Marvin Oliver (1946–2019) was an Indigenous American artist and professor. He mainly focused on contemporary sculpture and printmaking. Oliver used his

Quinault Quinault may refer to: * Quinault people, an Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast **Quinault Indian Nation, a federally recognized tribe **Quinault language, their language People * Quinault family of actors, including * Jean-Baptis ...

and

Isleta Pueblo of Isleta ( tix, Shiewhibak , kjq, Dîiw'a'ane ; nv, Naatoohó ) is an unincorporated community and Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established in the . The Southern Tiwa name of the pueblo ...

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

heritage as an influence for his art, but he also took inspiration from

Coast Salish The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coas ...

traditions.

Biography

Oliver was born in

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in 1946 and his family moved to the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, when he was eight years old. He later attended the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

, graduating in 1973. He studied art history and art under Bill Holm and

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Armstead Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter known for his portrayal of African-American historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", although by his own ...

. He became a professor at the University of Washington the next year in 1974. One of this students was

Jewell James Jewell James (born February 2, 1953; also known as Praying Wolf, Sit ki kadem, and Tse Sealth) is a Lummi Nation master carver of totem poles, author, and an environmental activist. He is a descendant of Chief Seattle. Early life and education ...

. In 1975, Oliver offered the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

a redesign of their logo, to bring its look close to that of local formline art styles. Oliver created many pieces from glass such as "Northwest Coast-style baskets and spirit boards, kachinas and fins, faces and disks. He carved and painted wood totem poles, cylinders, and door panels. He cast towering bronze fins. His serigraphs of whales and birds were bright and joyful". Oliver gifted his artwork to the University of Washington graduates celebrating Raven's Feast community dinner. He also created an honor group for students at San Francisco State University who occupied Alcatraz from 1969 to 1970. A few of Marvin Oliver's works can be seen in Perugia, Italy. His piece "The Orca" is located in Sisters Orca Park. Also, "Soul Catcher" and "Raven's Journey" are both located on the University of Washington campus. The work "Mystical Journey", weighing 12,000 pounds is in the Seattle Children's Hospital. Oliver also had a studio in Seattle and a gallery in Ketchikan, Alaska. Oliver received the Odegaard Award in May 2019, which is given to individuals "whose leadership in the community exemplifies the former UW president's work on behalf of diversity." Oliver died from pancreatic cancer on July 17, 2019, in Seattle, Washington.

Collections

Oliver's art is held in the permanent collections of the following institutions: *

Museum of International Folk Art The Museum of International Folk Art is a state-run institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It is one of many cultural institutions operated by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. History The museum was founded by Floren ...

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. Hi ...

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park on Cap ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, Marvin 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American male artists 20th-century American printmakers 21st-century American printmakers Native American sculptors Native American printmakers 2019 deaths Year of birth uncertain Deaths from pancreatic cancer University of Washington alumni University of Washington faculty

Biography

Collections

See also

References