"Gathering Fragments: Edward S. Curtis in Oklahoma," a new exhibit of North American Indian photography, opens 6 p.m. Friday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm in Norman.
Curtis was a photographer of the American West who developed a passion for preserving the history and culture of Indian American communities. He traveled to Oklahoma in 1926.
"He was working under the idea that (with) all the assimilation that was going on with the tribes, unique tribal conditions would be lost," said exhibit curator Byron Price. "He set about trying to preserve an image, and he not only was a photographer, but he and his team did a lot of interviewing and recording of native speakers and songs."
VARIETY OF TRIBES
The photographs on display at the museum come from across Oklahoma and include images from a variety of tribes.
"He came to Oklahoma and he spent the summer of '26 mainly from Ponca City westward, and he dealt with tribes like the Otto, Ponca and the Osage to a limited degree," Price said. "He spent most of his time with the southern Cheyenne and he also did considerable work with the Wichita and the Comanche, so there are images with all of those tribes as part of this exhibition. Curtis was best know for his portraiture "? his images of faces and photographs of tribal leaders and others who he found interesting are a big part of this show."
On display through May 17, the exhibit opens Friday with a lecture from Price and Eugene B. Atkins curator Mark White. Museum admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for children and free for OU students. For more information, visit or call 325-3272.
"?James Lovett
