Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Caddo and Kiowa artist Tommy Wayne “T.C.” Cannon (1948-1978) was given the name Pai-doung-a-day — Kiowa for, “One Who Stands in the Sun.” In his brief, wondrous life, Cannon radiated beauty, love, and truth at the height of the American Indian Movement, becoming one of the foremost contemporary Native American artists before dying in a car accident at the tender age of 31.
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As a multi-disciplinary artist, music was Cannon’s muse, inspiring him to create scenes of Native life that defy the hegemony of American imperialism and continue to resonate decades after his death. With a recent exhibition, T.C. Cannon: At the Edge of America, having presented the artist’s life’s work, we celebrate the visionary who boldly reclaimed images of Native Americans from pop-culture stereotypes, refashioning them as vibrant revolutionary figures perfectly attuned to the zeitgeist.
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