South Dakota Arts Council
Pierre, SD
The SDAC is a state government grantmaking agency supported by the State of South Dakota, through the Dept. of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Message
“Growing up on a ranch and being around animals my whole life gives me an extra boost for getting them to look as natural as they would in real life. I have been the artist in residence at the Custer State Park for several years during the buffalo roundup. The roundup inspired me to sculpt buffalo. The ‘Ballad of the Badlands’ features a buffalo bull standing on a badlands formation looking back over the vast plains they once roamed freely over.”
- John Lopez
- Ballad of the Badlands, 2006
- Bronze
- Framed: 12 x 14 in (30.48 x 35.56 cm)
John Lopez was born and raised on a ranch in western South Dakota. John found his talent for sculpting during his senior year at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. In 2006, while building a family cemetery on his Uncle Geno’s ranch, John began sculpting with scrap iron when he ran out of material for the cemetery fence. A new love was born. John’s scrap iron and bronze monuments can be found throughout the state and country, including on street corners in Rapid City, SD, as part of the City of Presidents public sculpture project.
- Current Location: Governor's Residence - Main Floor, entryway - 119 N Washington Ave Pierre, SD 57501 (google map)
- Collections: Art For State Buildings
Other Work From South Dakota Arts Council
