MINNEAPOLIS — Star WallowingBull (White Earth Ojibwe/Arapaho) has been named the third recipient of the Jim Denomie Memorial Scholarship. Created in partnership with the Denomie/Wilson family, All My Relations Arts, and Bockley Gallery, the annual $10,000 prize recognizes a Native artist who best exemplifies the values Denomie demonstrated in his own career: commitment to excellence, generosity of spirit, and engagement with community.
Star WallowingBull spent his formative years in the Twin Cities, raised by an artist father, Frank Big Bear (White Earth Ojibwe), who greatly influenced and nurtured his creative development. A citizen of the White Earth Nation in Minnesota, Star is also of Arapaho descent and has lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area of Minnesota and in North Dakota since 2001. With a focus on both painting and colored pencil drawings, Star’s style combines Native American symbolism with contemporary pop culture imagery. Meticulously clean lines, bold color, and elemental details come together in his work, often illustrating multiple deeply personal and cultural stories in a singular piece.
He has created work for museums, gallery exhibitions, and private collectors, as well as mentored youth through collaborative art projects and community murals. Star has received numerous grants and awards for his work, including the 2010 Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship, a Jerome Fellowship, and more. His work can be found in the collection of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art (Overland Park, KS), Tweed Museum of Art (Duluth, MN), Plains Art Museum (Fargo, ND), British Museum (London), Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC), and the Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, MN), among others.
“Star WallowingBull is an exceptional artist who is known for his talent, his generous heart, and his commitment to sobriety and community. As Jim’s family, we are thrilled to see his legacy continued through this award,” says Diane Wilson, the widow of Jim Denomie.
“Star’s observant, humble, and inquisitive nature informs his unique talent as an artist and goes hand in hand with his commitment to family and community. Star and Jim were longtime friends, and Star looked up to Jim as a role model in life as much as in art,” says gallerist Todd Bockley.
About Jim Denomie
Jim Denomie (La Courte d’Oreilles Ojibwe) — who passed away in March 2022 at age 66 — was an internationally acclaimed artist whose work earned numerous awards, including the McKnight Distinguished Artist award for his imaginative imagery, brilliant use of color, and visual stories that combined humor with piercingly honest truth-telling. Denomie was also passionate about supporting and mentoring other artists.
The tremendous outpouring of love and support following his brief illness and passing in March 2022 inspired his family to create the scholarship to honor and continue his legacy.
“Jim’s unique vision as an artist was matched by his passion for championing young artists. This scholarship embodies both, in the best way possible,” shares Todd Bockley.
The Jim Denomie Memorial Scholarship is administered by partner All My Relations Arts Gallery where Jim Denomie has exhibited in the past. All My Relations Arts is a program of the Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The scholarship is completely funded by donations from family, friends, and supporters. Scholarship partners include the Denomie/Wilson family (wife Diane Wilson, children Cheryl Lane, Sheila Umland, Cody Cyson, and Jodi Bean), and Bockley Gallery (Todd Bockley) who has been Denomie’s gallerist for more than 15 years. Bockley Gallery is assisting in the establishment of the Jim Denomie Estate and will continue to represent and exhibit Denomie’s art.
Previous recipients of this award have been multi-disciplinary artist Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe) and multimedia artist Maggie Thompson (Fond du Lac Ojibwe).
Links
- FAAM No. 16, Fall 2017, featuring Star WallowingBull
- Star WallowingBull, Instagram
- Star WallowingBull, Bockley Gallery
- Jim Denomie’s artwork, Bockley Gallery
- All My Relations Arts, Minneapolis, MN