Why’d They Put That In A Museum?
Show Notes
Artist: Stephen Standing Bear (c. 1859–1933)
Item: The Battle of Little Bighorn, c. 1892–1900
Details: Pencil and ink on muslin, 35 x 174 in. (Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa)
Stephen Standing Bear Battle of Little Bighorn (Pt. 1)
.kkIn this first episode of a two-part discussion (find Part 2 here), Beth Bacon, Sarah Lees, and guest speaker Christina Burke, discuss a painting by Lakota artist Steven Standing Bear. The artwork is a large-scale painting of the Battle of the Greasy Grass, which is also known as The Battle of Little Bighorn, or the Custer Battle of June 25th, 1876. Standing Bear was a participant in this battle as a teenager. He became a fine artist and painted this enormous depiction of the battle. Christina Burke, a curator and expert in Native American art, reviews the painting’s three main sections in detail: The native American encampment, the battle scenes, and a section showing many horses. With Beth and Sarah, Christina discusses the details of the piece, emphasizing the cultural narratives the artwork represents. They also talk about the historical context of Standing Bear’s life, including his participation in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. This is the first part of a two-part episode of the Why’d They Put That In A Museum podcast, focusing on an extraordinary representation of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The original can be found in the Philbrook Museum of Art.
Contact Us
Say helloAbout the Podcasters
Sarah Lees
Sarah is a museum curator and researcher who has worked in organizations both large and small, and who remembers her first assignment for an art history class – to look into Rembrandt’s eyes and describe what she saw there. She believes everyone can find those kinds of connections to some form of creative expression, whether it’s a painting, a grandmother’s quilt, or a perfectly formed pen-stroke in a manuscript.
Beth Bacon
In addition to being an avid museum-goer, Beth Bacon is an author for young readers. Her books empower today’s kids to learn about themselves and the world through reading. She is also a teacher and branding consultant and a volunteer at the Missouri History Museum. Beth holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Communication Arts from NYU, and a BA in Literature from Harvard University.
Music Credit
The music you hear in the intro and outro was composed by Edward Whelan. We appreciate his contribution to our podcast.