A Ho-Chunk Nation tribal member Chris Sweet created a cultural art piece representing the Ho-Chunk Nation and Native American culture for a building at Madison College’s new south campus.
“I was inspired by the story Robert Mann told me, called The Creator and the Four Lakes,” said Sweet. “In the painting, it not only tells a tale of how the Creator had a part in forming the lakes, but it also portrays an elder sharing her wisdom with the youth.”
In Sweet’s art piece, you can observe the Madison skyline disappearing into the past when it was just rural land and a clay cooking pot bubbling over to form the four lakes of the Madison area.
“In all of my paintings, I try to convey a sense of unity and healing,” says Sweet.
The building represents four different cultures. The cultures include Native American, African American, Latino, and Hmong. These four cultures were chosen because they are the predominant cultures in the area.
“Our goal was to have the building be a welcoming space where people of these four cultures and other minorities could identify and see themselves,” said Michael Stark, Facilities Director at MATC. “This, in turn, helps create a welcoming environment. We believe the cultural art helped move us toward this goal.”
Sweet’s artwork can be viewed at Madison College-South located, on Goodman South Campus.
