The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 30, 2026

Acrylic and graphite on four horizontally oriented panels depict a grid of symmetrical geometric motifs. Against solid backgrounds of dark brown, tan, ochre, and cream, central rectangular forms contain interlocking triangles and diamonds. Saturated red, blue, yellow, and green fill these shapes, bounded by fine graphite outlines that emphasize their sharp angles. Small handwritten text lines the bottom margins, completing the highly structured, colorful compositions.

Bishkisché

2023

Wendy Red Star

(Apsáalooke/Crow, b. 1981)
America
4 drawings; acrylic, graphite, kitakata paper, coated pastel paper
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 2024.170
© Wendy Red Star, courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles
Location: 101A Prints & Drawings

Description

For her Bishkisché series, Wendy Red Star studied and then painted 226 compositions presenting rawhide containers used to transport meat or grain, each isolated against a colorful background. Traditionally fabricated and decorated by women in the Apsáalooke/Crow tribe, bishkisché bear unique designs. Each drawing in the series is titled for the names of Apsáalooke women that the artist collected from archival research, resuscitating her name from marginalized histories. This series is emblematic of Red Star’s ongoing research-based practice and conceptual project of honoring the rich
legacy of Apsáalooke women who contributed to her tribe’s visual culture.
  • still/emerging: Native American Works on Paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 1-June 7, 2026).
  • {{cite web|title=Bishkisché|url=false|author=Wendy Red Star|year=2023|access-date=30 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.170