Holly Wilson

Holly Wilson (born 1968) is a Native American artist from Oklahoma. She is an enrolled member of the Delaware Nation and is of Delaware Tribe of Indians descent.

Wilson lives and works in Mustang, Oklahoma. According to Wilson, she used to call herself a sculptor, a clay artist, photographer, among many others before setting for the term "artist." As a contemporary multimedia artist, her works range from using paint (oil), bronze, clay, wood, encaustic painting, photography, and more. Her artworks are exhibited nationally and internationally in private, public, and museum collections.

Her works draw inspiration from Native American stories that she heard as a child and include themes such as shape shifters, tricksters, messenger birds, and owl bearers. Her sculptures often feature stick-like figures and animals with anthropomorphic qualities.

Her professional website states: "Holly Wilson creates figures that serve as her storytellers to the world, conveying stories of the sacred and the precious, capturing moments of our day, vulnerabilities, and strengths. The stories are, at one time, both representations of family history as well as personal experiences. Wilson's work reaches a broad audience allowing the viewer the opportunity to see their personal connection. Wilson works in various media, including bronzes, paint, encaustic, photography, glass, and clay.

Education In 1992 Holly Wilson earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute. In 1993, she earned her teaching certification in primary and secondary education (K-12) from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. She earned her Master of Arts degree in ceramics in 1994 and MFA degree in sculpture in 2001 from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas.

Artworks

Bloodline Bloodline (2015) is in a wall-hanging sculptural installation that is 29 inches high, 9 inches deep, and 264 inches wide. Wilson traced her Native American lineage to share her identity and family history to prove the amount of blood quantum that is required to be an Indian in her tribe. She was inspired by the Native American story of the Stick People. Bloodline includes several sections, each possessing a different generation of her family. The bronzed patina figures form a single line and walk along the cut locust wood. With the wood cut lengthwise, its life history is unveiled for the audience to see, and the author used that to represent the lives of the figures standing above the wood. When it is hung and light is projected upon it, it creates a shadow.

We Need A Hero We Need A Hero (2015) is a cast-bronze sculptural installation. The sharp tacks lodged on the wall are incoming bombs that represent messages coming from society. The messages come in an array of different shapes and colors signifying that not all will survive or reach very far. The blue messages are harmless, but the white ones lead to destruction for it is highly explosive. The little boy, who she referenced after her son, stands proudly on top of a bronze paper airplane. By placing the boy in the center of the incoming danger, Wilson is indicating that the child is ready to face the world set before him.

Selected exhibitions

Solo exhibitions Dream within a Dream (2019), M. A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma On Turtle's Back (2019), Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida Talk Story (solo) I'm Still Here (2017)

Group exhibition Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now Hear My Voice: Native American Art of the Past and Present

The Bonner David Gallery holds eight artworks, including "Gathering" made from bronze, patina, and wood; "Paper Wings: Fearless", "Guarded Self", and "We Need a Hero" that were made from using bronze and patina; "Night Garden" created with encaustic (hot wax) on a panel; "It's My Party" with patina and bronze; "The Interwoven Dragon" made from bronze, steel, cedar, and patina; and"Girl in the Red Dress" with cold wax and oil paint on panel.

Public collections The Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art holds her sculptures such as "Belonging" (2014) made from geodes and bronze, and "Masked" (2012) made from African Mahogany and Bronze.

Other public collections include: Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian

Honors and awards 2015: Eiteljorg Fellowship, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis 2017: SWAIA Discovery Fellowship, Santa Fe Indian Market