Oneida Indian Nation Homelands (June 16, 2021) – Oneida Indian Nation Member Olivia Bigtree (Turtle Clan) was named as an “Artist to Watch” in a recent New York Times article.
A student at the world-renowned Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Olivia has been regionally and nationally recognized for her thought-provoking work. The New York Times story refers to Olivia as, “sophisticated, slick and has style.” Adding “I think she’s going to be a really powerful force.”
Olivia’s early list of awards and accomplishments include being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar of the Arts, a national medalist in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and winner of U.S. Representative John Katko’s Congressional Art Competition.
The prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students and is administered by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the U.S. Department of Education to recognize and provide leadership development opportunities for some of America’s most outstanding graduating high school seniors.
Olivia holds fellow Native artist Wendy Red Star in the highest esteem as a mentor and role model for her and the many Native women artists that will follow her.
“One of the most influential inspirations has been the relationship I’ve built with Wendy Red Star, a Crow multidisciplinary contemporary artist,” she said in a profile highlighting her work and educational accomplishments. “Her work and commitment to creating art remains as a major influence to my own creative practice.”
Watch Olivia’s 145 Indigenous Women, a recipient of a Regional Gold Key.
