Our 1st Post!

In honor of our first blog post/newsletter, we thought we’d answer a few questions. 

Q: What’s the story about the beret in our logo? 

A: When Ben first started attending school at IAIA in 1966, all the instructors wore a beret. At that time, some of the instructors were also prominent Native American artists, including Lloyd Kiva New, Charles Loloma, Allen Houser, Fritz Scholder, and others. Wearing the beret is something Ben recognized and always emulated. The red and black beret was gifted to him by his wife, purchased at the Santa Fe Indian Market from a Northwest Coast artist. Since Ben’s passing, the beret was given to their “nephew”, Kenneth Williams, Jr. (Northern Arapaho/Seneca). Currently, Kenneth manages the Case Trading Post at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. He is also a talented bead artist in his own right. Kenneth generously submitted the image here of the beret. 

Q: What does our logo, “Paying it forward with generosity and kindness,” mean?

A: Ben and his wife Barbara are naturally magnanimous individuals at heart.  Whenever they identified a person in need, they made a concerted effort to meet that need. This is especially true of other artists. Ben always recognized that he was particularly blessed in his career, having had the opportunities that came his way. He always wanted to help other artists whenever he could, in any form he was able. Sometimes that help was financial, but often it was with encouragement, advice, teaching, and more intangibles. He believed in paying his good fortune forward, and that is the principle on which this charitable fund was built. 

Q: Why is Ben’s full name always in lowercase letters?

A: We always present Ben’s full name in all lowercase letters because that’s the way Ben signed his artworks: all lowercase in a very precise print. Initially, Ben signed his artwork with just “harjo.” However, in the late 1970s, another artist began using the same signature, so Ben changed his to the one seen on all of his artwork to date. When asked, his wife, Barbara, says Ben never articulated the reason why he chose to sign his work in this way. However, for some Native Americans, signing and printing their names in all lowercase letters is a deliberate practice with cultural and political meaning, rather than a grammatical error. It is often a quiet but powerful act of decolonization and resistance to Eurocentric conventions. 

Q: Is Ben related to other artists with the surname Harjo: 

A: Ben is not a known direct relation to any other artist with the surname Harjo. Though Harjo is a common Indigenous surname. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the second name, Harjo, is an Americanization of a Creek word meaning “recklessly brave.” However, historically, it became an adopted name for many other indigenous peoples across Oklahoma (historically known as “Indian Territory”). 

Did you know: 

• Ben was chosen twice as the artist for the official poster of the Santa Fe Indian Market.
• Ben’s artwork is held in major institution collections across the nation, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
• Ben was invited to participate in several international events, such as:
  • Franco-American Institute in France
  • Invited to create a work of art for Kyoto, Japan’s 1200^th birthday
  • Justice Kauger, of the OK Supreme Court, organized the Sovereignty Symposium for many years, and Ben was the t-shirt designer 
• Ben created artwork for three U.S. Supreme Court justices: Sandra Day-O’Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader-Ginsburg
• Original logo for Red Earth in Oklahoma was Ben’s design, as well as the original list of artists invited to apply, with Mavis Doering

Is there a story or something you’d like to tell subscribers about Ben? Submit your stories to our email benjaminharjojrfund@gmail.com.  You could be included in a future blog post or social media post.