The public is invited to attend a free opening reception on Thursday, June 12 celebrating a new exhibition titled A Certain Cadence of Night. This is Duane Slick’s most recent one-person exhibition in Iowa, showcasing his broad creative output, which includes new and recent paintings, silkscreen prints, and an exciting video installation produced in collaboration with Martin Smick.
Storytelling is a very important part of Slick’s work. Coyote, a character who is deeply ingrained in Native American culture and myths, is a resourceful shapeshifter. For Slick, Coyote is akin to an alter ego, appearing frequently in his work, providing the creative license to cross boundaries and insert Native American references into modernist forms, “Very much like the coyote itself, [my work is] independent, resourceful, and sometime unpredictable.”
Slick (Meskwaki and Ho-Chunk) was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and currently lives in Providence, Rhode Island. When talking about his youth, Slick says, “As a Native Iowan, my first 24 years were spent exploring the woodlands along the Cedar River and beholding the effects of weather on a daily basis.”
Slick has been Professor of Painting and Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design since 1995. He earned his BFA in Painting from the University of Northern Iowa and his MFA in Painting from the University of California, Davis.
The free opening reception is Thursday, June 12, 2025, 5 – 7 p.m. There will be an artist talk in the Lecture Hall at 6 p.m. A Certain Cadence of Night will be on view until October 12, 2025.
In collaboration with the Little Priest Tribal College and Angel Decora Museum & Research Center, the Art Center is presenting an artist talk with Duane Slick on Thursday, June 12, from 1 – 2 p.m. at Little Priest Tribal College, 601 E. College Dr. – Elk Auditorium, Winnebago, NE 68071. Admission is free.
