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Dwayne Wilcox ledger art is contemporary tradition

Dwayne Wilcox works on a life-size self-portrait in his Rapid City studio, located inside Racing Magpie.
Dwayne Wilcox works on a life-size self-portrait in his Rapid City studio, located inside Racing Magpie.

See the attached audio above to listen to the full story.

A noted Oglala Lakota artist living in Rapid City has just published his first book of art, titled Visual/Language: The Ledger Drawings of Dwayne Wilcox.

Dwayne Wilcox sits at the drawing table, paging through his book of ledger art.
Dwayne Wilcox sits at the drawing table, paging through his book of ledger art.

The book features more than 50 reproductions of Wilcox’s drawings on ledger paper done over three decades. But Wilcox himself is equally featured. The book includes a long biographical essay written by the book’s editor, Karen Miller Nearburg. There’s also a timeline of his life and lists of his awards, presentations, exhibits, and contributions to permanent collections.

Wilcox has been inspired by the traditional ledger artists of the 1800s. But he has made the art form his own with contemporary images, wry observations, and compassionate humor.

Victoria Wicks has more of his story for SDPB.

Visual/Language: The Ledger Drawings of Dwayne Wilcox
Visual/Language: The Ledger Drawings of Dwayne Wilcox

Rapid City freelancer Victoria L. Wicks has been producing news for SDPB since August 2007. She Retired from this position in March 2023.