IACB Features Amber DuBoise-Shepherd in a Special Exhibition

Amber DuBoise-Shepherd - Tradition Through Modern Eyes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 16, 2018  

ANADARKO, OKLAHOMA: The Southern Plains Indian Museum, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, will feature an exhibit of paintings by Amber DuBoise-Shepherd.  The exhibition will run from October 26 to December 31, 2018.  A reception and gallery talk will be held November 9, from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.  The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Amber DuBoise-Shepherd, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation of Arizona, is a talented painter.  Born and raised in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Amber and her husband, Joshuah Shepherd, currently reside in Shawnee, Oklahoma.  She holds an Associate’s Degree from Seminole State College, Seminole, Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma.  Amber currently works full-time as an artist.

Through her art, Amber depicts contemporary narratives of modern Native Americans interacting with spiritual beings in their daily lives.  She works in both oil paints and mixed media, consisting of watercolors and refillable Copic markers.  The decision on whether to use oil or mixed media for a piece depends on the narrative Amber hopes to tell with her artwork.  In her oil paintings, she prefers to use Arches oil paper in order to create a smooth surface.  Oil paints impart a quality of softness to the piece that harmonizes with the smoothness of the paper substrate.  For her mixed media pieces, she experiments with different types of paper in order to create greater levels of depth and texture.  Both tools help in telling a different version of a narrative piece.  Regardless of the medium, Amber employs a consistent style in her two-dimensional work.

As the descendent of a long line of artisans, Amber gives credit to her family for her creativity.  Her mother’s family is Navajo and she grew up seeing her maternal great-grandmother, Louise Begay, weave Navajo rugs on a large metal loom when she visited the Navajo Reservation.  Amber recalls her great-grandmother shearing sheep by hand, spinning the wool into yarn, and using large pots to dye her own yarn.  Many talented silversmiths are also part of Amber’s maternal family, and they pride themselves in creating handmade Navajo jewelry.  Amber’s paternal family is Sac and Fox and Potawatomi.  Her paternal grandmother, Adeline DuBoise, creates handmade Sac and Fox, Potawatomi, Kickapoo, Seminole, and Shawnee clothing that Amber proudly wears.

Amber has received numerous awards for her artwork including: the 2018 Red Earth Emerging Artist Award, Red Earth Festival, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Third Place at the 2018 Stillwater Arts Festival, Stillwater, Oklahoma; First Place at the 2017 Native American Heritage Festival, Cushing, Oklahoma; Best of Show at the 2016 Native American Heritage Festival in Cushing, Oklahoma; and Third Place at the 2016 Annual Juried Student Exhibition in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  

The artwork featured in the exhibition may be purchased by contacting Amber DuBoise-Shepherd directly at (580) 585-1796 or by email at alduboise@yahoo.com.

* Exhibition brochure 

The Southern Plains Indian Museum is managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Regular viewing hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All exhibits at the museum are free and open to the public.