Artist, Yatika Starr Fields, has again been commissioned by Tonkawa’s Northern Oklahoma College to create a mural. Originally, Fields created two murals in the Cultural Engagement Center in November of 2020 and June of 2021. In his newest piece in the Student Learning Commons in the Vineyard Library, he has created a 100’ X 20’ set of murals that connect, not only his original pieces but represents the different studies that Northern Oklahoma College is known for.

A native of Tahlecjuah, Oklahoma, Yatika has deep ties to his Osage, Cherokee, and Creek Nation heritage and is nationally known for his painting and murals. Between the time he spent studying on the East Coast, in Boston, New York City, Seattle, and now Tulsa, Oklahoma, Fields fell in love with graffiti art, while also being classically trained in fine arts, and classical and traditional landscape art. Early in his career, he began to interlace these different techniques into his works. His desire is to help his audience to rethink and reshape their relationships to the world around them. His murals are full of swirling colors and movement that helps to bring life to all of his works.

Fields often is inspired by his Native American roots and his pieces are often heavily influenced by aspects of those roots. He has spoken out about his beliefs on activism and different issues in society regarding Native Americans. In one Instagram post of a painting with a more personal story to his life and the cultures he has experienced he said “The continued activism that is a part of who we are, surviving with style.”

His current piece includes several different scenes of different studies that are brought together across the mural. A few to mention is the woman looking through a microscope, show lambs, another woman looking through a stack of books, men in space looking through VR systems, NOC’s mascot, Mav the bull, the Roustabouts, and the different performing arts. These all flow in a beautiful display of colors and an incredible show of knowledge.

Since April of this year, NOC has begun its efforts to transform the Vineyard Library. This included the recent book sale they hosted to get rid of unused books, the mural, and renovation where they replaced the carpet, chairs, shelving, and technology.

“The new NOC Student Learning Commons will improve the student and employee quality of life by bringing more access to current technology and increase distributed study areas,” President Dr. Clark Harris said. NOC also plans to keep a constant collection of various art works from the Doctor Pickens Museum, INC. to be on long term display in the Cultural Engagement Center.