Upcoming
John Hitchcock: The Land Speaks
“What’s on the land? What’s above the land and what’s below the land? My work is related to the ancestral memory of the land and to how sound affects our people. The relationship to the history of warfare at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the spiritual importance of the Wichita Mountains to the descendants of this area. All of us who grew up there, and how this affects our mindsets.” --John Hitchcock
The Land Speaks consists of four bodies of work: Ceremonial (Pow-Wow Ribbon Chairs); Horse Songs series; Fragments (Banner); and the Winter Marks Calendars.
Through fabric, drawing, painting, and printmaking, Hitchcock reflects on how Indigenous identities have been shaped by land, language, and knowledge that have endured despite centuries of forced relocation, displacement, and assimilation. The Land Speaks is a visual tribute to perseverance.
Hitchcock’s artworks talk about the complex relationship among the Indigenous body, colonial policies, and the physical land around us. The exhibition features abstract representations, visual language, and vibrant colors that reference his kaku’s (Comanche grandmother’s) beadwork and growing up in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma on Comanche Tribal lands next to the U.S. field artillery military base, Fort Sill, Lawton. Many of the images are interpretations of stories shared by his Kiowa and Comanche grandparents, as well as abstract visuals influenced by beadwork, informed by the Kiowa Calendars, and intercultural identities. Embracing contemporary materials and creative practices while honoring his ancestors, he creates a celebratory aesthetic of cultural hybridity and strength.
Hitchcock’s use of blankets is rooted in Kiowa and Comanche traditions of honoring others—whether by wrapping them around a guest's shoulders or giving them as a respectful gift. It celebrates family and cultural history. In addition, he incorporates recycled past artworks made from Naugahyde, a PVC-laden synthetic leather, to speak to the environmental degradation caused by microplastics. He considers how industrial "progress" continues to affect both the land and our biological bodies. Through screenprinting, silk ribbon work, and blankets, he integrates images of the Anhinga waterbird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, and the four-pointed star—symbols of the landscape—to reclaim these fragments, transforming the remnants into a visual language of resistance and resilience.
Exhibit Dates: October 22 - November 19, 2026
Artist Lecture: October 21, 3:30-4:30pm, Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum
Exhibit Opening: Thursday, October 22nd, from 4:30-6pm