Bird

Dancing Colors by JoAnn Bird (no date)

The modern Native American cultural gathering known as the “powwow” has its origins in the Nineteenth Century, when the United States government forced the diverse groups of the Great Plains Nations onto reservations. These cultures interacted, trading traditions and developing intertribal customs in solidarity with their shared trauma. Among them were mass dances and drumming gatherings. After World War II, many of these assemblies became organized by veterans and took on militaristic meanings. Powwows are now organized by tribes throughout the year all over the United States and Canada, and beyond.[i] The Senecas in southwestern New York State hold their powwow in July where a special opening ceremony honors the military and Native veterans. Only Natives can participate but attendance is open to anyone. It is a weekend of music and dancing, colorful and elaborate costumes, artisan booths, and a lot of food.

The artist of this painting, JoAnn Bird, is Dakota Sioux, one of the Nations with which the ceremony developed. Much of her work depicts themes of tradition, spirituality, and a connection with the past.[ii] In Dancing Colors, Bird communicates through color, texture, and technique the energy, noise, and experience of the modern powwow.

In Dancing Colors, JoAnn Bird communicates through color, texture, and technique the energy and sound of the modern powwow. I like how the title highlights the colors. They explode off the canvas. Blues and blacks make up a base upon which Bird then applied reds and oranges, which flash and pop against the dark background. They remind me of a bonfire at night.

Without the white, these colors would become a vibrating blob. White defines form. Notice how it’s used: as belts, feathered headdresses, leggings and sleeves. Unlike the cacophony of the others, white appears to be applied methodically. The strokes have a visual rhythm and remind me of the beat of the drums to which these figures are dancing.

The top of the painting is a white field splashed with red, orange, green, blue, and black — the same colors as below. I think this is a nice contrast against the lower section. There is so much commotion in the lower two-thirds that the calm top counters it. However, Bird understood that if the area were solid white, it would look odd. The lower half is so active and vibrant that it would overpower the top, so she adds quick, Jackson-Pollock-like splatters of color to liven it up. Just as the white breaks up the colors in the bottom, the colors here break up the white. I think it’s visually interesting.

How Bird applied her paint is important, too. She didn’t paint this with a brush. She used a palette knife. Large gobs of paint were scooped up and slapped and smeared onto the canvas. As a result, the paint is thick and textured. If you could touch it (don’t do this, however), you’d be able to feel the ridges and edges of the strokes. Then, as mentioned above, she splattered more paint across the top. These techniques are very active and dramatic. The more I look at this painting, the more I “hear” a rhythm in the paint application which, to me, makes the dancers seem more alive.

In Dancing Colors, I see an artist’s love for tradition and culture. JoAnn Bird could have painted a naturalistic scene with beautiful, colorful costumes, swaying tassels, and twinkling bells. She could have shown us the gestures and movements of the dancers, but that wasn’t her goal. This painting is expressively abstract. Rather than a realistic representation of this ceremony, her technique presents a vague impression of figures emerging from a colorful blur. She wanted me to feel and hear this piece, not just see it. Bird’s tassels of color blaze with energy and movement. Her technique creates the beat. Dancing Colors is not about a powwow. It’s about the experience of the powwow.

The location of this painting is unknown as of this writing.

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[i] “American Indian Powwows: Multiplicity & Authenticity—History,” Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage, Smithsonian Institution, 28 April 2025, https://folklife.si.edu/online-exhibitions/american-indian-powwows/history/smithsonian.

[ii] For more of artist’s biography: “Joann Bird,” Prairie Edge & Sioux Trading Post, 29 April 2025, https://prairieedge.com/joanne-bird/.