Statement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board on the Passing of Longtime Chairman and Indian Artist Harvey Pratt

STATEMENT OF THE FEDERAL INDIAN ARTS AND CRAFTS BOARD 

ON 

THE PASSING OF LONGTIME CHAIRMAN AND INDIAN ARTIST HARVEY PRATT

          The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior, mourns the passing of its long-time Chairman and prominent Indian artist Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes).  First appointed to the IACB in January 2011, Harvey went on to serve as its Chairman for the next eleven years.  He was appointed and reappointed to the IACB under both Republican and Democratic Administrations.

            During his tenure as Chairman, Harvey was instrumental in leading the IACB’s extensive accomplishments in enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act to rid the Indian arts and crafts marketplace of fakes and counterfeits to protect the economic livelihoods and cultural heritage of Indian artists and their Tribes, promoting authentic Indian art and artists, supporting Indian economic growth and vitality through Indian artists’ sale of their creative work, and enhancing the appreciation of Indian art and culture through the operations of the IACB’s three Indian museums in the Plains region.

            Harvey’s unique background in both law enforcement as a forensic artist and an Indian artist engaged in painting and sculpture -- a career spanning decades -- provided him with a unique perspective that informed his service with the IACB.  Harvey recognized that authentic Indian art and craftwork is a crucial tool for passing down cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and artistic skills from one generation to the next.  As Harvey is quoted in the IACB’s Southern Plains Indian Museum’s 2009 brochure for the special exhibition of his paintings:

"I have learned that all children are creative people. We must help them to stay creative by giving them the tools and desire to expand their imagination. We, as responsible adults, should always give encouragement to children, as our ancestors in the past did; teaching through grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers and friends.  The arts have taught me to look at problems in a creative way.  I can never thank the adults in my life enough for one of God's greatest gifts, creativity. " 

-Harvey P Pratt

A natural storyteller, Harvey’s participation was always a highlight at the IACB’s educational events to promote the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and to advise Indian artists on their intellectual property rights protections.

            Harvey’s tenure as Chairman included several milestones for the IACB – the establishment of a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement to establish a dedicated Indian Arts and Crafts Act Investigative Unit, a series of landmark prosecutions and convictions under the Act; and his testimony at the Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing in 2017 regarding the importance of Indian Arts and Crafts Act enforcement.

            The current IACB Chairman, Walter Lamar (Blackfeet Nation), summarizes Harvey’s many important contributions as follows:

"Harvey Pratt, a proud Vietnam Veteran, esteemed lawman, nationally recognized Cheyenne artist, and visionary designer of the National Native American Veterans Memorial at the National Museum of the American Indian, leaves behind a powerful legacy of service and creativity. His profound knowledge, rich experience, and a lifetime dedicated to art made him an ideal Chairman of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, where he tirelessly fought for the enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and the protection of American Indian art and artists. He was not only my dear friend but also my mentor. I pray his journey will be swift and direct into the loving arms of all those awaiting him on the other side." 

Harvey Pratt, 2009 Exhibition Brochure, Southern Plains Indian Museum