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CORVALLIS, Ore. - Artist and activist Cannupa Hanska Luger, a native of North Dakota who was born on the Standing Rock Reservation, will give a public talk on Feb. 16 at Oregon State University.

The lecture, "They Need Us More Than We Need Them," will begin at 7 p.m. in the Construction & Engineering Hall at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 S.W. 26^th St., Corvallis. A reception with the artist will be held at 6 p.m. in the Myrtle Tree Alcove. The reception and talk are free and open to the public.

The event is part of the School of Arts & Communication's Visiting Artists and Scholars Lecture Series and SPARK, a year-long celebration of the arts and science.

Luger creates socially conscious work interweaving his identity as an American Indian with global issues. Luger, who is of Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, Austrian and Norwegian descent, creates unique, ceramic-centric, multidisciplinary artwork that tells provocative stories of complex indigenous identities coming up against 21^st century imperatives, including mediation and destruction. Luger's studio is currently based in New Mexico.

His recent work speaks to the environmental impact of energy extraction on the collective human psyche, and the political framework of unsanctioned land deals that primarily affect indigenous and rural communities and their land and water. He has spent time at Standing Rock during the protests of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The public talk concludes a three-day residency at OSU for Luger. On Feb. 14, he will attend a "Lunch & Learn" session with students and faculty in conjunction with an OSU course on the arts and social justice. He will also present his work at the Indigenous Poetry Night, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Native American Longhouse.

On Feb. 15 and Feb. 16, Luger will be present in the art department, meeting with art faculty and students, hosting a maker's event focused on art and activism and reviewing student portfolios.

The Visiting Artists and Scholars Lecture series brings world-renowned artists and scholars to the OSU campus to interact with students in the art department so they can learn what is required of a professional artist or scholar.