Chief Ohiyesa Communing with the Great Spirit

Born in Yonkers, New York, Eugenie Shonnard studied with art nouveau master Alphonse Mucha at the New York School of Applied Design for Women and later with Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle in Paris. She first came to New Mexico in 1925, and her work reflects her interest in the distinctive cultures she encountered. Shonnard championed “direct carving,” also referred to as taille directe, which involves working directly with the material without the use of models or maquettes for reference.

This sculpture is a portrait of Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman, a Santee Sioux, born Hakadah and later named Ohíye S'a He, who was the first Native American certified in western medicine after studying at Boston University. Shonnard represents him in the traditional Sioux regalia in which he often chose to be photographed.