I awoke this morning with the most wonderful feeling. The friendship and kindness that I experienced last night at my opening was overwhelming. People keep asking to see more pictures, so here is just a few. Chad Nodland captured opening night with his digital camera. It was a good day for friendship, heritage and art.  The director from the Bismarck Art and Galleries Association told me that the attendance on opening night broke any previous opening in the galleries 30 year history. 

I was given two very special gifts on the day of my opening.  The first gift was from Ernie LaPointe, the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull.  I had taken a wet plate of him earlier in the day, the last plates at my old makeshift studio and he handed me his personal lance as a gift.  I also received from Chairman Charles Murphy a handmade buffalo bone necklace with Italian trade beads that he made for me personally.  I am very blessed to be on this creative path and my only goal is to make everyone proud who is involved in the series. 

http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Artist-uses-old-fashioned-photography-for-Native-American-collection-455186123.html

Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate PerspectiveNorthern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective

Ernie LaPointe the Great Grandson of Sitting BullErnie LaPointe the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull Ernie LaPointe the Great Grandson of Sitting BullErnie LaPointe the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull

Ernie LaPointe, the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull, my dear friend captured in the historic wet plate collodion process of pure silver on glass. The plate with his drum is called “Oka Wicasa” which translates in Lakota as “Singer”. Native American drummers are called singers in their culture. These two plates represent the last plates that I will ever make in my original makeshift studio. Ernie is sitting in the same chair he did so many years ago when I took my first plate of a him. Ernie is where it all began for my “Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective” series.

8x10”’black glass ambrotypes, f4.5, Carl Zeiss Tessar 3 lens, 11 seconds of exposure, continuous fluorescent lights.

As of January 2018, the Heard Museum in Arizona, the world leader in Native American Art has requested the original plate "Singer" for their collection.  Ernie and I are very proud of this request and the original black glass ambrotype will be donated to them on our behalf. 

Ernie LaPointe and Shane BalkowitschErnie LaPointe and Shane Balkowitsch Ernie LaPointe and Shane BalkowitschErnie LaPointe and Shane Balkowitsch Ernie LaPointe and Shane BalkowitschErnie LaPointe and Shane Balkowitsch

“Who Will Stop Us”, a Wet Plate of Michael Foster.  Mr. Foster is the valve turner who shut down the Keystone Pipeline last year in Pembina County for 7 hours. This week he is facing upwards of 22 years imprisonment if found guilty.

The oil company calls him an eco-terrorist, some would call him a martyr.  You can read his story by my friend Christopher Hagen.

http://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/bolt-cutters-and-chrysanthemums/

http://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/a-valve-turners-trial-mostly-guilty/

Michael Foster "Who Will Stop Us?" Wet Plate CollodionMichael Turner Keystone Pipeline Valve Turner