Contemporary Art in Context: Christopher Sweet

Of all the beautiful art forms produced by Native Americans, painting is one of the most recent to blossom among Indigenous artists, emerging most prominently in the late 1800s. Just as artists of the Harlem Renaissance invigorated African American art by documenting their community and African heritage, contemporary Native American artists—in all manner of contemporary styles—explore many paths to express their vision and represent their cultures.

Christopher Sweet is one such artist. A contemporary Native American painter, he is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation (a Siouan-speaking culture) and son of a White Earth Ojibwe father.

Selected Artworks and Process
Sweet’s artistic process is greatly informed by his Native heritage. He finds inspiration in the Wisconsin River, which is a central feature of the territory where his ancestors have lived for centuries. One part of his process includes burning sage, a sacred Ho-Chunk practice. He often speaks to his ancestors, asking them to guide his hand. Nostalgic music, he says, often helps him enter a creative state.

Most of Sweet’s art depicts genre and ritual scenes of Native peoples, rendered in a vibrant palette of pure colors that is reminiscent of the dazzling and expressive colors used by the Fauves in the early 1900s. He has produced many iterations of the Abstract Headdress, all of them gestural and semi-abstract in form. He attributes his use of brilliant color to the influence of Native regalia, especially those worn by dancers at pow-wows.

The striking colors in his work, punctuated with swipes of cobalt violet, are particularly thrilling in Haininii Naani Maa, which portrays a gathering of ancestral chiefs. Sweet describes it as a visual expression of generational resilience, reflecting the common adage among Native peoples “We’re still here” despite past struggles.

Sweet’s paintings range from abstraction to abstract realism, and from tiny canvases to large-scale murals. In 2021, he was commissioned to paint a mural in Amherst, Wisconsin, in a local Paint the County mural initiative. The artist says that, apart from celebrating the rich traditions of his Native heritage, his works focus on healing among communities, and he hopes viewers come away with that sense after viewing his paintings.

Art History Brief: Native American Pictorial Art
The Ho-Chunk culture—whose name means “sacred voice”—are thought to have descended from the mound-building cultures of the Late Woodland Period (ca. 500/900–1000/1600 CE) in the Midwest. They were historically known as the Winnebago.

Aside from paintings and petroglyphs discovered in caves in southwestern Wisconsin, pictorial art was not widespread among Great Plains Indigenous peoples until the late 1800s (the period of so-called “ledger paintings”), when painting on animal hides became a way to commemorate historical events or battles. In some societies, visions or dreams were recorded on hides.

The pictorial movement in Native American art got its greatest impetus in 1932 with the establishment of a formal painting program in the Studio School at the Santa Fe Indian School. Later, in 1962, the founding of the Institute of American Indian Arts at the Studio School became the major institutional force in the development of modernist Native American painting.

About the Artist
Christopher Sweet was born and raised in south-central Wisconsin. He has been artistic since childhood, constantly sketching in notebooks. He comes from a long line of artists. Both of his parents and his maternal grandmother were painters. He painted his first mural when he was in the fifth grade.

After high school, he studied briefly at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, but considers himself mostly self-taught. He became a professional artist after 2016, when he was given his first solo exhibition at the Little Eagle Arts Foundation in the Wisconsin Dells.

In 2021, he opened Blue Bear Studio, named after the English translation of his Ho-Chunk name, Huuc Coo Ga. The studio serves as his creative workspace and exhibition space. Sweet has exhibited his work throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest.

(Swipe to view full image) Hainipii Naani Maa (Ho-Chunk language translation: Good Morning Mother Earth). Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 36" (30 x 91 cm). “The imagery of this painting is symbolic of sharing our life lessons, ceremonial, and cultural teachings with our youth in preparation of the next generations. The seven eagles and seven cranes pay homage to the seven generations. As the rising sun welcomes a new day, the youth stand alongside relatives to signify the passing down of life lessons and cultural knowledge. Encouraging our youth to embrace their identity will lead to a brighter future for the next generations.”

ARTIST Q&A
What are some of the biggest influences on your work, including other artists, events, or things outside of the arts?
CS: Creative art is literally in my blood. My mother is an artist, my father was an artist, and my grandfather was an artist.

A majority of my work is inspired by my Native American heritage. Not just by my Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe connection, but by all tribal nations’ cultures. Our connections to the natural world, the earth, sky, and water connect us all. Although tribal nationsʼ cultures are unique, there are still similarities, and I find that fascinating. It just solidifies the true connection that we all have to one another.

What is a typical workday like for you?
CS: As an artist, I don’t have the worries of punching a clock. I usually plan out my day the night before. Having different projects going on all the time, it’s just a matter of deciding on what to work on. I’m doing something that I love to do, so no matter what it is, it’s something that I look forward to. Some days I work at home and some days I work at my studio/gallery.

Summer is the busy season. We do a lot of vendor setups all over the state, and during the winter months I work on commissions.

What is the inspiration for your beautiful palette?
CS: I go to a pow-wow once in a while to reconnect and experience all the vibrant colors used within the dancers’ regalia. I try to carry those colors over to my painting palette along with the story and energy.

I am also inspired by the vibrant sunsets and amazing Wisconsin landscapes and beautiful waterways.

The figures in your compositions are usually faceless, or with their backs turned to the viewer. Why is that?
CS: The faceless images stand as a testament to cultural teachings that emphasize humility and strong character, urging viewers to look beyond appearances and embrace the deeper more meaningful aspects of identity. They face away, with the intention of moving forward in a positive direction, looking to each day as a new beginning.

In what ways do you collaborate with other artists or your community?
CS: I like to work with other artists whenever possible. Collaborating with others is always an opportunity for expansive creativity. I have also worked on community mural projects and with Indigenous students of Wisconsin.

What advice could you give students about the artistic process (not just the end result)?
CS: A large part of my artistic process is experimentation. Cover your canvas in different colors of paint using random brushstrokes. Do this before you start your main painting idea. This is called an underpainting.

I like to use vibrant colors because it gives me an uplifting feeling. I consider this the healing and therapeutic stage of painting.

Always experiment with different techniques. Eventually you will find your own unique style. The freer you are with your brushstrokes, the more character comes through in your artwork.

What are you working on currently? Can you share any upcoming projects with our readers?
CS: Currently, I am working on some paintings for the Yahara River Trail interpretive signage with Dane County.

I am preparing for the 2025 Fall Art Tour, where over 500 guests will visit my creative space, Blue Bear Studio in Baraboo, Wisconsin.

I will also be creating a piece for a juried art show called the Woodland Indian Art Show and Market in November. I also have multiple tabling events in Waunakee, Madison, and Wisconsin Dells.

Channeling Native Heritage