Dwayne Wilcox “is entirely self taught–learning from friends and family. ‘I lived in Washington, DC for a few years and I managed to go through every museum archive I came across that contained ledger art. Ledger art had such a deep feel and I found it the most versatile of all Lakota arts’” (George E. Foster, Jr. Gallery of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, sponsored Harwood Museum).

“Dwayne “Chuck” Wilcox has been a full-time artist since 1987, but has always been a lifelong producer of art. While he has no formal art training, Chuck had his first commissioned art piece in 1974, which eventually lead to a full time career.

He “is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota and was born in Kadoka, SD 1957. His family is from Wanblee, SD, and he attended Crazy Horse High school. Following graduation, Chuck enlisted in the military for four years. His wife was a career military member and they have lived in Colorado, South Carolina, Maryland and Montana.

“Chuck’s chosen medium is ledger paper, the first paper to make it’s way to the Great Plains in the 19 century. He uses this medium to convey, in the most contemporary way, a living culture through humor, dance, or vices of the modern times. His goal is to share a continuing view of how natives see the European culture and to reverse the paradigm” (Dog Hat Studio www.doghatstudio.com).

Wilcox also teaches children at the Red Cloud Indian School’s Heritage center: “On a recent winter afternoon, Red Cloud fourth grader, Nevaya, sat drawing out a story on lined ledger paper, a well known Oglala Lakota ledger artist Dwayne Wilcox sat nearby, guiding her. . . See more

“My friends and family influence my work by the way they communicate and tell a joke or a story. In the Lakota way, humor is medicine and helps us heal. That is why there are such figures as the Sacred Clown. My drawings are meant to reflect that kind of humor and the traditional lifeways. This is what I see as everyday life” (Artist’s Statement in Moving Walls, 19, Open Society Foundation).