Curated by Stacey Durham, manager of NBC art collections

Native State of Mind is a selection of newly acquired Native American paintings from the 1960's to the 1990's that focus on Native American artists from Oklahoma. Their genres of choice range from traditional, representational, naturalistic, and romantic; however, these Native American artists used a combination of these genres, more often than not, in their creative process. The artists also explore various scenes of leisure, ceremonial rites and daily activities of the Native communities. Native American art is distinguished from the rest of the art world, not by what or how they paint, but by consistent use of the same design aspects such as linear outlines, negative space and bold color arrangement to generate a distinctive look that continues to influence contemporary counterparts to this day.

This exhibition also highlights the work of Oklahoma's contemporary Native American artist Mike Larsen. His prolific career spans more than 30 years and proudly explores Native American culture through dramatic renditions of key Native American figures. The Shaman Portfolio, a series of , sketches, studies and portraits of Shaman, gives the audience insight into the lives of these spiritual figures through the documentation of his creative process.

See the NBC Artist Series page for more information about Larsen and the work he did for NBC Oklahoma: https://www.nbcwigwam.art/nbcartists