Connections: Past Present, and Future, featuring Nathaniel Ruleaux to Open at the Sioux Indian Museum

RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA: The Sioux Indian Museum, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Crafts Board, announces the opening of a new exhibition, Connections: Past Present, and Future, showcasing the artwork of Nathaniel Ruleaux.  The exhibition will run from December 2, 2023, through March 24, 2024.   On December 2, an opening reception will be held for the exhibit from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The artist will be available to discuss his work during the reception.  The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.   

Nathaniel Ruleaux, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is an award-winning multi-media artist who works primarily in acrylic, oil, watercolor and pastel paints.  Nathaniel, who currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska, holds a B.A. from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and a MFA from the University of Houston.  He describes himself as a visual artist, facilitator, organizer, and culture worker.  In addition to his two-dimensional paintings, he also creates three-dimensional work such as sculptures and ceramics.  Nathaniel has also experimented in his career with making woodblock, lino-block and screen prints of his original artwork along with creating drawings in ink, pencil, and silverpoint.  

Nathaniel has been creating artwork most of his life, but only became a professional visual artist in 2019.  His work focuses on his family and their histories, the beauty of natural world, Native American sovereignty, political action, and education.  Nathaniel credits his grandfather Donald D. Ruleaux, an Oglala Lakota artist belonging to the Lakota Dream Catchers Guild, as his primary mentor and inspiration.  He and his grandfather both incorporate bison in their artworks as the symbol of the Lakota spirit.   

His unique combination of modern aesthetics with traditional Native American imagery has earned Nathaniel several awards including Best Three-Dimensional Work at the Red Cloud Indian Art Show, Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and the Omaha Entertainment & Arts Award for Most Outstanding Group Show, along with grants from the Union for Contemporary Art/Andy Warhol Foundation.  His work has also been included in the exhibitions and collections of the Red Cloud Heritage Center and Akta Lakota Museum.  

Prices for the artwork can be obtained by contacting The Journey Museum at (605) 394-6923.  Purchase inquiries after the closing of the exhibition can be directed to the artist at  www.nathanielruleaux.com or through IG @nathanielruleaux