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 Area Technical College.
“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.