Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds was born in Wichita, Kansas, and works as a Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Heap of Birds works in a range of media including painting, print, signage, sculpture, and installation, often using text as a means to confront American history and hegemonic privilege. In his artwork and community engagement, Heap of Birds demonstrates how art can serve indigeneity as a “cultural tool and weapon.”
Heap of Birds received a BFA from the University of Kansas in 1976 and an MFA from Temple University in 1979, and has exhibited nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Andy Warhol Foundation, and the Pew Charitable Trust. In 2012, Heap of Birds was named a Fellow of United States Artists.