Photo caption: The finished chainsaw sculpture of famed Osage Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief by Osage artist Michael Lynn.
FAIRFAX, Okla. – To see the finished sculpture of famed Osage Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief standing in front of the Tall Chief Theatre, one takes in the intricate detail put into the sculpture and the beauty of the wood that carves out her face.
The fact that it was made from a chainsaw over a period of about 10 days makes one pause to think about the artistry of Michael Lynn. An Osage and native of Pawhuska, he is a longtime art teacher for Osage County public schools and only four years ago he began his venture into chainsaw art. He is also known for his paintings, drawings, bronzes, and pottery.
He comes from a long line of artists, he said his family has a drawing of Chief Fred Lookout that his grandfather Joseph Roger Lynn did, “it looks like something my brother Bill or I would do,” he said. The statue of Tallchief is made out of Burr Oak and stands a little over 5 feet.
“It’s just something that comes from God and I just do it. It’s just fun for me,” Lynn said. “Other people love to snow ski, water ski, or whatever, I would rather be doing this than anything else. This was what I was put on earth to do.”
Drs. Joe and Carol Conner from the Fairfax Community Foundation asked him to do the sculpture when he was finishing a sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi, that sits next to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Pawhuska.
“Ty Cook went and found the wood and cut it down at the Goad Ranch and by a miracle, they got it loaded and stood up here, in front of the Tall Chief Theatre, which Maria Tallchief’s father built,” he said. “She lived up here on the hill, and there weren’t a lot of stores here then and she could see the theater from where she lived, from her house.”
Carol Conner, who is also the editor of The Fairfax Chief, said Lynn immediately said yes when they asked him to do the sculpture. The FCF hosts regular community events in front of the theatre. The proceeds go toward theatre renovations.
“Given this is Maria and Marjorie Tallchief’s hometown and their daddy built this theatre … in the late 1920s, it’s a perfect spot to have a sculpture of Maria Tallchief,” she said.
Maria Tallchief
Tallchief, who died in 2013 at the age of 88, is considered America’s first prima ballerina. The daughter of Alex Tall Chief (Osage) and Ruth (Porter) Tall Chief (non-Osage), her early life was spent in Fairfax, located five miles west of the Grayhorse Indian Village, one of the Osage Nation’s three cultural districts. She later moved to Los Angeles with her family where she continued her ballet education. She moved to New York City at the age of 17 and made it to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she danced from 1942 to 1947. But it was her role with the New York City Ballet from 1948 to 1965 that she is most remembered for. She was the first American to dance at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater and the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet.
She starred in George Balanchine’s “Firebird,” which catapulted her career in 1949. She was the first Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s 1952 original production of “The Nutcracker.” She also starred in “Orpheus” and “Scotch Symphony,” among many others.
She later served as artistic director for the Lyric Opera Ballet in Chicago and later founded the Chicago City Ballet, of which she was also the artistic director. She has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, she has received a National Medal of Arts, and in 1996 she was one of five recipients of a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement for her contribution to American culture, where legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov paid tribute to her.
Tallchief is among the first group of honorees to be inducted into the National Native American Hall of Fame. She and 11 other legendary Native Americans will be inducted in an Oct. 13 ceremony at the Phoenix Indian Memorial Hall in Phoenix, Ariz.
Osage artist
Lynn received his associate of arts degree from Northern Oklahoma College, a bachelor of science in art education from Northeastern State University and a master’s degree of educational leadership from Southern Nazarene University.
According to the Pawhuska Journal-Capital, he has spent 28 years as a secondary art teacher, teaching grades seventh through 12th grades for Pawhuska public schools. He and wife, Tina, reside in Pawhuska with their two granddaughters and sons, Patrick and Dalton. They lost their 16-year-old son Mikey in 2014. He created a tribute for him that can be viewed at the Pawhuska Golf Club.
Conner said the finished sculpture of Maria Tallchief was gorgeous and it was a fitting tribute.
“She’s finally landed at home and will be visible here on the sidewalk unless the sculpture is small enough we can move it into the lobby. The sculpture will be open to the public when we open the lobby [to the Tall Chief Theatre],” she said. “So, we’re looking forward to seeing this beautiful sculpture of Maria. People can appreciate some of the beauty of the woman, right here, in her hometown of Fairfax.”
By
Shannon Shaw Duty
Original Publish Date: 2018-09-06 00:00:00
