Portrait of Portlyn Harjo, Creek/Seminole

Ryan RedCorn

Cultural affiliations: Osage

born 1979

Portrait of Portlyn Harjo, Creek/Seminole, 2019

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: dye diffusion thermal transfer printing; polyester cloth; silicone

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 304.8 x 228.6 cm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 120 x 90 in

Credit line: Museum purchase: R. Charles and Mary Margaret Clevenger Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 2019.0064.01

Not on display

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Native Fashion

Ryan RedCorn allows the people he photographs to choose the location, outfit, pose, and general vibe of their portrait, giving them agency over their image and representation. In this graduation portrait, Portlyn Harjo playfully balances past and future as she steps out of her father’s backyard wearing a traditional patchwork skirt and gorget while holding her favorite coffee mug. Her father, Sterlin Harjo, co-founded the comedy troupe the 1491s with RedCorn, and is also co-creator of the television show Reservation Dogs.

The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists

Ryan RedCorn collaborated with aspiring poet and rock musician Portlyn Harjo to create a portrait that conveys a level of grace, power, and visual rhyming that elevates this photograph to the realm of myth. This is a senior portrait to celebrate Harjo’s graduation from high school and was taken in her dad Sterlin’s unkempt backyard in Tulsa, Oklahoma, suggesting ties to current places and also the places where Harjo may be heading. Harjo is Creek/Seminole, descended from Indigenous Nations that were forced from their native Florida through several wars in the 1700s. Most of the displaced descendants now live in Oklahoma.

The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists