Brian D. Tripp Archives

Brian D. Tripp

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Brian D. Tripp
Almost Found Its Mark
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Brian D. Tripp
Dancing Your Dance
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Brian D. Tripp
Please Knock Fairly Loud
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Born 1945, left Turtle Island 2022. In 2019 Brian D. Tripp was awarded the California Living Heritage Award from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts — only the third time in the Fresno-based nonprofit's 20-plus year history that its highest honor for lifetime achievement had been presented. Brian D. Tripp is honored both as a traditional dancer and singer, and an enigmatic, outspoken contemporary artist and poet in his Northern California Karuk Tribal community and beyond. Tripp uses his artwork to demonstrate his commitment to his community and Native American culture and his lifelong devotional interest in giving life to traditions and history. In terms of book history, Tripp's artist's books are related to the "ledger drawing books" made by Native Americans who were often displaced from their tribal lands and moved to reservations in the Plains territories. Trading various commodities for accounting ledger books, Native artists kept memories of their past and recent histories alive and recent histories recorded by adopting this easily transported vehicle for drawings. A major ledger-style artists' book done by Brian "The World Turned Over" is held by Dartmouth College's Rauner Library. The ledger book itself is an early 20th-century book with actual entries from the original owner. True to his palimpsest style and unquenchable humor Brian uses the book as a ledger book for his own expenses before turning the book into a majestically illuminated manuscript targeting the brutal policies of the racist capitalist Warren Buffet ("the damned dam builder") and the resilience of the Karuk people. Tripp’s art provides a new perspective on imagery familiar to the Native American tradition: motifs from basketwork, arrowheads, and Karuk ceremonial regalia – symbols passed down for generations are reinvigorated by Tripp’s use of vibrant color, formal geometric iconography, and strong, gestural expressionist line making. His contemporary versions pay homage to the inherent power of images long in use. Tripp draws from numerous art historical sources both Native and other, he often cites the legendary basket weaving of Wyot/Karuk artist Elizabeth Conrad Hickox as one of his primary influences, while also using punk, situationist, and graffiti aesthetic strategies. Brian D. Tripp has maintained his creative practice and exhibited his art for over 40 years. Hs work has been collected and exhibited extensively around the world at numerous institutions including the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; Oakland Museum of California; New Museum, New York City; New York Museum of Art and Design, and the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art, and is held in the permanent collections of the Berkeley Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Heard Museum, Morris Graves Museum of Art, The Oakland Museum of California, Washington State Museum and others.

In Collection:

Amherst College

Imprinted For LifeSo if it makes a shadow then it must be real.You Should See My HouseSometimes I’m Afraid When I Stand Near Your FireThe Best Things in Life Aren’t FreeTalking His TalkAlong the Way HomeIt’s In the BookLike Fire

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art

Sing It. Dance It.

Baylor University

Stress

Brown University, John Hay Library

Red HouseHis Time is Coming

Bucknell University

Right From the Start

Dartmouth College, Rauner Library