Rick Bartow's 2009 work, "For Roger" with pastel and graphite on paper, which is in the care of the High Desert Museum.

An exhibition opening Friday at The High Desert Museum features work by acclaimed Oregon artist Rick Bartow from the Collections of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

“Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship” includes 24 artworks spanning the final three decades of Bartow’s life. Themes of resilience, transformation and identity are evident in its two-dimensional and sculptural pieces, many of which blur human and animal representations, according to a press release.

“This is the third major exhibition with Rick’s work that we’ve hosted at the museum in the last 15 years or so, which speaks to the nature of his work,” said the museum’s Executive Director Dana Whitelaw.

For the museum’s 2009 “Art Through Ancestry” exhibition, Bartow created “For Roger” after visiting the museum and viewing its indigenous items, Whitelaw said.

Who was Rick Bartow?

Bartow lived and died in Newport. His mother was of European ancestry and his father, a member of Mad River Band of the Wiyot Tribe, died from alcohol poisoning when Bartow was 5 years old, according to Bulletin archives. The artist’s work was shaped by the PTSD he experienced after serving in the Vietnam War. He was drafted following his graduation from Western Oregon University in 1969 and his service ended with a Bronze Star in ‘71, according to previous reporting. Bartow went on to battle alcoholism for much of the following decade.

Bartow regarded himself as a colorist and a mark maker, creating a collection of images and shapes distinctly representative of his artistic voice.

In 1989, Bartow said, “There are instances when I begin with a sketch and end as I wish,” according to the press release. “There are also times when the wood directs and cuts and a human face becomes an owl, or a coyote becomes some other character.”

Bartow’s 2004 mixed media sculpture, “Bear with Humor” will be displayed in the the new exhibit, featuring a smiling bear head carved from wood. According to the artist, the piece is intended to evoke humor’s potent medicine.

From the archives: Rick Bartow retrospective comes to Bend

Notable acclaim

Bartow was a self-taught artist and garnered significant acclaim for his work. His carving “The Cedar Mill Pole” was displayed at the White House in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in 1997 and his sculpture “We Were Always Here” is on permanent display in front of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall, said the press release.

“Rick was this really dynamic person with all of his diverse life experiences, being a Vietnam vet, being and musician,” Whitelaw said. “I think some of the people that we encounter in our lives who have those rich and profound and challenging experiences can be sometimes the most compelling and profound to connect with. That energy from Rick’s life experiences is really present in his artwork.”

If You Go

What: Art exhibit “Rick Bartow: Animal Kinship”

When: Friday through Feb. 9

Where: High Desert Museum, 59800 S. Highway 97, Bend

Cost: Included with admission ($20, $17 college students and seniors 65 and over, $12 children 3-12)

Contact: highdesertmuseum.org

More Coverage: 6 Central Oregon recipients receive grants from Oregon Cultural Trust