Event

Statue Rededication & Quarter Launch

Sunday, October 29th, 1:00 – 5:00 pm 

Media Kit click here

Parking

There will be no on-site parking available, per City of Tulsa requirements. Park at Cascia Hall and take a short shuttle ride to the museum grounds.

SHUTTLES RUN CONTINUOUSLY for your convenience – from 12:30 pm to 5:15 pm. It’s a quick trip from Cascia Hall to the Museum. Expect to see a shuttle every 15 minutes.

Cascia Hall Address: 2520 S Yorktown Ave

Parking is in the center and northwest side of the school’s campus. Enter the campus either from the east off Yorktown, or from the west off Utica, and then make your way to the parking on the west side, here’s a directional map. 

Weather Plan:

Rain is expected. This is an outdoor event. We have two tents for shelter but the event is on the lawn. Wear appropriate footwear.

Schedule of Events:

1:00: Grand Event Opening

1:15: Posting the Colors, Osage Veterans

1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30: Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina Story Time 

1:45: Marjorie Tallchief sculpture unveiling at the 5 Moons circle

2:15 and 4:15: Tent performances by Daposka Ahnkodapi and the WahZhaZhe ballet

3:00: Program in the tent, Historic Change: Celebrating Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief 

4:15: Book Signing with Elise Pashen

5:00: Celebration Concludes 

More Event Info

The Tulsa Historical Society & Museum (THSM) will unveil and rededicate the bronze statue of famed Osage ballerina, Marjorie Tallchief, Sunday, October 29 at 1:30pm in the Five Moons Sculpture Garden of the Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, 2445 S. Peoria Avenue, Tulsa.

It was a shock to Tulsa and the nation when thieves in the night took off with the beloved bronze sculpture of celebrated Oklahoma ballerina Marjorie Tallchief in the spring of 2022. 

Tallchief, who died in 2021 at the age of 95, was the first Native American to be named “première danseuse étoile” in the Paris Opera Ballet, the highest rank a dancer can achieve at the Ballet. She performed for Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and French President Charles de Gaulle. She later taught at the Dallas Ballet.

The theft made national news. “People were outraged when the artwork was found in pieces,” said Tulsa Historical Society Interim Executive Director, Cray Bauxmont-Flynn, a member of the Cherokee Nation. “The pieces had been sold at a scrap yard for a few hundred dollars.” The culprits were later apprehended and some of the pieces recovered. THSM has embarked on an upgrade project which includes greater security for Five Moons and the Museum as a whole. Osage Casinos has signed on as a lead sponsor for the effort.

WHAT: Celebrated Osage Ballerina, Marjorie Tallchief, Bronze Statue Unveiled

WHEN: Sunday, October 29 at 1:30pm

WHERE: Tulsa Historical Society & Museum, 2445 S. Peoria Avenue, Tulsa

PUBLIC PARKING OFFSITE ONLY at Cascia Hall – Shuttle bus provided

The sculpture garden, first dedicated in 2007, features the Five Moons of American Ballet: Marjorie Tallchief, her elder sister Maria Tallchief (Osage), Moscelyne Larkin (Eastern Shawnee/Peoria), Rosella Hightower (Choctaw), and Yvonne Chouteau (Shawnee).

The statues were created by two local artists, Monte England and Gary Henson. England worked on two of the pieces before his death in 2005, and Henson completed the project. Gary Henson recrafted the bronze of Marjorie, incorporating the pieces that were recovered. He will help unveil the statue. 

The unveiling will be part of a full afternoon of celebration as THSM welcomes the Osage Nation, the US Mint and the Smithsonian American Women’s Museum for “Historic Change,” a celebration of Marjorie’s sister, Maria Tallchief, and the release of a coin featuring Maria’s image.

The Grand Opening of the full event begins at 1pm with a flag presentation and continues through 5pm featuring Osage singers and dancers, remarks from Osage Chief Standing Bear, and a coin pour.