and master’s candidate in the Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History at OSU. In addition to the reception, the artist will discuss and demonstrate his printmaking technique at the Prairie Arts Center on Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. RSVP at museum.okstate.edu/harjo.

Benjamin Harjo Jr: We Are a Landscape of All We Know is on view at the OSU Museum of Art until Dec. 8. All exhibitions and events at the museum are free and open to the public. Learn more at museum.okstate.edu/harjo.

About the OSU Museum of Art
For more information about the OSU Museum of Art, visit museum.okstate.edu or call 405-744-2780. The museum is located at 720 S. Husband Street in downtown Stillwater. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hours are extended on Wednesdays and Thursdays until 7 p.m. Admission is free, thanks to generous support from the OSU Museum of Art Advocates.

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant university that prepares students for success. OSU is America’s Brightest Orange. Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all. As Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research, and outreach. As America’s Healthiest Campus, OSU is committed to the health and well-being of its students, employees and the community. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 25,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated around 255,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.