We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Renelle White Buffalo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Renelle below.
Renelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I went to college for art. There I learned a lot there about the basics of art/design (like composition, options within the mediums etc), art history and critique. Although these helped fundamentally- the art world is ever evolving and my learning process accelerated with more “real world” experiences. Coming from such a small town in South Dakota, White River, and moving to Los Angeles was my first leap in that process. College was a great bounce point and I don’t regret it. However, it wasn’t until I moved that I figured out how gallery systems work (with trial and error). I think that’s something that living in a major city has an advantage of- going to different shows and seeing how it is first hand.
Even in Los Angeles, it was more difficult to attend multiple shows as it is a much more spread out and I didn’t own a car. New York is much easier in that sense. It also wasn’t until New York that I started taking advantage of more art-focused professional development workshops, lectures/talks as well as taking some medium-focused classes on the side (particularly for printmaking) and going to museum exhibitions.
So even though I am never not learning something new, I currently have three phases I can look at in terms of my development as an artist. College was more about getting my toes wet and seeing that art was truly worth pursuing, starting a network, and learning about myself. My time in Los Angeles was discovering what kind of artist I wanted to be, setting my focus on painting and printmaking, and overall more life lessons in and out of art. New York was about showing what I learned already, developing a body of work, benefiting from the convenience of the city and ability to go to art led programs/shows and networking. But as I said previously, the art world (and my art) is ever evolving and I look forward to seeing what else I learn and can share.
Renelle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Renelle White Buffalo. I am Lakota and a visual artist, mainly focused on painting and printmaking. I born and raised in South Dakota. I currently live in the New York City Area (Jersey City, NJ).
In my art, I incorporate my Lakota heritage and upbringing, my identity as an indigenous woman, and focus on environmental connection.
Being an artist was something I grew up knowing what I wanted to do, but it was really my hometown community that pushed me to pursue it professionally. Therefore, I hold a BFA in Studio Arts from Iowa State University.
I have exhibited nationally including at K Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY), Southampton Arts Center (Southampton, NY), All My Relations Gallery (Minneapolis, MN), Blue Rain Gallery (Santa Fe, NM) and Self Help Graphics (Los Angeles, CA). I have also participated in residencies including Jentel Foundation (Sheridan, WY) and Modern Multiples (Los Angeles, CA). Because of my art, I have been a guest speaker at St. John’s University, Kupferberg Holocaust Center and Northern State University. My artwork has been shown on the cover of the documentary Lakota Nation vs the United States. All of which as some of the accomplishments I am proud of.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect is the people I have met along the way. Being an artist is a lot about networking. I think that actually is one of my least favorite parts, as it is really difficult for me to introduce myself to people and maintain conversation (small talk). I do best one-on-one and when it’s busy or within groups I feel like I struggle socially.
On the other hand, I love seeing new shows and the overall energy of everyone in the room having a common interest: the art. I often go alone, one reason being that it really pushes myself out of my comfort zone and allows me to engage with others and the artwork. However, there has been times where I go, check out the art, and walk right out without talking to anyone (which is fine too).
Despite my own social anxiety, there are people I would never have met if I didn’t continue conversation and make the effort to cultivate these connections. I have met people that mentored me and other artists creating community to exchange stories, lessons, and thoughts. I have met people I now consider family. It’s true about surrounding yourself with people that inspire you, support your goals, and are positive in your life. The people I have met, have done just that.
If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?
Some might be unaware that selling artwork is not the only way artists can make money. Even with selling your art there are multiple streams in which to do so, I limit mine through galleries/exhibitions or directly from myself/studio. Also, some art shows provide honorariums just for showing.
I also have had opportunities to guest lecture and teach at colleges, schools and within museum programming. Some are multiple days and some are just one-day workshops.
In the past, I have also done mural work in which I generated revenue by not only the creation but with licensing as well when shown in a tv show. I have also done licensing with hotel/resorts to have my limited prints done to display in their suites, I have had my artwork used as cover work on reports and books, like “Indigenizing Philosophy through the Land” by Brian Burkhart. More recently and notably, I have had my work licensed to be on the cover of the documentary “Lakota Nation vs the United States.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rwhitebuffalo.com
- Instagram: @buffaloroaming
