Mike Marshall
Diversity in Lakota Art and Craft
January 18th - March 18th, 2009
"Through my art I wish to continue the precedent set by those who have gone before me. Those unique artists who saw beauty in all of creation. They expressed this insight in all aspects of life, from the mundane to the sacred. Staying close to the traditional, still in the present and looking forward to the future. This is my philosophy." - Mike Marshall
Drawing on his cultural heritage Mike Marshall incorporates natural materials in the objects he makes, materials much like his ancestors did. He utilizes hides, bone, beads and paints, creating work that is utilitarian as well as objects that are decorative; work that is sought after by collectors and cultural center facilities to enhance their exhibits. Among the many objects he creates are painted rawhide containers of various sizes and shapes, painted buffalo robes, silverwork, beaded jewelry, horn spoons, bags, beaded spoons, forks and tin cups, rawhide bowls used for pounding cherries, Lakota toys and games like the snow snake, deer toe game, and bone sleds. A collection of his Lakota games is on display at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Marshall learned the art of making traditional Lakota craft primarily through hands on experience and guidance from the treasures of the past from which he gets his inspiration. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1999 from the Sinte Gleska's Art Institute, Mission, South Dakota. As a result of his formal education in the arts Marshall has expanded his artistry to include batiks, watercolors, stone sculptures. When asked to describe his work as contemporary or traditional, he says, "I jump around from strong traditional to modern abstraction," and it represents ".bonds to the past but with my personal view of understanding our culture."
Mike Marshall a full time artist was born in Rosebud, South Dakota and is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Tribe. He also serves as a hunting guide, and is willing to demonstrate and teach people about his culture and the work he creates.
Prices of work for sale can be obtained from The Journey Museum Store at 1-605-394-2201. After the exhibit closes contact Mike Marshall at PO Box 143, Mission, South Dakota 57555; email dcanyon@gwtc.net
The Sioux Indian Museum, managed by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, U.S. Department of the Interior, is located in The Journey Museum at 222 New York Street, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701. For admission fees and hours of operation call 1-605-394-6923.
|
