Art In This Present Moment
Rochelle Lame Bull Molds Her Own Path as a Fourth-Generation Potter
Rochelle Lame bull carries on her family traditions and imbues cultural significance through her pottery.
Art is in Rochelle’s genes. She is a fourth-generation potter and comes from a long family of artists who have used their gifts in beading, sewing and ceramics to share the cultural heritage of the Mdewakanton Band of Dakota.
While Rochelle has always been creative, it wasn’t until she went off to college that her love for ceramics began. After participating in a ceramics class for one semester, Rochelle returned home for the summer with the hopes of earning a pottery apprenticeship with her grandmother and uncle. In working with them, Rochelle began to shape her own path, utilizing texture and design to produce unique pieces.
She is the Lifelong Learning Coordinator at Lower Sioux Indian Community Center, where she teaches ceramics to students both young and old.
With support from Art In This Present Moment, Rochelle wants to begin including traditional Dakota elements such as sweet grass, beading and imaging into her pottery. Her dream for the future is that art will become her full-time job. She looks forward to one day having the opportunity to dedicate all the time she needs to her craft so that she can inspire others to do the same.
“Every time I make a pot or a project, I can always hear my dad, like I know right away he’s going to say ‘This is amazing! I want to keep it.'”
Rochelle Lame Bull
About the Artist
Rochelle Lame Bull (she/her) is the Lifelong Learning Coordinator for the Lower Sioux Indian Community Center in Redwood County.
Rochelle was nominated for Art In This Present Moment by Dakota Wicohan, an organization that works to revitalize the Minnesota Dakota language, known as the eastern or D-dialect.
Art In This Present Moment
This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.
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