Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture
Fred F. Poyner IV
Thursday November 12, 2026 at 6pm via Zoom
Words, Writers, Southwest Stories is a free monthly speaker series that highlights local authors, historians, and voices to foster a deeper understanding of our community and its people.
Fred F. Poyner IV’s book Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture examines the cultural implications of representing Native Americans and First Nations in public sculptures of the last 200 years.
Offering thorough examination of artworks by 50 different sculptors throughout the United States and Canada, this book profiles how artists have incorporated either traditional native styles and techniques or European artistic styles and training to create these figurative subjects in wood, stone, marble, bronze, and other materials; to what degree (or not) they utilized indigenous models or figures, photographs of individuals, or other primary sources to create their sculptures; how each sculpture relates to its landscape and display location; and, how each sculptor’s own life relates to the works they have created for public viewing.
Both “historical” statuary and public sculpture that has distinctive artistic representation or styles are examined. Also included are oral history interviews, photographs, and first-hand accounts to help better understand all of these artworks. Each of the sculptors profiled here reflects a mixture of gender, ethnicity, and nationality in their identity and backgrounds, as diverse and varied a group as the subjects of their public sculpture.
Fred F. Poyner IV is an independent historian and author who enjoys researching and writing about the art and history of the Pacific Northwest, including public sculpture. He is currently a Grant writer for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe (Sah-ku-mé-hu) in Washington state, and a regular contributor to The Filson Journal since 2019.
His first book – The First Sculptor of Seattle: The Life and Art of James A. Wehn (2014) – was funded through the 4Culture.org Heritage Projects grant award in 2014 and has received multiple awards. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Western Washington University and a Master of Arts degree in Museology and Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
In 2019, he received the “Peace and Friendship Award” from the Washington State Historical Society (WSHS) for the Interwoven Oral History Project to preserve the stories of individuals with blended Nordic and Indigenous heritage.
He is the author of three other published books about public sculpture history of the Pacific Northwest, with Native American and First Nation Figures in Sculpture: North American Monuments, Memorials and Statuaryof 50 Artists his eighth book publication.
The author currently lives in Issaquah, Washington, with his family.
This program, like other free programming, is supported by Sustaining Support and Public Free Access funds from 4Culture. Additional support from the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, our sponsors, and from contributions from program participants. Thank you for your donations which support Local History!
