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 Bill Rabbit - a name half common and half exotic, half American Indian
and half American every-man. It is appropriate for a Native American
artist whose striking paintings transcend cultural barriers. There seems
to be a univeral appeal to his towering archetypal figures with rivers
of dark hair and flowing robes, facing the sun in a stylized landscape
of stone monoliths or adobe villages.
Rabbit, whose animal surname came from his Cherokee ancestors, took
more than a few years to develop his identity as an artist. But once
he did, he became one of the most talked about Indian artists in America
almost overnight. He was named 1989 Artist of the year by the Indian
Arts and Crafts Association (I.A.C.A). In 1987, he was honored with a
one-man retrospective show at the Cherokee National Museum. He has been
named Master of the Five Civilized Tribes, a title shared by such well-known
artists as Willard Stone, Troy Anderson and Virginia
Stroud.
Rabbit's work has been shown in numerous invitational exhibits including
the John F. Kennedy Center and the Native American Center for the Living
Arts in New York. His Easter Egg, created for an exhibit at the White
House, is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute,
along with those by Andy Warhol and Andrew Wyeth. In 1987 he was named
one of five artists listed as best investments for the year by the Indian
Trader.
" I guess I'm successful because I'm doing what I like. I believe
that our likes and dislikes are influenced by everything we experience
over the years. Fortunately, people seem to enjoy my work", says
Rabbit. "Perhaps they are responding to the same kinds of experiences."
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