New exhibition 'The Heart Is a Fist' opening Oct. 12 in Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery

LAWRENCE — An upcoming exhibition at the University of Kansas will feature recent works by artists from Haskell Indian Nations University and by KU alumnus Sydney Pursel, curator for public practice at the Spencer Museum of Art. “The Heart Is a Fist” runs from Oct. 12 through Nov. 4 at Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery. A reception is planned at 2 p.m. Oct. 23, with a panel discussion at 3 p.m.

The exhibition title comes from Joy Harjo’s poem “Break My Heart,” in which she wrote, “The heart is a fist / It pockets prayer or holds rage.” Accordingly, artworks in this exhibition “pocket prayer” and “hold rage,” some featuring the red hand of solidarity for missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW). The works also examine other issues that matter to Indigenous Americans, such as ancestral connections, boarding schools, Native stereotypes and humor.

“Let each work and the accompanying text lead the way into thoughtful meditation and remembrance of American histories that haunt as well as exalt us," said David Titterington, instructor of art at Haskell Indian Nations University.

“The Heart Is a Fist” is sponsored by the Department of Visual Art and is the second show featuring Indigenous artists to be endowed by the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Exhibit Fund. The fund and gallery are named for Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds (Cheyenne, Arapaho), a renowned artist and KU alumnus. The gallery, which located on the third floor of Chalmers Hall, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Read more and see the full list of artists at the exhibition’s Facebook event site.