Jean Bales

Jean Bales (1946–2003) was an Iowa Native American painter, printmaker, and historian from Oklahoma.

Early life and education

A member of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma, Jean Elaine Myers Bales was born on December 25, 1946, in Pawnee, Oklahoma. She was educated in the Chickasha public schools. In 1967 she received her bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts. She also studied at the Institute of San Miguel Allende.

Career

Bales taught crafts at a school in Fort Sill run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, also taking up a history course when its teacher resigned. This led her to a renewed interest in her heritage, and after a year she resigned to become a full-time artist. During her career Bales, who signed her work "J. Bales" so as to hide her gender, served as the official historian of the Iowa Tribe, and won over one hundred awards for her work from various entities.[1] Many of her paintings depict historical and cultural scenes in the lives of Iowa women; examples can be found in numerous public and private collections.

Death

Bales died on December 8, 2003, in Carney, Oklahoma.[2]

References
  1. Patricia Janis Broder (10 December 2013). Earth Songs, Moon Dreams: Paintings by American Indian Women. St. Martin's Press. pp. 384–. ISBN 978-1-4668-5972-2.
  2. "Jean Elaine Bales Lacy". USGenWeb Archives. The Chickasha Express. 10 December 2003.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.