Ben Pease is the 15th Gary and Melissa Oakland Artist-in-Residence at the YAM’s Visible Vault. Ben states, “I was born in 1989 and raised on the Crow Reservation. Throughout my life I’ve tried to soak up as much cultural, societal, and traditional aspects of what it means to be an aboriginal from North America in the whirlwind of today. I find my definition of being Native to this land as an interpersonal physical and spiritual relationship which is connected to all surrounding entities, beings, organisms, and geological features. I have been practicing as a professional Native Artist for almost four years around the country, My work and process are currently evolving for the more I learn, the less I know. I’ve recently crossed paths with the task of narrating the Aboriginal struggles and aesthetics through my personal interpretation. Whether my art focuses upon statements drawn from the aspect of an activist or based on cultural recording, I feel the need to educate and speak volumes. I will continue my transition from a so-called ‘Rez-Kid’ to a culturally rich contemporary storyteller.”

Ben Pease will be in the Studio:*
Sunday-Saturday
9:00am-5:00pm (Until 7:00pm on Thursday)

*Please call ahead at 406-256-6804 Ex. 254 to ensure that he is there the day you’d like to visit.