Duane Slick

Meskwaki, American Indian

Verifying the Invisible (Coyote and Tulips)

2005 Encaustic on linen

Duane Slick uses both paintings and photography to explore the stories and history of Indigenous Peoples in ‘dreamlike’ scenes and landscapes.  His earlier work focused heavily on creating visual representation of memory and loss.  Using Indigenous symbolism and figures, as well as American symbolism, he explored the contradictions and legacies of Indigenous identity in the larger narrative of American history.  Slick currently teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design where his art has moved away from his early focus on cultural death and legacy.  Today he is exploring how evolving social and religious structures within tribal arts interprets the world.


Gift of Nick and Dee Adams, 2014.85