Gene Swallow art featured in DSU gallery

March 12, 2024

Contemporary Lakota artist Gene Swallow’s “Modern Lakota” exhibit is on display in Dakota State University’s First Bank & Trust Gallery now through April 15.

“Gene’s work was brought to my attention by a fellow artist and retired art educator who was familiar with his art,” said Alan Montgomery, Professor of Art at DSU. “Gene’s work represents contemporary practices while honoring his heritage.”

Swallow describes himself as a “family-taught” artist instead of self-taught. His mother is a well-known quilter, and his father was an oil painter. Family and art have always been deeply important to Swallow, and he and all his siblings are involved in arts and crafts.

“My upbringing was surrounded by influences from sewing, beadwork, welding, and crafting,” he said.

Throughout his artistic journey, Swallow has worked with many different media.

“It wasn’t until approximately five years ago – at the insistence of my close artist friends – that I made the decision to make dolls and textile sculptures for professional exhibition,” he said.

Swallow enjoys aesthetics and working with natural fabrics like leather, wool, cotton, and linen. While he doesn’t create small regalia for the dolls, he does try to suggest that his dolls and sculptures are Lakota.

“I like to highlight indigenous identity in each design by including buffalo horns, natural fiber braids, and/or floral fabric prints,” he explained.

Swallow describes his works in “Modern Lakota” as modest representations of modern Lakota art.

“I think there must be room for every form of art to flourish and carve out completely distinct niches; I’m just trying to share my interpretations in order to highlight indigenous art as a whole.”

He will give an artist’s talk on Monday, April 15 at 6 p.m. in the First Bank & Trust Gallery on the second floor of the Karl E. Mundt Library room 202. The gallery is open during regular library hours.