the art of

Marlena Myles

digital artist + animator + fabric/fashion designer + book illustrator

Writing / Blog

My blog features interviews and news articles about my work as well as my writings, reviews and critique about (Native) art.

If This Bluff Could Talk

If This Bluff Could Talk

To the Dakota people, Ȟemníčhaŋ (Hemnican) / Barn Bluff is one of the most sacred places in the world. The City of Red Wing, Minnesota had a call for a creative artist to listen to community voices to add to the different associations people in the area have to Ȟemníčhaŋ/Hemnican (Barn Bluff); from the history of the geological formation to Indigenous peoples such as the Dakota and Ho-Chunk and to the immigrants of recent times. I was the artist selected for the project.

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Curated Case @ Minneapolis Institute of Art

Curated Case @ Minneapolis Institute of Art

The use of the American flag by the Dakhóta and Lakȟóta people of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (“Seven Council Fires”, as we are collectively known) shows a conscious thoughtfulness of our ongoing relationship with the United States: at times a political symbol, at other times used to protect our sovereignty and traditions.

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American Flag in Plains Tribes’ Art

American Flag in Plains Tribes’ Art

Why would oppressed peoples adopt the preeminent symbol of their oppressors and employ it as a design element in their decorative arts? I used to be one of those people who hated seeing the American flag at powwows on reservations. Then I read a scholarly report about the American flag imagery throughout Native art and cultures for the Plains tribes. It helped me understand the meaning from Native peoples perspective throughout history.

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Two Rivers Arts Interview

Two Rivers Arts Interview

WHAT ROLE DOES ART PLAY IN SOCIETY?
On an individual level, art is the way the artist is confronting the problems they see. They are asking questions, they are seeking a new way of thinking. As I mentioned before, there was no word for Art in the Dakota language, what people created then was like creating a prayer through their designs…

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News Article: Native art exhibit celebrates changing perspectives

News Article: Native art exhibit celebrates changing perspectives

There are several words people associate with regional Native artist Marlena Myles’ digital illustrations. Freeborn County Arts Initiative President Elisha Andrew Marin calls them “incredibly painstaking.” Curator and artist Susanne Crane calls them “techy,” “current and of the essence.”

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