Jack Malotte makes artworks that celebrate the landscapes of the Great Basin, with a unique focus on contemporary political issues faced by Native people seeking to protect and preserve access to their lands. Malotte infuses wry humor into his work, even as he delves into subject matter that is sometimes serious and sobering. Malotte's most recent work reconsiders historical narratives and myths of the American West, refers to Western Shoshone and Washoe traditions and legends, and highlights longtime political, environmental, and legal struggles of Native communities.From the Artist
I was moving all around...Everywhere I moved to, my heart changed. In Duckworth I've become more introspective. That's where I'm at now. I'm just doing what I enjoy. I enjoy the mountains and the energy around that.
—Transcribed from 2020 video at https://www.westernfolklife.org/blog/2020/7/10/the-art-of-jack-malotte-exhibition-opens-july-11, accessed 7-1-2021
—Excerpted from https://www.nevadaart.org/art/exhibitions/jack-malotte/, accessed 7-1-2021
Jack Malotte works in a variety of media to make artworks related to contemporary issues faced by native people as they work to protect and persevere access to Native lands for present and future generations. Malotte’s paternal Western Shoshone ancestry has been a dominant influence throughout much of his career.
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records, accessed 6-23-2021
