by Jen
The Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, is best known for its outstanding collection of American Indian Art & History, but beginning tomorrow a special exhibit with a geeky twist will grace one of its galleries. Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure! features famous heroes such as Wonder Woman and Spider-Man, as well as Native American heroes like Super Indian, (Su)perman, and Kagagi the Raven.
Life-size figures of Green Lantern and Batman welcome you to the exhibit, and visitors are immediately drawn into the story of Tribal Force, the first comic book to move beyond indigenous stereotypes. It features a Native American team of superheroes created, written, and illustrated by American Indians.
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Inside the exhibit, you can explore the work of American Indian comic book artists such as Arigon Starr (Super Indian and Diogi), Theo Tso (Captain Paiute and Bad Medicine), Jay Odjick (Kagagi and Windigo), and Virgil Ortiz (The Blind Archers and the Castillians).
Superheroes in fine art are also represented, with impressive pieces such as Susan Folwell’s Pueblo Girl (imagined as a cousin to Wonder Woman), Dominique Reano’s Pueblo Powerpuff Girls, and Jeffrey Veregge’s uniquely native versions of familiar superheroes.
Interactive parts of the exhibit will appeal to kids and adults who are kids at heart. Visitors can make masks and capes, and even use technology by urbanSTEW to dance and play alongside an animal companion of their choice.
The final wall of the exhibit is dedicated to real-life superheroes such as Po’Pay and the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I.
The final wall of the exhibit is dedicated to real-life superheroes such as Po’Pay and the Choctaw Code Talkers of World War I.
Make sure to visit the Book Store on your way out - the Diogi t-shirts only come in child sizes, but the (Su)perman t-shirts and the graphic novels of characters featured in the exhibit are definitely worth a second look!
If you’re a native of Phoenix, or if your travels will bring you to Arizona this summer, Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure! is a must-see adventure for geeks of all ages! This special exhibit will be at the Heard Museum from May 16 - August 23.
If you’re a native of Phoenix, or if your travels will bring you to Arizona this summer, Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure! is a must-see adventure for geeks of all ages! This special exhibit will be at the Heard Museum from May 16 - August 23.
