the men who were executed. These 39 men were those that remained of 303 Sioux who were originally sentenced to death following the murder and rape of more than 800 American men, women and children civilians in the Dakota War. The original 303 were sentenced to death by a military commission. President Lincoln after conducting a personal review, considered there was only strong enough evidence to execute 39; who were guilty of massacres which were separate to battles, this number was later reduced to 38. He did this against the advice of General Pope, Minnesota Senator Morton S. Wilkinson, and Governor Alexander Ramsey; who feared a continuation of violence due to revenge attacks if the White population did not see that justice was done. Heap of Birds created a fifty-foot signature, outdoor sculpture titled "Wheel" as a signature entrance piece for the Gio Ponti (North) building of the Denver Art Museum. The circular porcelain enamel on steel work was commissioned by the Denver Art Museum and is inspired by the traditional Medicine Wheel of the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Exhibitions Heap of Birds has exhibited nationally and internationally. An early solo exhibition was Full Blooded (1984) at the Center of the American Indian in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Awards Heap of Birds has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the Bonfil Stanton Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts. In 2012, Heap of Birds was named a Fellow of United States Artists. Books Blasted Allegories, an Anthology of Artists Writings, New Museum-MIT Press, 1987. Makers, Point Riders Press, 1998. The Myth of the Primitive, Susan Hiller (Editor), Routledge Press, 1991. Completing The Circle: Artists’ Books On The Environment, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 1992. Visit Teepee Town, Native Writing After the Detours, Dianne Glancy and Mark Nowak, Coffee House Press, 1999. References External links Heap of Birds Venice Biennale 2007 exhibit Who Stole the Teepee exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian (see the Beyond Smoke & Mirrors section) Continuum 12 exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian Oral History Interview with Edgar Heap of Birds Native American painters Native American printmakers Native American filmmakers Native American conceptual artists Native American installation artists American video artists Living people Artists from Wichita, Kansas Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes people 1954 births American conceptual