John Louis Clarke

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John Louis Clarke (March 23, 1881 – November 20, 1970)[1] was a Blackfoot wood carver from Montana.

Biography[]

Clarke was born in Highwood, Montana. His Blackfoot name was Cutapuis. At the age of 2 Clarke became deaf from scarlet fever in an outbreak that killed five of his brothers.[2] [3]He attended the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake, North Dakota; the in Great Falls, Montana; and the St. John School for the Deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[4]

Career[]

Clarke opened and operated an art studio up until his death in 1970, in what is now East Glacier, MT.[1] One of Clarke's sculptures was owned by Warren G. Harding and was displayed in the White House.[1] [5] In 1924, John D. Rockefeller purchased 4 of Clarke's sculptures. In 1940, Clarke was commissioned to create a pair of relief panels. When they were completed they each weighed more than a ton, today the two panels adorn the Blackfeet Hospital lobby.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Speaking in Carvings". Flathead Beacon. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  2. ^ Michael McCoy (2007). Montana Off the Beaten Path. ISBN 978-0-7627-4423-7. John L. Clarke, whose Blackfeet name was Cutapuis, "The Man Who Talks Not," was a Blackfeet Indian born in Highwood in 1881. ...
  3. ^ "Speaking in Carvings". Flathead Beacon. 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  4. ^ "John Louis Clarke". Retrieved 2009-10-18. Three-quarters Blackfoot Indian, John Louis Clarke was early-deafened by scarlet fever ... He attended the Montana and North Dakota schools for the deaf, and had a little formal art education. He often signed his works with his Blackfoot name, Cutapuis — 'man who talks not.'
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "John Louis Clarke the artist |". www.theclarkegallery.com. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
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