T.C. Cannon was one of the most influential and innovative Native artists of the 20th century. At the age of 15, Cannon began his artistic career when he sold his first drawings to the Southern Plains Indian Museum. In 1964, he enrolled at IAIA, where his paintings and contemporary art history instructor Fritz Scholder introduced him to modern art movements such as Abstract Expressionism. Cannon became best known for his pioneering paintings that challenge stereotypical expectations of Native art by Pop-art inspired colors and contemporary content, addressing issues such as the assimilation of Native Americans into the Anglo-American culture.
