Spirit Red, a new exhibit of Native American art, will open Wednesday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. The exhibit is a donation from Dr. Rennard Strickland, an art collector who grew up in Muskogee, where he said that many Native American craftspeople live.

Strickland began collecting art at a young age, he said.

“I bought the first painting in either l948 or 49 when I was either eight or nine,” Strickland said.

This first one - a painting of an Acee Blue Eagle called “Warrior with Shield” is included in the show.

From this auspicious beginning, he went on to collect many other pieces. Strickland, who comes from Osage and Cherokee heritage, said that his parents encouraged him to collect art.

The Spirit Red exhibit includes a number of art mediums including rugs, katcinas, beadwork, paintings, drawing, sculpture, deer skins, pottery and baskets.

“I would describe the exhibit as ‘the cream of the crop,’” Strickland said.

The Spirit Red exhibition has a lot of to offer because of its wide range, Strickland said.

“It is contemporary as well as traditional,” Strickland said of his donation. “For example, there is a gourd titled ‘Cherokee Warrior with iPod.’”

Strickland also added that there is a Cochite pot about Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley and a litho called “Rose and the Res Sisters,” which is about a coyote rock group.

The Spirit Red exhibit was created with a specific purpose, Strickland said.

“The collection was designed to show the diversity within the native fine arts movement,” he said.

In addition to being an art collector, Strickland works with the OU School of Law in the Native American Law and Policy Center.

Gail Kana Anderson, the deputy director and curator of collections at Fred Jones, said that the Spirit Red exhibit is a special addition to the museum. She helped organize the exhibit.

“This exhibition is a visual delight, and I think visitors will really enjoy it,” Anderson said. “The collection has amazing depth and breadth and includes artworks that demonstrate beauty, technique, narrative and even humor. It also offers our visitors a contemporary perspective on Native American art.”

Anderson said that the museum was very happy to accept Strickland’s generous donation.

“We were highly pleased when Dr. Strickland said he wanted to donate his collection to our museum,” Anderson said.

The opening reception of Spirit Red will take place on Wednesday at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art from 7 to 9 p.m. Before the reception, there will also be a lecture at 6 p.m. called “Paintbrush Warriors: Native Artists as Radicals, Capitalists and Revolutionaries.” The lecture will be given by Dr. Strickland and Dr. Mary Jo Watson, who works through the School of Art and Art History and is a curator of Native American Art at the museum.

Spirit Red continues through Sept. 13 in the Sandy Bell Gallery. Admission is free for OU students.