RAPID CITY, S.D. – Marty Two Bulls Jr., a prominent artist and educator from Rapid City, has been chosen for a six-week resident artist program focused on climate change in Chestertown, Maryland. The program, “CLIMATE,” is hosted by the Kent Cultural Alliance (KCA) in partnership with the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Washington College’s Center for the Environment and Science.
Two Bulls, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, brings a rich artistic background to the residency. He was mentored by his father, accomplished artist Marty Two Bulls Sr., and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He currently teaches at Oglala Lakota College, where he developed a Graphic Arts program, and is the Artist Laureate for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a 2022 United States Artist Fellow.
The “CLIMATE” residency aims to shed light on the impacts of the climate crisis through engaging artistic works. Two Bulls will be creating alongside fellow resident artist Evan Kassof of Philadelphia.
“The topic of Climate Change is a massive one. There are so many angles to approach it from,” Two Bulls said. “In some ways it seems impossible as an artist to make something that can affect any kind of change but that’s also the power of good art. Good art can communicate succinctly in a way unique to its form. That is the art that I strive to make.”
Two Bulls approaches the residency with an open mind, ready to absorb new experiences. “When I choose to engage in an artist residency I try to keep my mind as open as possible to the experience. I rarely go into an artist residency with a predetermined idea about the work or mediums that I’ll use,” he explained. “This is how I’m approaching my artist residency with the Kent Cultural Alliance. I’m in what I call my sponge phase, where I’m just soaking in all of the new information, places, and people that I’m encountering. Soon I will begin processing that information and letting that guide the concept which will in turn guide my mediums.”
