New Exhibition Featuring Jimi La Pointe (Oglala Sioux)

JIMI LA POINTE - ECHOES & ARTIFACTS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

December 26, 2017

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA: The Sioux Indian Museum, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, will feature an exhibit of artwork by Jimi La Pointe.  The exhibition will run from January 19 to April 13, 2018.  The exhibition is free and open to the public.   

Mr. La Pointe is a freelance illustrator and comic artist.  He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in New Media Arts from The Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico.  An enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, he currently resides in Wolf Creek, South Dakota.

La Pointe's illustrations are simple with a stylized nature meant to capture a broader idea.  He explores art through the media of coffee-stained watercolor paper, watercolors, inks, and colored pencils, executed in a style befitting a contemporary graphic novel.  To create his unique works, the watercolor paper is washed with day old coffee, and thick grain sea salt is applied to give a splattered effect.  Then, the images are sketched onto the paper.  Various colors of India ink and watercolor paint are then used to colorize the image. 

La Pointe's artistic approach is well-suited to children’s book illustrations, vinyl stickers, or small prints, a professional merchandising move he looks forward to making alongside a transition to digital media.  He hopes this would ensure the traditional cultural aspect of Lakota storytelling is brought into new mediums.  Mr. La Pointe received the Aplan Award at the 2015 Red Cloud Indian Art Show as well as the Diederich Landscape Award at the 2017 Red Cloud Indian Art Show.  This exhibition will mark the first solo show of his work in a museum setting.  

Prices for the artwork can be obtained by contacting The Journey Museum Store at (605) 394-2201.  To purchase artwork after the exhibit closes, please contact Jimi La Pointe via email at jimilapointe@gmail.com.

The Sioux Indian Museum, managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, is located in The Journey Museum, 222 New York Street, Rapid City, SD 57701.  For admission fees and hours of operation please call (605) 394-6923.

* Exhibition brochure