#InYourFace: Reflections On Contemporary Portraiture
Nationality
American Indian, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
Title of Work
Preview
Date of Work
1981
Medium
Colored Pencil
Signature
Lower right
Height
13"
Width
16"
Collection/Provenance
Art & Design Study Collection
Status
On display: Second floor
Location
Memorial Union
Artist Bio
Bennett Brien was born in 1957 in Belcourt, North Dakota. He received his BFA and MFA degrees in sculpture at the University of North Dakota. Brien’s work incorporates his heritage and reflects pride in Native American traditions.
Well known throughout the region as a sculptor, Brien’s public sculpture can be found at the police station, the University of North Dakota, and Altru hospital in Grand Forks; the Federal Building, the North Dakota State Game and Fish Building, and other sites on State Capitol grounds in Bismarck; and at the University of Minnesota—Crookston.
Brien received additional attention recently when several of his works were included in the national award-winning book, Storytelling Time: Native North American from the Collections at the University of North Dakota, which was published by University of North Dakota Art Collections in association with Hudson Hills Press in 2010.
Additional Information
Student composed text panel:
Bennett Brien (American, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians)
Environmental Collaboration, 1981
Colored pencil
UND Art Collections: Art & Design Study Collection
Purchased by UND in 1987 at the Juried Student Art Exhibition.
Bennett Brien ('84, '88), is a native of Belcourt, ND and a graduate of the University of North Dakota. He is experienced in several medias, ranging from acrylic to various metals. Brien is well recognized in the northern states and is best known for two sculptures, a buffalo and an Arabian horse, located on the state capitol grounds in Bismarck, ND. An artist who uses art to honor and bring attention to Native American culture and significance, he is also the creator of Soaring Eagle, a sculpture in the garden behind the Chester Fritz Library at UND.
Like many of Brien’s works, this piece expresses culture and ideals. The connection of the individual to the natural world can be seen in this piece, through his representational use of imagery.
Featured in the student-curated exhibition, #InYourFace: Reflections on Contemporary Portraiture, 2019
Condition
Very good.
Condition Notes
Framed