Watch exciting webinar with author and historian Fred Poyner IV as he discusses his book Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture, including those displayed in the Capitol.
The book examines how the placement of Native American sculptures factors into the identities of their subjects: several were also produced in multiple editions for other locations in addition to Washington DC. Some statues that are part of the National Statuary Hall Collection include Chief Standing Bear, Sarah Winnemucca, Will Rodgers, Po’pay, Sakakawea, Sequoya, and Chief Washakie. Together, we will discover where these statues come from, why they’ve been sent to represent their state in the Capitol, and the artists who sculpted the figures.
Offering thorough examination of artworks by 50 different sculptors throughout the United States and Canada, this book profiles how artists have incorporated either traditional native styles and techniques or European artistic styles and training to create these figurative subjects in wood, stone, marble, bronze, and other materials; to what degree (or not) they utilized indigenous models or figures, photographs of individuals, or other primary sources to create their sculptures; how each sculpture relates to its landscape and display location; and, how each sculptor’s own life relates to the works they have created for public viewing.
Like all USCHS programs, this webinar is free and open to the public; registration is required.
Speaker Bio:
Fred Poyner IV – Author
Fred F. Poyner IV is an independent historian and author who enjoys researching and writing about the art and history of the Pacific Northwest, including public sculpture. He is currently a Grant writer for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe (Sah-ku-mé-hu) in Washington state, and a regular contributor to The Filson Journal since 2019.
His first book – The First Sculptor of Seattle: The Life and Art of James A. Wehn (2014) – was funded through the 4Culture.org Heritage Projects grant award in 2014 and has received multiple awards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Western Washington University and a Master of Arts degree in Museology and Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 2019, he received the “Peace and Friendship Award” from the Washington State Historical Society (WSHS) for the Interwoven Oral History Project to preserve the stories of individuals with blended Nordic and Indigenous heritage.
He is the author of three other published books about public sculpture history of the Pacific Northwest, with Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture: North American Monuments, Memorials and Statuary of 50 Artists his eighth book publication.
The author currently lives in Issaquah, Washington, with his family.
