Biography

Christopher Felver is an internationally renowned photographer and filmmaker. His work includes portraits of eminent figures in American arts, literature, music, and politics. His work has been exhibited across the United States and abroad, including exhibits in Italy, France, and the Netherlands. His work is in collections in libraries and museums across the United States, including the University of California, Berkeley; the New York Public Library; University of North Carolina Special Collections; and the Center for Southwest Research, University of New Mexico, among others.

Source: Christopher Felver Profile.

Arrangement

This collection came in five accessions. The first four accessions were arranged by subject into the original first two series, the fifth accession was made into series 3 and 4.

Series 1: Portraits (1982-2012)

Series 2: Nicaragua (1984)

Series 3: Native American Portraits and Scenes (2013-2014)

Series 4: Native American Portraits (2015)

Scope and Content

Series 1: Portraits

This series contains portraits of Native American authors, artists, musicians, and activists taken by photographer Christopher Felver. There are portraits of Dennis Banks and Russell Means, leaders in the American Indian Movement (AIM). Authors are also depicted, including Sherman Alexie, N. Scott Momaday, Linda Hogan, Joy Harjo, Jim Barns, Kristy Orona-Ramirez, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Simon Ortiz. Musicians, artists, and actors include Arigon Starr, John Trudell, Floyd Red Crow Westerman. The addition to the collection contains 6 portraits of artists that participated in the Dennis Hopper Exhibition at the Harwood Museum in Taos, New Mexico in 2009. The artists include Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Ron Davis, Dennis Hopper, Ken Price, and Dean Stockwell. Most of the images from the Chris Felver Photograph Collection are available online via New Mexico's Digital Collections.

Series 2: Nicaragua

This series contains photographs taken during a week trip to Nicaragua in February of 1984. Christopher Felver was invited along with the poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, by the Nicaraguan Minister of Culture, Ernesto Cardenal. Cardenal was part of the Sandinista National Liberation Front or Frente Sandinista De Liberacion Nacional, a socialist political party. Photographs of were taken in various locations in Lake Nicaragua, Managua, Penas Blanca, among other sites in Nicaragua. A book co-authored by Felver and Ferlinghetti, Seven Days in Nicaragua Libre, was the result of this trip.

Series 3: Native American Portraits and Scenes

This series contains portraits of prominent Native Americans, including Jim Denomie, DG Nanouk Okiok, Martha Redbone, Missy Whiteman, John Trudell, Wes Studi, N. Scott Momaday, Linda Hogan, Leslie Marmon Silko, Jo Harvey Allen, Joan Naviyuk Kane, Chip Livingston, Luci Tapahonso, Sherman Alexie, Lee Marmon, and Natalie Diaz. This series also contains a photo of a Laguna Trading Post.

Series 3 also contains 3 digital video files of interviews conducted by Felver of Joan Naviyuk Kane, Sherman Alexie, and Linda Hogan.

Series 4: Native American Portraits

This series contains more portraits of Native Americans prominent in the arts, including Indira Allegra, Jason Asenap, Duane BigEagle, Sherwin Bitsui, Laura Lee Brown, Alice Crow, Lucy Lang Day, Ramona Emerson, Heid Erdrich, Jennifer Foerster, Santee Frazier, Eric Gansworth, Jewelle Gomez, Q.R. Hand, Sterlin Harjo, Linda Hogan, Andrew Jolivette, Layli Long Soldier, Deborah Miranda, Darlene Naponse, Migizi Pensoneau, Barbara Robidoux, Linda Rodriquez, Kim Shuck, James T. Stevens, Nazbah Tom, Quincy Troupe, Elissa Washuta, Kim Wieser. There are 192 8x10 photographs and 19 14x11 photographs.

Christopher Felver Photograph Collection online

Portions of the Christopher Felver Photograph Collection are available online via the New Mexico Digital Collections.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Duplication of print and photographic material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for copyright compliance. For more information see the Photographs and Images Research Guide and contact the Pictorial Archivist.

Preferred Citation

Christopher Felver Photograph Collection (PICT 2008-002), Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, University of New Mexico Libraries

Processing Information

Acessions:

November 15, 2011: 2008-002(1)-0001 to 2008-002(1)-0006

May 29, 2012: 2008-002(1)-0042

May 29, 2012: 2008-002(2)-0008; 2008-002(2)-0017; 2008-002(2)-0031 to 2008-002(2)-0034; 2008-002(2)-0037; 2008-002(2)-0050 to 2008-002(2)-0054; 2008-002(2)-0064 to 2008-002(2)-0068; 2008-002(2)-0082; 2008-002(2)-0083; 2008-002(2)-0104 to 2008-002(2)-0115; 2008-002(2)-0118

November 15, 2012: 2008-002(1)-0016; 2008-002(1)0019; 2008-002(1)0026; 2008-002(1)0041; 2008-002(1)0048; 2008-002(1)0051

June 15, 2013: 2008-002(3)-0001-0004.

October 27, 2013: 2008-002(3)-0005 to 2008-002(3)-00011.

February 4, 2014: 2008-002(3)-0012 to 2008-002(3)-0020, and the videos.

October 16, 2014: 2008-002(3)-0021 to 2008-002(3)-0023, 2008-002(1)-0005.1

January 29, 2019: 2008-002(4)-0001 to 2008-002(4)-0039.

Separated Materials

One book has been moved to the CSWR book collection:

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence. Seven Days in Nicaragua Libre. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1984.

Related Material

Material in several collections at the Center for Southwest Research relate to the individuals in this collection. Not all related collections have been listed. Search the Rocky Mountain Online Archive for others.

Margaret Randall Papers, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Contains correspondence with Joy Harjo.

Cynthia Farah Writers of the Southwest Photograph Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Photograph of N. Scott Momaday.

Kay Cole Papers, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Material on Dennis Banks.

Robert L. Anderson American Indian Movement Papers, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Contains material on Dennis Banks, Ward Churchill, and Russell Means.

Lee Marmon Pictorial Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Contains photograph of Leslie Marmon Silko.

Robert E. Robideau American Indian Movement Papers, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Contains interview with and other material on John Trudell.

Access Terms

Alexie, Sherman, 1966- -- Portraits

Allegra, Indira -- Portraits

Allen, Paula Gunn -- Portraits

American Indian Movement -- Photographs

American literature -- Indian authors -- Portraits

Apache, Cristoso -- Portraits

Artists -- New Mexico -- Taos

Asenap, Jason -- Portraits

Baca, Jimmy Santiag, 1952- -- Portraits

Banks, Dennis -- Portraits

Barnes, Jim, 1933- -- Portraits

Bell, Larry -- Portraits

BigEagle, Duane -- Portraits

Bitsui, Sherwin, 1975 -- Portraits

Brown, Laura Lee -- Portraits

Bruchac, Joseph, 1942 – -- Portraits

Cardenal, Ernesto -- Portraits

Chamberlain, John, 1927-2011-- Portraits

Chicago, Judy, 1939- -- Portraits

Churchill, Ward -- Portraits

Coke, Allison Hedge -- Portraits

Cook-Lynn, Elizabeth -- Portraits

Cooper, Ron -- Portraits

Crow, Alice -- Portraits

Dawson, Fielding, 1932-2002 -- Portraits

Day, Lucille Lang -- Portraits

De Kooning, Elaine -- Portraits

Dorn, Edward -- Portraits

Emerson, Ramona -- Portraits

Erdrich, Heid E. -- Portraits

Erdrich, Louise -- Portraits

Ferlinghetti, Lawrence -- Portraits

Foerster, Jennifer Elise -- Portraits

Frazier, Santee, 1978- -- Portraits

Frente Sandinista De Liberacion Nacional – Photographs -- Portraits

Gansworth, Eric L. -- Portraits

Glancy, Diane -- Portraits

Gomez, Jewelle, 1948- -- Portraits

Hand, Q.R. -- Portraits

Harjo, Joy -- Portraits

Harjo, Sterlin -- Portraits

Harwood Museum -- Portraits

Hill, Charlie -- Portraits

Hill, Roberta, 1947- -- Portraits

Hogan, Linda -- Portraits

Hopper, Dennis, 1936-2010 -- Portraits

Indian artists -- Portraits

Indian musicians -- Portraits

Indian women -- Portraits

Indian women authors -- Portraits

Indians of North America - Photographs

Jolivette, Andrew, 1975- -- Portraits

Kane, Joan Naviyuk -- Portraits

Kennedy, David Michael -- Portraits

King, Bruce W., 1950- -- Portraits

Long Soldier, Layli -- Portraits

Managua Nicaragua -- Photographs

Marshall, Joseph -- Portraits

Martin, Agnes, 1912-2004 -- Portraits

Means, Russell, 1939- -- Portraits

Miranda, Deborah A. -- Portraits

Momaday, N. Scott, 1934- -- Portraits

Naponse, Darlene -- Portraits

Nicaragua -- Photographs

Nicaragua – Politics and government – 1979-1990 -- Portraits

Okpik, Dg Nanouk -- Portraits

Orona-Ramirez, Kristy, 1964- -- Portraits

Ortiz, Simon J., 1941- -- Portraits

Pensoneau, Migizi -- Portraits

Political activists -- Portraits

Portrait photography -- 20th century

Portraits

Price, Ken -- Portraits

Redbone, Martha -- Portrait

Robidoux, Barbara -- Portraits

Rodriquez, Linda -- Portraits

Sarris, Greg -- Portraits

Schuck, Kim -- Portraits

Schweigman, Kurt -- Portraits

Silko, Leslie Marmon, 1948- -- Portraits

Starr, Arigon -- Portraits

Stevens, James Thomas, 1966 - -- Portraits

Stevens, James Thomas, 1966- -- Portraits

Stockwell, Dean, 1938- -- Portraits

Studi, Wes -- Portraits

Tom, Nazbah -- Portraits

Treuer, John -- Portraits

Troupe, Quincy -- Portraits

Trudell, John -- Portraits

Vizenor, Gerald Robert, 1934- -- Portraits

Washuta, Elissa -- Portraits

Westerman, Floyd Red Crow, 1936-2007 -- Portraits

White, Orlando -- Portraits

Whiteman, Roberta Hill -- Portraits

Wieser, Kimberly G., 1968- -- Portraits

Wilson, Diane, 1954 - -- Portraits

Woody, Elizabeth, 1959 - -- Portraits

Contents List

Series 1: Portraits   1982-2012

Series 2: Nicaragua  1984

Series 3: Native American Portraits and Scenes   2013-2014

Series 4: Native American Portraits  2015