
Teri Greeves (Kiowa), Sons of the Sun, 2023. Beads, raw silk, and dye on canvas; 8 ft. x 6 ft. Denver Art Museum: Purchased with the Nancy Blomberg Acquisitions Fund for Native American Art, 2023.777A-E. © Teri Greeves
Teri Greeves (Kiowa) lives and works in Santa Fe, NM. Greeves began beading by the age of eight and has continued with her beading career for close to 45 years, creating works that push the boundaries of the medium. Sons of the Sun, which recently came into the DAM’s collection, is the largest artwork Greeves has created to date, measuring 8’ x 6'!
Here, you see a woman standing between two boys. These are the “half-boys,” who play a central role in many Kiowa cultural stories. Their exploits are recounted to teach lessons and wisdom to Kiowa community members. The woman standing between the boys is their mother, and behind them is an abstract motif representing their father, the sun. Note the modernity and abstraction of the parents. Greeves works to transcend timelines, helping us understand that these stories are relevant yesterday, today, and into the future. The abstract depiction of the sun signals the continued importance of abstraction in Indigenous women’s artistic practices.
Greeves relied heavily on materials from the northern part of the country (Montana and Wyoming) and materials from the southern part of the country (Oklahoma) to hand-dye the silk she beaded upon. She spent months researching and practicing how to create various dye baths, but she wanted the materials and their interactions with each other to lead her creative process and guide her to the final result.
Importantly, the artist sought to create a piece that highlighted the fact that Kiowa people have a historical connection to the North and to the Denver area in particular. In the seventeenth century, the Kiowa migrated from territories in Montana to their current location in Oklahoma. They followed the Rocky Mountains and the Platte and Arkansas Rivers, establishing a connection to this region along the way. For Greeves, having a work that reiterates the presence of the Kiowa here in Denver, and that reminds urban Kiowa people of this long history, was very important.
This work is deeply storied, making it difficult for me to unpack every element included by the artist in this short article. However, I encourage you to research the role of Grandmother Spider and Grandfather Snake in Kiowa storytelling, as well as the importance of ants (note the multitude of hand-cast ants at the bottom of the composition; view it in our online collection to enlarge) . Look into the history of other Kiowa artists such as T.C. Cannon and Silver Horn and you’ll understand the references the artist makes to her artistic ancestors. Finally, look at the way the stars interact with the trees and think about the changing seasons. These are all important clues in understanding the artist’s motivation behind the work.
However, even if you don’t want to do a lot of research, you can still enjoy this artwork by coming to our Indigenous Arts of North America galleries to see SUSTAINED! The Persistent Genius of Indigenous Art, which opens December 22. It will be on view on the third floor of our Martin Building for the next two years. Allow the scale, the precision, and the artistry to wash over you. You will be edified by the talent of this singular artist, and you can take your own stories about the work out into the world.