Artist and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska to speak at Effigy Mounds

Lance Foster, artist and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska will speak Tuesday, September 10 at 7 p.m. at Effigy Mounds National Monument Visitor Center, 151 Highway 76, Harpers Ferry. His paintings are featured in ReImagining Iowa: 5 Ioway Artists, an exhibition currently showing at Effigy Mounds National Monument.
"Every morning when I fire up my computer at work, I am greeted by one of Lance Foster's paintings on my desktop," said Effigy Mounds National Monument Superintendent Jim Nepstad. "Art can sometimes speak to us when words fail. Lance is one of those people who can dazzle you with their brilliance as well as their art. He's one of the smartest people I know. An opportunity to hear him speak about his art is a rare treat that should not be missed."
Lance M. Foster (Irogre: Finds What is Sought, Bear Clan) is a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. Raised in Montana, he received a B.A. in Anthropology and Native American studies from University of Montana as well as an M.A. in Anthropology and an M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University. He’s an alumnus of the Institute of American Indian Arts.
He was the Director of the Native Rights, Land and Culture division of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a Historical Landscape Architect for the National Park Service, and an archaeologist for the U.S. Forest Service. He taught at the University of Montana -Helena College of Technology. He currently serves his tribe as THPO (Tribal Historic Preservation Officer), consulting for the tribe on environmental and cultural compliance, founded the tribal museum, is an Ioway language advocate, and NAGPRA officer. He is the author of The Indians of Iowa (University of Iowa Press, 2009), has appeared in several cultural documentaries, and has other publications. An artist and educator, he resides with his wife in White Cloud, KS.
The exhibition is sponsored by BeWildReWild, a loosely-knit group of volunteers with a passion for wild things. It is also a special fund within Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for the purpose of exploring three questions: What do you/we mean by wild? What lifestyle changes are needed for us to live within the bounds of sustainability? How can we create a wilder, more beautiful, more biologically diverse, and a more enduring Mississippi River Watershed? And at bewildrewild.org it is a place for visioning, debating, storytelling, teaching, and learning.