Rick Bartow | |
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| Born | Richard Elmer Bartow December 16, 1946 |
| Died | April 2, 2016(2016-04-02) (aged 69) Oregon |
| Nationality | Wiyot Tribe,American |
| Education | Western Oregon University |
| Known for | sculpture,painting,printmaking |
| Notable work | We Were Always Here The Responsibility of Raising a Child |
Richard Elmer "Rick"Bartow (December 16, 1946 – April 2, 2016) was aNative American artist and a member of theMad River band of theWiyot Tribe, who are indigenous toHumboldt County,California. He primarily createdpastel,graphite, andmixed media drawings, wood sculpture, acrylic paintings, drypoint etchings, monotypes, and a small number of ceramic works.[1]
Richard Elmer Bartow was born inNewport, Oregon, on December 16, 1946, to Mabel and Richard Bartow. His father's family was of the Mad River band ofWiyot. In Oregon, the family developed close ties with the localSiletz Indian community. When Rick was five, his father died. His non-Indian mother then married Andrew Mekemson, whom Bartow considered to be a beloved second father. Bartow became interested in art at an early age, encouraged by his aunt Amy Bartow, who studied art and art education at theUniversity of Washington. His love for art continued through high school and extended to music when he took up the guitar and bongos.[2]
Bartow attendedWestern Oregon University and graduated in 1969 with a degree in secondary art education. In 1969, he was drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. He served in theVietnam War from 1969 to 1971 as a teletype operator and as a musician in a military hospital, for which he was awarded theBronze Star.[3][4][5]
After several small shows in the Newport area, Rick Bartow was offered a solo exhibition in 1985 by William Jamison of Jamison/Thomas Gallery, who operated galleries in Portland, Oregon, and New York City. Bartow exhibited frequently at both locations and elsewhere, and his work began to garner national attention. Following Jamison's death in 1995 and his galleries' subsequent closures, Bartow signed on with Charles Froelick of Froelick Gallery in Portland,[2] and a fruitful 20-year professional relationship and friendship followed.
Bartow's carvingThe Cedar Mill Pole was displayed in theJacqueline Kennedy Garden at theWhite House in 1997; it had been designated one of the most highly regarded Native American public sculptures in the country.[6][7] The pole was partially inspired by Bartow's work with theMāori artistJohn Bevan Ford. Presented as a gift to thePortland, Oregon metropolitan community from Oregon'sWashington County and theOregon College of Art and Craft, it was intended to help heal the controversy that surrounded an urban development project. The 26-foot-tall carving was created using one of the giantcedars that were removed for a road project.[8]
The Smithsonian'sNational Museum of the American Indian commissioned Bartow's monumental cedar sculpturesWe Were Always Here, which sit on the northwest corner of the museum overlooking the National Mall. Dedicated on the autumnal equinox, September 21, 2012, the towering works represent a pinnacle of Bartow's accomplishments.[9] Of these sculptures, Bartow stated "The Welcoming Bear and Raven, Healer and Rascal sit atop the sculpture poles; one, slow and methodical, fiercely protective of her children, the other a playful, foible-filled teacher of great power. Both Bear and Raven are focused on water and salmon for serious reasons. The salmon reflect the health of the environment, in particular water, the source of all life. On each pole are repeated lower horizontal patterns that symbolize successive waves, generations following generations, an accumulation of wisdom and knowledge. The tree used for the sculptures is approximately 500 years old. The elders say that the power of the sun is stored within the tree. Essentially the tree embodies the fundamental elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, our sacred and precious natural resources."[10]
As for influences, Bartow citedMarc Chagall,Francis Bacon,Odilon Redon andHorst Janssen, in addition to his Native American heritage and his work with the Māori. These artists also workedexpressionistically with human and animal forms.[3]
In April 2015, theJordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at theUniversity of Oregon opened "Things You Know but Cannot Explain", a major retrospective exhibition of Rick Bartow's works in many media, spanning 35 years of his career as an artist. Venues for its 2015–19 run are theGilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma;North Dakota Museum Of Art in Grand Forks, North Dakota;IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico; theHeard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona;Washington State University in Pullman, Washington; TheBoise Art Museum in Boise, Idaho; the Schingoethe Center ofAurora University in Aurora, Illinois; theAutry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California; theHigh Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon; and theC.N. Gorman Museum atUC Davis in Davis, California.[5]
Bartow's work was part ofStretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native Painting (2019–2021), a survey at the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center.[11]
Bartow's work can be found in several museum collections including theBrooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York; thePeabody Essex Museum[12] in Salem, Massachusetts;Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, Indiana; theNational Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC; theHallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon; theHeard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona; thede Saisset Museum[13] and thePortland Art Museum.[14] In 2003, his works were exhibited at theGeorge Gustav Heye Center, a branch of theNational Museum of the American Indian inNew York City.[15]
In Bartow's hometown of Newport, there are public displays of his works, including a permanent display ofFrom the Heart: Author Drawings at the Newport Public Library.[16] TheHatfield Marine Science Center Guin Library has public displays of Bartow's art, includingSelf Portrait with a Red nose (oil; 1989),Boat (wood and nails; 1998),Fish (wood and metal; no date)[17] along withShip of Fools (pastel on paper; 1993) at theValley Library (Corvallis, Oregon).[18]
Bartow was also a musician and singer with his band, Bartow and the Backseat Drivers. He played the guitar[1][3] including regular local performances in South Beach and Newport where he lived.[16]
Rick Bartow died of congestive heart failure on April 2, 2016, at the age of 69.[19][4]
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