The hand-pulled prints, paintings and drawings of Dewayne Mathews, depicting the native dress and ceremonies of the Mississippian and Southeastern Mound Cultures, will be exhibited March 13 through April 11 at Rogers State University.
The exhibition, titled “Dreams of the Ancestors,” will be held in Foundations Gallery in Baird Hall on the RSU campus in Claremore.
An opening reception for the exhibition will be held from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery. The public is invited to attend.
Mathews, who lives in Claremore, focuses his art on the Mississippian people of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, circa 2200 BC to 1500 AD. “Through my art, I wish to convey the essence of these ancient peoples from which many present-day tribal groups are descended,” he says.
“As an artist and Native American in contemporary society, I believe it is important to further our knowledge regarding the aspects of our culture represented in our ancient art forms.”
Mathews has served as an artist-in-residence at the Arts and Humanities Councils in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. His work can be seen in the permanent collection of the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa and at galleries in Oklahoma and across the Southwest. His work has been part of dozens of Native American art exhibitions in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Indiana.
He is a graduate of Pryor High School and attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (918) 343-7740.