Client: Chickasaw Community Bank

Overview

Sixty-one site-specific commissioned artworks, wall-mounted artworks and sculptures dappled the new Chickasaw Community Bank Headquarters Building on opening day. The works, from monumental to miniscule, were created by a compendium of artists, craft-persons, design teams and studios from across the central United States; representing fourteen different cultural backgrounds. Support and presentation components, including pedestals and textile display rails, were designed in-house and fabricated locally. All temporary archiving, relocations and installations were also managed in-house by the Kasum Manifold team. From initial communications to contract completion, this acquisition and commission contract was completed in less than seven months. The artworks in this project express the ethos of The Nation and also incorporate many historical references to The Chickasaw Nation through symbolism and reinterpretation of historical artifacts; such as an historic 1773 map created by a Lower Chickasaw man named Fanni Mingo, translated as “Squirrel King.”

Goals

The intent or theme of the curated collection of artworks is an expression of the bank’s work in service of the greater good, gathering light, focusing that energy and casting it across the globe to illuminate the world. This theme is bolstered through metaphors and subjective elements that incorporate or support traditional Native ideals, principals, and/or acts of Nature’s ability to frame our perspectives as it reshapes the world around us. These concepts are often delivered through simple expressions wherein, for example, we can see the power of persistence as a river cuts a path through stone. Pragmatically, our goal was to implement artworks at major touch points throughout the facility that would help to establish a sense of character while also creating defined wayfinding identifiers throughout the four levels of the building. Being mindful of our budget, we accomplished this by implementing a variety of original artwork, site-specific commissions and licensed large-format photographs. A great deal of effort was also put into creating color compliments to the color themes used throughout the building and recently refreshed brand materials.

Process

The initial overarching concept for the curated artworks at the facility was presented to the Governor, Lt. Governor and Business Board of The Chickasaw Nation. Working on an accelerated timeline, we issued commission contracts for known commissions as soon as we received contract approval. Following the Board’s general approval, we worked closely with the interior design team headed by Vicki VanStavern NCIDQ, LEED AP, Principal of VanStavern Design and bank’s Executive Board President Gene Watson and Assistant V.P. Theresa Gunn, to manage individual artwork selections and additional concepts for commissioning or acquisition. The Bank Team was exceptional in providing quick communications and decision making, without which, the timeline could have been substantially extended. The project incorporates a range of media such as hand-woven and dyed grasses, recycled glass aggregate in epoxy, cast bronze, painting/drawing media, woven textiles, hand-carved wood, hand-painted porcelain/earthenware, metal c-prints, large format photographs and traditional craft.

Additional Information

Artists, traditional craft-persons, studios and design teams with major features in the project include, but are not limited to, creatives Mike Larsen, Paul Medina, Donald Narcomey, Brandon Reese, Billy Hensley, Chad “Nish” Earles, Alyssha Eve Csük, Mahota Textiles (headed by Artisan Margaret Roach Wheeler), Whitney Forsythe Studio, Adam “Codak” Smith, Enoch Kelly Haney, Wayne Scribner, John Vu, and Anton Morton. The project also features large format photographs licensed and sourced from The Chickasaw Nation Media Department with the assistance of Harley Lewis, Director of Creative Solutions at The Chickasaw Nation. Additional special thanks are due to the fabrication teams at Clara Bella Studio and Geometric Innovations, our Design Collaborator Vicki VanStavern, the team at Cooper House Creative Media in OKC, installers Nick Bayer, Gary Locke and Brooke Hutchens, specialty material supplier Ruby Lake Glass, archive and logistics provider Ace Native Nations Service Solutions, our specialty HVAC Equipment Team at Sunbelt and Architectural Photographer Mel Willis. Architectural design for this captivating project is the work of ADG Blatt.