Peltier Preserves Cultural Heritage Through Art

Leonard Peltier’s desire to preserve his Native culture comes through clearly in his brightly colored paintings that successfully combine realism and abstraction. They are on exhibit at the Spirit Room in Fargo in conjunction with a timely moment in the personal history of Leonard Peltier, and, hopefully, an auspicious moment for American Indian peoples. If Peltier is released from federal prison—which has been his barren studio for decades—he will be coming to Fargo to take part in the Spirit Room exhibition.

The subject of Peltier’s art is the human being. Peltier’s Indian sitters are children, women, and men. What impresses about Peltier’s approach to portraiture is his ability to capture mood. Whether joy, sadness, defeat, kindness, or love, the power in his facial expressions carries aesthetic weight. Take the heartbreakingly sad face in Rain Dog as an example. The turquoise and terra colors enliven the overall canvas, but upon viewing the pathos in the expression of the child, the colors fade, and the soul of the sitter fills the visual space.

The weathered face of Umantilla Woman is so realistic that one imagines the possible scenarios that caused the face to take on such extraordinary middle-age wisdom, pain, and grace. Or consider Red Crow Chief. Just witnessing his depressed state makes one wish this American Indian would have had iron and sophisticated weapons when his adversaries were rolling over the Plains. Red Crow, who was ultimately unable to protect his own, has a sense of dignity that shines through even in his downcast gloom. Now here’s a patriarch worthy of respect.

Peltier’s subjects are portrayed in traditional dress, which he paints in scrumptiously fine detail. There is historical accuracy in the Native clothing, according to Peltier art spokesperson Johanna Stately. Beads, feathers, buckskin, buffalo hide, animal bone—these carefully crafted human coverings read like the welcomed opposite of contemporary American outfits, which are mostly manufactured in China out of cheap fabric, sometimes by slave labor. The reminder of the beauty of indigenous culture and its cottage approach speaks, not only shame to power, but shame to Walmart. Overall, the impressive quality of the Native objects in the Peltier paintings mimics the powerful presence the actual Indian artifacts exude.

Stately describes Peltier as a “self-taught artist.” After witnessing a prisoner working in pastels in prison, he received permission to get his own art supplies and began working with images he remembered as a free man. He began to paint the Native dances, drummers, and the natural beauty of the world. Stately also points out the hidden words in some of the images, words like “west,” “sad,” and others, plus the subtle symbolism that enriches overall meaning, including Peltier’s inclusion of small ponies in groups and faces hidden in snow.

Peltier says of his work: “Painting is a way to examine the world in ways denied me by the United States justice system, a way to travel beyond the walls and bars of the penitentiary. Through my paintings, I can be with my people . . . I can watch little children in regalia, dancing and smiling; see my elders in prayer; behold the intense glow in the warrior’s eye. As I work on the canvas, I am a free man.”

Peltier’s paintings are found in the collections of Robert Redford, Oliver Stone, Pete Coyote, and many others. Peltier donates his works to fund drives for the children of Pine Ridge, for battered women’s shelters, and for Native American Recovery Programs.

Exhibiting Peltier’s art at the Spirit Room is a perfect match. The mission statement of the Spirit Room is “to enrich people’s lives through the development and practice of creative, contemplative, and healing arts.” Director Dawn Morgan says she believes that Peltier’s practice of painting, “helps to keep his own heart open.”

Many gallery visitors, according to Morgan, have pointed to the great “warmth and love” they feel emanating from the pictures. Johanna Stately adds that even though joy and love appear, the symbolism, including the presence of threatening storm clouds speak to the emotional tenor of Peltier’s life in prison.
As Leonard Peltier—and literally the world—await the Parole Commission verdict, Dawn Morgan and the Spirit Room staff will be on hand to discuss the art of Leonard Peltier for all who visit the exhibition during viewing hours. The Leonard Peltier Committee would be happy discuss his art with community members, as well.

Contact the Committee at 701-278-2968 if you are interested in discussing the exhibition or if you are interested in a variety of volunteer Committee positions. Or visit the website at http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info. Many of the paintings at the Spirit Room are for sale. Proceeds fund the humanitarian efforts and general operations of the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee.
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PAINTINGS by Leonard Peltier
The Spirit Room
August 8 through September 30