The Center honors the life, photography, and enduring legacy of Ken Blackbird.
CODY, WY, UNITED STATES, January 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Buffalo Bill Center of the West joins communities across the region in mourning the passing of Kenneth Blackbird (Gros Ventre / Assiniboine) of the Fort Belknap Reservation of Montana, who passed away in December 2025. A celebrated Native American photographer, journalist, and generous friend of the Center, Blackbird leaves behind a lasting legacy of powerful imagery and deep community connection.
Ken Blackbird was a gifted visual storyteller whose career spanned four decades and crossed cultural, geographic, and political boundaries. A proud graduate of the University of Montana’s School of Journalism, Ken built an internationally recognized body of work rooted in honesty, respect, and deep relationships with the communities he documented. His photography earned global attention, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 2001 for his powerful work chronicling modern-day life in Cuba.
Ken made his home in the Cody region for nearly 40 years, where he became an integral part of the local arts and cultural community. His relationship with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West began decades ago and grew into a lasting partnership. In 2000, the Plains Indian Museum produced a series of photo panels highlighting Ken’s work on the Fort Belknap Reservation and throughout Montana. Those panels remain on view today in the upper galleries of the Plains Indian Museum, continuing to speak in Ken’s voice to new generations of visitors.
In 2014, with support from the Wyoming Humanities Council, Creative West (formerly WESTAF), the Wyoming Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Center of the West organized “Textured Portraits: The Ken Blackbird Collection.” This traveling retrospective featured 30 photographs spanning 30 years of Ken’s career and was exhibited at the Gilcrease Museum in Oklahoma and the Yellowstone Art Museum in Montana.
On January 1, 2015, Ken made an extraordinary and lasting gift to the Center of the West by donating his entire career archive to the McCracken Research Library. The collection includes 31,425 original negatives representing four decades of freelance photography. This remarkable donation ensures that Ken Blackbird’s work, values, and vision will remain accessible for research, education, and inspiration far into the future.
In remembrance of Ken’s legacy, the Plains Indian Museum staff collaborated with the McCracken Research Library to honor him through a special installation of his photographs. Taken from his donated collection, four photographs hang at the entrances to the upper galleries of the Plains Indian Museum, while an additional four framed works are on view in the “Native Arts Today” Gallery on the lower level. Several of Ken’s images are also included in the “Spur of the Moment” photographic exhibition, on exhibit through March 2026.
The Center of the West recently shared a tribute to Ken on its official Facebook page, reflecting on his enduring impact as an artist, mentor, and friend. The post can be viewed at: https://tinyurl.com/32wm29k9
Hunter Old Elk, Interim Curator of the Plains Indian Museum, reflected on Ken’s influence both professionally and personally:
“Ken was a trusted mentor and collaborator since I came to Cody almost ten years ago. He had a talent for narration, showering his audience with big laughs and putting his whole body into his storytelling as he detailed his experiences traveling across the United States and internationally. My most memorable lessons were the ones that included his work with elders. Ken spoke often of his grandparents, who raised him, and reminded me how important it was to have an elder’s permission to work in a community. He never shied away from sharing a meal, sitting at a community event, or getting down and dirty in nature. Ken will be deeply missed by all who knew him, learned from him, and were touched by his life’s work.”
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is deeply grateful for Ken Blackbird’s generosity, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to truthful storytelling. His photographs remain a living archive of community, culture, and human connection, and his presence will continue to be felt in the galleries, the library, and the many lives he shaped.
Ken Straniere
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
+1 307-578-4137
publicrelations@centerofthewest.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
