Nov. 3 (UPI) — Friday’s Google Doodle celebrates the life and work of Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter, book illustrator and teacher Allan Houser.
Lynette Haozous — who created the earth-toned artwork featuring Houser sculpting his statues of Native Americans — said she hopes her Doodle reminds people of how important Houser has been in depicting the Apache people’s “resistance, resilience, history, and beauty.”
“I’d like for people to know how influential Mr. Houser was for not only Native Artists but for Native People and our history, he inspired many to be fearless in their creativity and to push the boundaries of what is considered Native Art, and took back our narratives and pushed it into the public consciousness to be respected and recognized,” Haozous said in a statement on the Google Doodle homepage.
“From Mr. Houser’s resiliency in being ‘the first Apache child born-free from being a prisoner of war,’ to creating a life of art and opening doors for Native Artists in the world, his contribution to Native Art and History is everlasting.”
In 1939, Houser created murals for the New York World’s Fair, the Department of the Interior in Washington and the Golden Gate Exposition.
He made his first marble statue — Comrade in Mourning — in 1948 as a memorial honoring the Native American soldiers who died in World War I.
Houser became the first Native American to be presented with the National Medal of Arts in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush and he was the featured artist of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.
He died in 1994 at the age of 80.
