In Memoriam

Watson and Rushing passed within a month of each other in 2026, leaving massive voids in their families, the Oklahoma School of Visual Arts, and in the Native American cultural world at large.

Bernie was deeply interdisciplinary in all senses of the word: a folklorist by training, art collector and museum curator, oyster farmer, fig tree tender, loving father and husband—and his memorial celebration brought together people from all walks of life who loved him, including large numbers of former students like myself who ranged from knowing him for decades to only encountering him more recently.