On Sept. 17, Tyler School of Art and Architecture’s second Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist-in-Residence Anna Tsouhlarakis discussed her work spanning her career as a multidisciplinary artist.

During an artist talk at Tyler School of Art and Architecture on Sept. 17, recent Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist-in-Residence Anna Tsouhlarakis discussed some of her most notable works, including some of the pieces in her current exhibition, Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis, on display in Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery at Tyler.  

“What is truth? What is history, and whose history is the right history?” asked Tsouslarakis during the talk.

Tsouhlarakis’ exhibition at Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery features text collages and newly created sculptures that use humor to challenge preconceptions about Native aesthetics and cultural identity. She worked on the sculptures and text collages during her residency in spring 2026.

The residency was created with a gift by Cheyenne and Arapaho artist Edgar Heap of Birds, TYL ’79, along with an eponymous gallery within the Temple Contemporary Gallery at Tyler, with the objective of creating more awareness of Native American and Indigenous art and activism. The residency provides studio space, access to facilities and equipment, a $1,500 budget for materials, a monthly $3,500 stipend, and a solo exhibition in the gallery. Tsouhlarakis is the second Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist-in-Residence at Tyler, following Norman Akers in 2025. 

“This residency, coupled with an exhibition program, is designed to support artists whose work is primarily focused on the history and lived experience of North American federally recognized tribal citizens and whose art and activism brings attention to the lives, struggles and triumphs of Native Americans,” said Tyler Dean Susan E. Cahan in her introduction to Tsouhlarakis’ talk.

In her talk, Tsouhlarakis shared some of the personal experiences and sensibilities that have informed the sense of playfulness present in her work throughout her career. 

“I'm an urban Native. I grew up in small towns and cities and everything like that. But I didn’t grow up on the reservation. I’ve never lived on the reservation. And so I’m keenly aware of the teasing that goes on and being the butt of the jokes for everybody. But I know that’s how my aunties could connect with me,” said Tsouhlarakis.

She also discussed why she uses certain materials in her work. She uses remnants of IKEA furniture for its utilitarian nature and aspen wood for the symbolism of how multiple trees have an interconnected root structure and function as one organism. 

During her residency at Tyler in spring 2026, Tsouhlarakis used her access to Tyler’s facilities to learn how to blow glass for the first time, working closely with Jessica Jane Julius, head of the glass program and associate professor of glass. She also spent time with students and accompanied a group of about 45 students on a trip to the Whitney Biennial in New York City, where her much-lauded sculpture “SHE MUST BE A MATRIARCH” was on display.  

She addressed “SHE MUST BE A MATRIARCH” in her artist talk. She said the piece is “dealing with ideas of Indigenous humor, of teasing, like the idea of roasting when you go into a community or are part of a community, like specifically Native women when they come together and how that becomes a form of connection.” 

Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis will be on display in Edgar Heap of Birds Family Gallery through Dec. 5.