Zig Jackson, Skye Fox, Rocky Boy, Mt.

As a native artist in contemporary America, Jackson intended his work to be both provocative and educational - carrying an especially urgent message. In one sense, it is intensely personal; yet, in another -by virtue of his background and native roots, as part of an indigenous group struggling for autonomy in the shadow of a dominant one - Jackson’s work cannot escape an implicit politicism. Dealing with a culture in transition and its fight to survive within the confines of a foreign social structure and economic framework, his imagery explores the inherent ironies engendered by the confrontation of two opposing cultures and belief systems—including contemporary issues of identity and representation, displacement, land rights, indigenous sovereignty, and the ambiguity of cultural boundaries.

Jackson’s primary education comes from the government Indian boarding school systems. It was at St. Joseph's Indian School in Chamberlain, South Dakota that he initially received formal training in sketching and painting. For his secondary education, Jackson went to the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, Utah—where he first picked up a camera. There Jackson gained an awareness of all Native American needs and problems—such as poverty, alcoholism, and suicide, realizing that all Indian people are confronted with the same obstacles.