Albert Lee Harjo (1937 – 2019), born in 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 ...

Hanna, Oklahoma Hanna is a town in southwestern McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 102 at the time of the 2020 Census. It was named for Hanna Bullett, the daughter of a prominent early resident.Baker, Jerry. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma ...

, was a fullblood

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

artist."Albert Harjo."
''Dakota Southwest Traders''. (retrieved 8 April 2009)

Education

Harjo was born on September 25, 1937, in

, on the Muscogee Indian Reservation. He attended Jones Academy in

Hartshorne, Oklahoma Hartshorne (pronounced "Hearts-orn") is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the third largest city in the county. The population was 1,947 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Description The community was named ...

, then later

Chilocco Indian Agricultural School Chilocco Indian School (/ʃɪˈlɑkoʊ/) was an agricultural school for Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans on reserved land in north-central Oklahoma from 1884 to 1980. It was approximately 20 miles north of Ponca City, Okla ...

, just north of

Ponca City, Oklahoma Ponca City () is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 24,424 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 25,387 at the tim ...

. After graduating with a high school diploma from Chilocco, Harjo enlisted and served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. He was honorably discharged in 1959.

Art career

Harjo's subject matter derived from his own life experiences as well those of neighbors, friends and family. Albert painted in the

Bacone school The Bacone school or Bacone style of painting, drawing, and printmaking is a Native American intertribal "Flatstyle" art movement, primarily from the mid-20th century in Eastern Oklahoma and named for Bacone College. This art movement bridges hist ...

, a Flatstyle of painting defined by Southeaster tribal artists active at

Bacone College Bacone College, formerly Bacone Indian University, is a private 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 American Bapt ...

. His paintings used colors and multiple contour lines to define figures and shapes, as opposed to three-dimensional perspective or shading. He worked in

distemper Distemper may refer to: Illness *A viral infection **Canine distemper, a disease of dogs ** Feline distemper, a disease of cats ** Phocine distemper, a disease of seals *A bacterial infection **Equine distemper, or Strangles, a bacterial infecti ...

and

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

. Harjo exhibited his work at the

Five Civilized Tribes Museum The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma, showcases the art, history, and culture of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes": the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole tribes. Housed in the historic Union Indi ...

Red Earth Festival The Red Earth Festival is a Native American cultural festival that takes places every June in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. Red Earth, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that hosts the festival and maintained the Red Earth Art Center, ...

, Creek Council House Museum, and the

Philbrook Museum of Art Philbrook Museum of Art is an art museum with expansive formal gardens located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The museum, which opened in 1939, is located in a former 1920s villa, "Villa Philbrook", the home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his ...

. He also contributed his art work for causes such as the Red Cross and Native American bone marrow recruitment.Lester, Patrick D. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters.'' Tulsa, Oklahoma: SIR Publications, 1995: 220. . Harjo's paintings can be found in museums, galleries, and private collections throughout Eastern Oklahoma, the United States, and abroad.

Death

Harjo died on September 6, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harjo, Albert 1937 births Living people Muscogee (Creek) Nation people United States Marines People from McIntosh County, Oklahoma Artists from Oklahoma Native American painters People from Hartshorne, Oklahoma 20th-century Native American artists 21st-century Native American artists Muscogee male artists Muscogee artists