Lakota Landscapes, featuring Galen LaRoche 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, Lakota Landscapes, featuring Galen Laroche.  The exhibition will run from September 26 through November 26, 2023.    

The photography of Galen LaRoche (Chris Bordeaux) offers a unique perspective into the landscapes of the Great Plains.  An enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, he currently lives with his wife in the Red Cloud Community on the Pine Ridge Reservation.  A lifelong educator, Galen currently serves as the Interim Director of the Pine Ridge Girls School and has previously worked as both a teacher and principal.  He holds a B.S in Elementary Education from Black Hills State College and a M.A. in Educational Administration from Oglala Lakota College.      

Galen was drawn to photography at an early age and recalls when his family acquired its first polaroid camera for Christmas while he was in elementary school.  He immediately used the camera to photograph his toy cars and thus began his passion for photography.  During his early career, Galen gained decades of experience in film photography, photo development and printing, and learned critical skills in framing shots and capturing fleeting action. These skills have continued to serve him well as he has transitioned into the world of digital photography.    

With his Canon DSLR camera always nearby, Galen takes photographs spontaneously as he drives across the landscapes of South Dakota and surrounding states.  When he comes across a scene he wants to photograph, he takes anywhere from 6-12 overlapping images.  He then uses simple photography software to stich the image together and blend the component images together.  Once the various component images have been stitched together, he manipulates the colors of the photograph using basic software.  Clouds and landscapes play a prominent role in many of his photos, evoking past photographers who have influenced Galen such as Ansel Adams and Edward Curtis.  He sees his landscapes as an expression of the connection between Lakotas and Mother Earth, and the unique perspective that Lakotas have on the natural world.    

Galen has participated in, and won awards from numerous art shows including: the Red Cloud Art Show, Pine Ridge, SD, Crazy Horse Memorial’s Gifts from Mother Earth Art Show, Custer, SD, Native POP, Rapid City, SD, and the Northern Plains Indian Art Market in Sioux Fall, SD.  His work has been displayed in the Racing Magpie Native Art Gallery in Rapid City, SD, the Post Pilgrim Art Gallery in Sioux Falls, SD, and We Are the Seeds Gallery in Santa Fe, NM.  

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 Galen LaRoche at cgbordeaux@hotmail.com