Acee Blue Eagle (17 August 1907 – 18 June 1959) was a

Native American art Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas encompasses the visual artistic practices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas from ancient times to the present. These include works from South America and North America, which includes ...

ist, educator, dancer, and

Native American flute The Native American flute is a flute that is held in front of the player, has open finger holes, and has two chambers: one for collecting the breath of the player and a second chamber which creates sound. The player breathes into one end of the ...

player,Wyckoff, 92 who directed the art program at

Bacone College Bacone College, formerly Bacone Indian University, is a private tribal college in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Founded in 1880 as the Indian University by missionary Almon C. Bacone, it was originally affiliated with the mission arm of what is now Ameri ...

. His birth name was Alexander C. McIntosh, he also went by Chebon Ahbulah (Laughing Boy), and Lumhee Holot-Tee (Blue Eagle), and was an enrolled member of the

Muscogee (Creek) Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...

Early life and education

Alexander C. McIntosh was born north of

Anadarko, Oklahoma Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The city is fifty miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The population was 5,745 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County. History Anadarko got its name when its post of ...

on August 17, 1907; however, his birth year is also given as 1909. His father was Solomon McIntosh, and his mother was Martha "Mattie" McIntosh. His Muscogee Creek great-grandfather served as a chief for 31 years.Lester, 73 Blue Eagle studied Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, and then Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, where he earned his high school diploma in 1928. He began college at

in Muskogee and then completed his BFA degree at

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

(OU) in

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

in 1932. While at OU, Blue Eagle studied painting under Oscar B. Jacobson, known for popularizing “ Flatstyle” painting. Blue Eagle served for three years in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

during World War II.

Teaching career

Blue Eagle joined the art department at

in 1935, where he directed the program until 1938 and helped shaped development of the Bacone style of painting and grow the department. After the war, he taught at Oklahoma State Technical School in Okmulgee.

Art career

Blue Eagle's work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. In 1935, Blue Eagle was invited to give a series of lectures on American Indian art at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

in England. By 1938, his work had become nationally recognized, and he had a solo exhibition at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City. From 1936 to 1937, the

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma. Overview The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art holds over 20,000 objects in its permanent collection. The museum c ...

in Norman exhibited the solo show, ''Acee Blue Eagle, Bacone, water-colors''. In the 1940s, he created a number of works for his friend, the collector

Thomas Gilcrease William Thomas Gilcrease (February 8, 1890 – May 6, 1962) was an American oilman, art collector, and philanthropist. During his lifetime, Gilcrease collected more than 10,000 artworks, 250,000 Native American artifacts and 100,000 rare book ...

. Blue Eagle gained worldwide fame during his lifetime, and his two-dimensional paintings hang in private and public galleries all over the world. Blue Eagle was well known for painting large interior murals, some of which are still preserved in Oklahoma, for the New Deal art projects. In 1934 he was invited to join the

Public Works of Art Project The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was a New Deal program designed to employ artists that operated from 1933 to 1934. The program was headed by Edward Bruce, under the United States Treasury Department with funding from the Civil Works Admin ...

; one of his murals was in the dining hall of the . He was commissioned to paint two murals for classrooms in the health and physical education building of Oklahoma College for Women, now the

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) is a public liberal arts college in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college in Oklahoma with a strictly liberal arts–focused curriculum and is a member of the Council of Public ...

, in

Chickasha, Oklahoma Chickasha is a city in and the county seat of Grady County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 16,036 at the 2010 census. Chickasha is home to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. The city is named for and strongly connecte ...

.McLerran, Jennifer. ''A New Deal for Native Art: Indian Arts and Federal Policy, 1933–1943'' (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2009), 266. He completed PWAP murals at other Oklahoma colleges, including one in the auditorium of Central State College (now

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...

in Edmond) and in the administration building of Northeastern State Teachers College (now

Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of high ...

in Tahlequah). For the

Section of Painting and Sculpture The Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art project established on October 16, 1934, and administered by the Procurement Division of the United States Department of the Treasury. Commonly known as the Section, it was rena ...

, Blue Eagle painted

United States post office murals United States post office murals are notable examples of New Deal art produced during the years 1934–1943. They were commissioned through a competitive process by the United States Department of the Treasury. Some 1,400 murals were created fo ...

Seminole, Oklahoma Seminole ( sac, Sheminônîheki) is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,488 at the 2010 census. Seminole experienced a large population growth in the 1920s due to an oil boom. History The city was platted i ...

(1939) and

Coalgate, Oklahoma Coalgate is a city in and the county seat of Coal County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,967 at the 2010 census, a 1.9 percent decrease from the figure of 2,005 recorded in 2000. The town was founded in 1889 in the Choctaw Nation, ...

(1942). Fred Beaver, a

Muscogee Creek The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsSeminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

artist, restored Blue Eagle's Coalgate mural in 1965. Blue Eagle's work was part of ''Stretching the Canvas: Eight Decades of Native Painting'' (2019–21), a survey at the

National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Sm ...

Awards and honors

Blue Eagle was elected into the Indian Hall of Fame, Who's Who of Oklahoma, and the

International Who's Who ''The International Who's Who'' is a Who's Who series of reference books of notable people worldwide that has been published annually since 1935. History The first edition was published in 1935 by Europa Publications. The eighth edition (1943-4 ...

. He was chosen "Outstanding Indian in the United States" in 1958. Among his many honors, Blue Eagle received a medal for eight paintings at the

National Museum of Ethiopia The National Museum of Ethiopia (NME), also referred to as the Ethiopian National Museum, is a national museum in Ethiopia. It is located in the capital, Addis Ababa, near the Addis Ababa University's graduate school. Overview The museum houses ...

, presented by the Emperor

Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia ('' ...

. Fellow Oklahoma artist and muralist

Charles Banks Wilson Charles Banks Wilson (August 6, 1918 – May 2, 2013) was an List of American artists 1900 and after, American artist. Wilson was born in Springdale, Arkansas in 1918; his family eventually moved to Miami, Oklahoma, where he spent his childho ...

said of Blue Eagle, "Acee was the

Dale Carnegie Dale Carnegie (; spelled Carnagey until c. 1922; November 24, 1888 – November 1, 1955) was an American writer and lecturer, and the developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal ...

of Indian Art. Curator and art historian Jeanne O. Snodgrass wrote in 1968, "If Oklahoma has a foundation in Indian Art, it is with Acee Blue Eagle."

Personal

Blue Eagle's cousin was painter

Solomon McCombs Solomon McCombs (Muscogee Creek, 1913–1980) was a Native American artist from Oklahoma known for his paintings, murals, and illustrations. McCombs worked as a muralist for the U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts in 1942 and as an illustrator a ...

(Muscogee/Seminole). Another cousin, Howard Rufus Collins, painted under the name Ducee Blue Buzzard, as a parody of Acee's name.Gregory, Strickland, and Blue Buzzard, 49

Death and legacy

Acee Blue Eagle died on June 18, 1959, and is buried in the National Cemetery at

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

, Oklahoma. Tamara Liegerot Elder published a biography of the artist: ''Lumhee Holot-tee: The Art and Life of Acee Blue Eagle'', in 2006 through Medicine Wheel Press. At

Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

, a business administration building is named Blue Eagle Hall in his honor.

Notes

References

* Elder, Tamara Liegerot. ''Lumhee Holot-tee: The Art and Life of Acee Blue Eagle''. Edmond, OK: Medicine Wheel Press, 2006. . * Jack Gregory and Rennard Strickland, editors. Ducee Blue Buzzard, illustrator. ''American Indian Spirit Tales: Redbirds, Ravens, and Coyotes''. Muscogee, Oklahoma: Indian Heritage Association, 1974. ASIN B0006W9L16. * Lester, Patrick D. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters''. Norman and London: The Oklahoma University Press, 1995. . * Morand, Anne, Kevin Smith, Daniel C. Swan, Sarah Erwin, ''Treasures of Gilcrease: Selections from the Permanent Collection'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2005),
excerpt available
at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

). * Wyckoff, Lydia L. ''Visions and Voices: Native American Painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art''. Tulsa, OK: Philbrook Museum of Art, 1996. .

External links

Register to the Papers of Acee Blue Eagle
National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Blue Eagle, Acee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Eagle, Acee 1907 births 1959 deaths 20th-century American painters American male painters American muralists Bacone College alumni Bacone College faculty Modern painters Muscogee people Native American painters Painters from Oklahoma Public Works of Art Project artists Section of Painting and Sculpture artists University of Oklahoma alumni Olympic competitors in art competitions Native American male artists 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century American male artists