The celebrated modernist Truman Lowe grew up in a Ho-Chunk community outside of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, and spent most of his life living and working in the state. His first language was Hoocąąk, the language spoken by members of the Ho-Chunk Nation. From an early age, his parents and grandparents steeped him in tribal handiwork traditions, including basketry, beadwork, and woodwork. After studying art and art education at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Lowe earned an MFA in sculpture from UW–Madison. Intricate and graceful minimalist sculptures evoke his heritage, Wisconsin’s woodland environments, and people who inhabited and made an impact on the sacred native lands where he was raised. Wood and water—essential physical, spiritual, and metaphysical resources for the Ho-Chunk people—are throughlines in Lowe’s life and art. Made with malleable wood, soft organic lines, repetitions, and layering, Lowe’s works combine his extensive knowledge of Wisconsin’s woodlands with his formal art training, creating sculptures that represent and speak to both Native and non-Native communities.
The celebrated modernist Truman Lowe grew up in a Ho-Chunk community outside of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, and spent most of his life living and working in the state. His first language was Hoocąąk, the language spoken by members of the Ho-Chunk Nation. From an early age, his parents and grandparents steeped him in tribal handiwork traditions, including basketry, beadwork, and woodwork. After studying art and art education at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Lowe earned an MFA in sculpture from UW–Madison. Intricate and graceful minimalist sculptures evoke his heritage, Wisconsin’s woodland environments, and people who inhabited and made an impact on the sacred native lands where he was raised. Wood and water—essential physical, spiritual, and metaphysical resources for the Ho-Chunk people—are throughlines in Lowe’s life and art. Made with malleable wood, soft organic lines, repetitions, and layering, Lowe’s works combine his extensive knowledge of Wisconsin’s woodlands with his formal art training, creating sculptures that represent and speak to both Native and non-Native communities.
The celebrated modernist Truman Lowe grew up in a Ho-Chunk community outside of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, and spent most of his life living and working in the state. His first language was Hoocąąk, the language spoken by members of the Ho-Chunk Nation. From an early age, his parents and grandparents steeped him in tribal handiwork traditions, including basketry, beadwork, and woodwork. After studying art and art education at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Lowe earned an MFA in sculpture from UW–Madison. Intricate and graceful minimalist sculptures evoke his heritage, Wisconsin’s woodland environments, and people who inhabited and made an impact on the sacred native lands where he was raised. Wood and water—essential physical, spiritual, and metaphysical resources for the Ho-Chunk people—are throughlines in Lowe’s life and art. Made with malleable wood, soft organic lines, repetitions, and layering, Lowe’s works combine his extensive knowledge of Wisconsin’s woodlands with his formal art training, creating sculptures that represent and speak to both Native and non-Native communities.
