ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat
“What’s on the land. What’s above the land. What’s below the land. This work is related to the ancestral memory of land and to the idea of how sound affects us, in particular, the relationship between the history of warfare that’s gone on around Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the descendants of the Indigenous people who grew up there, and how this relates to our mindset.” - John Hitchcock
Home to artist, educator, and musician John Hitchcock (b. 1967), the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache tribal lands of Medicine Park, Oklahoma, lie between the sacred Wichita Mountains and Wildlife Reserve—a refuge for buffalo, deer, and elk—and Fort Sill, a United States Army post and artillery range established in 1869 during the Indian Wars.
Within this environment, the sounds of cicadas, birds, and wildlife mingle with the percussion of artillery and helicopters, while the songs of Kiowa and Comanche people echo in counterpoint to military anthems. This coexistence of harmony and dissonance—of nature, culture, and conflict—is central to Hitchcock’s evocative work.
For over three decades, Hitchcock has transformed the sonic and cultural rhythms of his homeland into a distinct visual language. An enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with Comanche and Northern European ancestry, Hitchcock merges personal expression with references to intertribal powwows, the Wichita Mountain landscape of his youth, and the symbols and languages of Great Plains Native populations. Working across printmaking, neon, textiles, sound, and video, he merges traditional and contemporary art forms to pay homage to his ancestors, confront histories of Indigenous displacement and trauma, and celebrate community, resilience, and survival.
Marking the artist’s first career survey, John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat traces Hitchcock’s evolving integration of visual and sonic forms. Important series—including Flatlander (2011-18), Bury the Hatchet (2019-2020), Blanket Songs (2022-2023), Soundscapes (2021-2024), and Celebration (2025)—synchronize sound and image, ritual and resistance. In the exhibition, the “beat” becomes both metaphor and structure—signifying the rhythms of nature, bombs, heartbeats, and life cycles, and the persistence of culture and tradition across generations, through which Indigenous presence endures.
At the New Britain Museum of American Art, Hitchcock’s powerful imagery invites a deeper understanding of identity, land, and belonging in America.
Related Programming:
Opening Reception | John Hitchcock: We Are Defined by the Beat
Friday, May 15, 5:30-7 p.m.
Join us for the Opening Reception of John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat. Preview the exhibition before it opens to the public and enjoy a musical performance by The Stolen Sea.
Saturday, May 16, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Join artist John Hitchcock for a discussion about his special exhibition John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat.
Adult Studio Workshop | Drawing from the Land with John Hitchcock
Sunday, May 17, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Jean Holden Eminent Visiting Artists Workshop Fund
Led by artist John Hitchcock in connection to his exhibition, participants will use various drawing tools to create vibrant artworks that reflect their experiences of what is above, on, and beneath the land.
Adult Studio Workshop | Brick Stitch Beading Workshop with Eva Newell
Saturday, July 11, 12-3 p.m.
Join artist and educator Eva Newell (Pokanoket Tribe, Pokanoket Nation) for a beading workshop in which participants will make a beaded medallion that incorporates the brick stitch technique.
Access for All Community Day | Chalk Art Festival
Saturday, July 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Free Admission all day! Local artists and families are invited to participate in the Museum’s chalk art festival. The Community Day will also feature art activities inspired by John Hitchcock.
Featured Press:
What to See This Spring at Museums Across the Country
The New York Times, April 15, 2026
John Hitchcock’s sonic and cultural rhythms
See Great Art, May 10, 2026
New Britain museum to present major ‘We Are Defined by the Beat’ exhibition
Claudia S. Hilario, New Britain Herald, May 11, 2026
New Britain Museum of American Art opens 'John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat'
ArtDaily, May 18, 2026
Sponsors:
John Hitchcock: We Are Defined by the Beat is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support provided by the Roberts Foundation for the Arts, Susan and John Alston, and Claudia I. Thesing.