Pharaoh 171 Artist Talk & Reception

Presented by Joe Pekara in conjunction with Pharaoh 171 x Red Berry Woman: Photography + Fashion

Griffin Concert Hall on Thursday, February 15 at 6 p.m., reception to follow

Pharaoh 171 Artist Talk and Reception: Hear Joseph Pekara (aka Pharaoh 171), joined by Norma Baker-Flying Horse, talk about the upcoming exhibition Pharaoh 171 x Red Berry Woman: Photography + Fashion, their work in photography, the music industry, and fashion, and the recent collaboration that won them a Cultural Recognition Award in the Visual Arts in 2022.

A reception will follow. Free and open to all!

Pharaoh 171 is the artistic moniker for Joseph ‘Sagonige Yanasi’ Pekara, a four-time Grammy Award, and three-time Sony Award winning photographer. A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Pekara is a part of the Choctaw and Tsalagi nations. Although he is best known for his hip-hop and concert photography, Pekara is also highly active in making images of wildlife, portraiture, landscapes, and scenes of Native North American culture.

Pekara got his start with a digital SLR camera that he inherited from his uncle. His photos from Fort Collins concert venues—especially the indie hip-hop group Hieroglyphics—led to his main gigs as tour photographer for Nappy Roots and 50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson III). He also makes photos for the rapper Wale, Erica Banks, and others.

While his primary professional focus is concert photography, Pekara also excels at wildlife photography, which he likens to capturing live moments on stage. His work has also always included powerful images of Indigenous culture, which led to a cultural recognition award from the Smithsonian Institute and the Recording Academy (who award the Grammys) in 2022.

Red Berry Woman

NORMA BAKER-FLYING HORSE

Red Berry Woman is a fashion line that incorporates Native American traditional garment styles into contemporary couture garments and ready to wear for both women and men. RBW was created by Norma Baker-Flying Horse, an enrolled member of the Hidatsa tribe and a member of the Dakota Sioux and Assiniboine tribes as well as an adopted member of the Crow Nation. RBW is the recipient of the 2020 International Designer of the year, the 2022 Phoenix Fashion Week Designer of the Year, and the 2022 Cultural Recognition Visual Arts Grammy Award co-recipient.

Giving her business her Native given name, Red Berry Woman, Norma strives to create pieces that honor and celebrate her tribal bloodlines.

About Pharaoh 171 x Red Berry Woman: Photography + Fashion

Pekara has recently taken up high-end fashion photography, working with designer Norma Baker-Flying Horse—an enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikaria (MHA) Nation and a member of the Dakota Sioux and Assiniboine tribes, as well as an adopted member of the Crow Nation—to photograph her newest collections. Working under her Native given name, Red Berry Woman, Baker-Flying Horse’s fashion line incorporates Native American traditional styles into contemporary couture and ready-to-wear garments that honor tribal bloodlines and influence contemporary fashion.

Pharaoh 171 x Red Berry Woman: Photography + Fashion at Gregory Allicar Museum of Art combines Pekara’s photography and examples from Baker-Flying Horse’s Red Berry Woman fashion line. The exhibiting artists have also chosen works from the museum’s permanent collection that speak to their backgrounds and interests.

Support

Ongoing support for the museum’s exhibitions and programming is generously provided by the FUNd Endowment at CSU and Colorado Creative Industries. CCI and its activities are made possible through an annual appropriation from the Colorado General Assembly and federal funds from the National Endowment for the arts.

And thank you to our media sponsor, Rooster Magazine.