Lakota Contemporary

Curated by artist laureate of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Marty Two-Bulls Jr., Lakota Contemporary is an intergenerational examination of contemporary Lakota Art. The featured artists span a wide range of careers, ages, genres, and mediums. Such artists include Martin Red Bear, Mikayla Patton, Keith Brave Heart, Marty Two-Bulls Jr. and many others. 

Lakota Art defies the generalization of conventional western paradigms and instead is rooted in a deeper relationship to community and place. Historically, Lakota artists and creatives were innovators who adapted to an ever-changing world, adopting new materials, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves. The participating artists in this exhibition carry that same spirit. The goal of this exhibition is to allow those artists the opportunity to share works outside of a narrow theme or topic and encourages the avant-garde with the intention of challenging the audiences’ expectations.

Marty Two Bulls Jr. is an artist and educator based in Rapid City, SD. Two Bulls is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and was raised in the high plains of South Dakota. He is one of two inaugural Artist Laureates for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Two Bulls comes from a large family of Lakota artists including his father Marty Two Bulls Sr. who is an accomplished editorial cartoonist. Marty Two Bulls Jr. has worked in arts education for the last 10 years. He earned his Bachelors in Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and his Masters in Fine Arts from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Two Bulls has exhibited his artwork in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally with works in several museum permanent collections.