Albert Racine

Blackfeet artist (1907–1984)

Albert Batiste Racine

Apowmuckon

Albert Racine in uniform during WWII

Born| (1907-04-19)April 19, 1907

Browning, Montana, U.S.

Died| 1984 (aged 76–77)
Other names| Running Weasel
Citizenship| Blackfeet Tribe, United States
Known for| relief carving, sketching

Albert Batiste Racine, also known as Apowmuckon, or Running Weasel (April 19, 1907 – 1984) was a Blackfeet artist from Browning, Montana in the United States. He started his career as a painter, and by 1936 he was a sculptor.[1] He is noted for his relief wood carvings depicting the life and culture of the Blackfeet.

## Biography

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Racine was born in Browning, Montana, attending Browning Public Schools and the Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas.[2] Racine studied under German artist Winold Reiss at his summer school at Saint Mary's Lake, Montana.[2] He also studied art under sculptors Adrien Voisin and John Louis Clarke; and was a student of Edward Everett Hale Jr., and Carl Hertig Sr.[1]

Racine first exhibited his work in 1927 and in 1938 created a carving of da Vinci's The Last Supper for the Browning Methodist Church, beginning his career as a wood carver.[2] Racine joined the United States Army in 1942 and served throughout World War II.[3] As a student at Browning Public Schools, Racine developed an interest in the Blackfeet folk hero Napi, who featured in short plays staged at the high school.[2] Racine created a signature sketch of Napi, whom he envisioned as a skinny figure with a potbelly, large hat, and mischievous smile.[2] According to museum curator John C. Ewers, Napi was an amalgam of two well-known older Indians.[4] During the war, Racine was deployed in North Africa and sent sketches of Napi in uniform back home to Montana.[5] Variations of this sketch were featured on commercial signs in Browning as well as in his carvings and sketches.[6]

For a few years, Racine operated the Blackfeet Indian and Western Art Gallery in Browning where he sold leatherwork and beadwork by local craftsmen alongside his own sculptures, carvings, and paintings.[2][4] His work has also been displayed at Browning's Museum of the Plains Indian, operated by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.[4]

## References

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1. ^ a b Craig, Susan V. (2006). Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (active before 1945). Lawrence, KS: Murphy Art and Architecture Library, University of Kansas. ISBN 978-1-936153-00-8.
2. ^ a b c d e f Carvings by Albert Racine. Browning, MT: Museum of the Plains Indian and Crafts Center. 1974. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
3. ^ "Albert B Racine". Fold3. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
4. ^ a b c Ewers, John C. (1971). "Winold Reiss His Portraits and Proteges". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 21 (3): 44–55\. JSTOR 4517587.
5. ^ Ewers, John C. "Memorandum regarding Napi". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
6. ^ Hungrywolf, Adolf (2006). The Blackfoot Papers: Volume 1. Skookumchuck, BC, Canada: The Good Medicine Cultural Foundation. p. 177\. ISBN 0920698808. Retrieved 30 June 2016.

## External links

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* Albert Racine Military Record on Fold3
* Albert Racine at Wild Goose Island Carving Studio

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Artists|

* ULAN