Art, Serigraphy & Screen Printing

By the mid-to-late 20th century, serigraphy gave Native artists a powerful way to reproduce their artwork, reach more people, and make original Native art available beyond a single painting. The process also worked especially well with the bold shapes, strong lines, and flat areas of color found in many artists' work.

The work of many Native artists demonstrates the history and development of printmaking as a contemporary Native art form.

Woody Crumbo

Woody Crumbo was a Potawatomi artist from Oklahoma who worked across painting, printmaking, music, dance, and education.

The Library of Congress documents Crumbo's use and development of silk-screen printing as a way to reproduce his artwork and make it available to a wider audience.

His work is an important example of how a Native artist used printmaking not simply as a reproduction process, but as part of his artistic practice.

Thomas J. Dorsey

Thomas J. Dorsey, also known as Tom Two Arrows, was a Lenape and Onondaga artist whose work included screenprinted and serigraph prints.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian holds several examples of his work, including Masks, Snow Snake Game, and Fancy Dancer.

These works show how screen printing became part of Native artistic expression during the twentieth century.

Allan Houser

Allan Houser, a Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache artist, is widely known for his monumental modernist sculptures and paintings, but his legacy also spans a diverse range of mediums, including printmaking.

His iconic work, The Sacred Fire Dancer, was originally created as a two-dimensional painting in 1937, while he was a student at the Santa Fe Indian School. The image was later reproduced as a fine-art serigraph.

The work is an example of how Native artwork could move from an original painting into the world of fine-art printmaking, allowing the image to reach a wider audience while remaining connected to the original artwork. 

From a Love of Art to Screen Printing and a Brand

Original Native art and printmaking have always been at the heart of what we do today.

What started with a love of creating art grew into a passion for printmaking and eventually into Native Wylde. The process begins with sketching and painting, then developing and preparing the artwork for print.

Some pieces become hand-pulled serigraphs on paper. Other pieces make their way onto T-shirts, bandanas, and apparel through our in-house screen printing process.

We are very proud to carry on the tradition of printmaking through old-school screen printing techniques and serigraphy in our work.

Today, we bring that entire process together in our Oklahoma City studio, where original artwork is turned into finished pieces through screen printing.

Below are some examples of our artwork and our screen printing production studio.

Unleash Your Culture

This painting is about keeping the flame of tradition burning in a modern world. It carries a message of never being afraid to be who you are, embracing your culture, and staying connected to where you've come from.

Painted by hand on canvas using acrylic paint and spray paint.

Unleash your culture. Be proud of who you are.

Unreserved Serigraph

This serigraph by Native Wylde, Unreserved, explores freedom through movement, fluidity, and the instinct to follow one's own path. The piece reflects the idea of moving without restraint, much like our ancestors, who traveled according to the land, seasons, and their own way of life.

Created from original artwork by Native Wylde, this serigraph connects contemporary Native expression with the longstanding tradition of screen printing as a form of fine-art printmaking. Each print is hand screen printed on 18" × 24" French paper using acrylic inks.

At its core, Unreserved is about freedom of movement, freedom of expression, and the courage to remain unrestrained.

Unreserved. Free to move. Free to be.

Native Wylde Screen Printed T-shirt

This screen-printed t-shirt brings together elements of traditional Native imagery with the bold visual language of contemporary pop art. Vibrant colors, graphic shapes, and layered elements create a modern interpretation that connects cultural tradition with contemporary expression.

The artwork draws from the same principles of serigraphy and screen printing used to reproduce fine-art prints, translating the process from paper to fabric. Each layer of color is applied through a screen, building the final image one layer at a time.

Screen printed in-house by Native Wylde in Oklahoma City, this piece continues the connection between Native art, printmaking, and contemporary wearable art.

Tradition meets modern expression.

The Production Shop

Native Wylde's screen printing process happens in-house in Oklahoma City.

Noah St. John, founding artist of Native Wylde and a Walker River Paiute tribal member, stands in the production studio in front of our ink wall.

This is where original artwork moves from the studio into the print process. Surrounded by the inks and materials used to produce our work, the artistic process becomes physical.

From original paintings and serigraphs on paper to screen-printed apparel, the same spirit of printmaking carries through the work.

Native art. Native design. Native Printed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Native American art?

Native American art refers to the diverse artistic traditions and contemporary creative work of Native peoples and Native nations across North America. It includes many different mediums, styles, traditions, and individual artistic practices.

What is serigraphy?

Serigraphy is a form of screen printing used as a fine-art printmaking process. Ink is pushed through a prepared screen onto paper or another surface, with separate screens often used for different colors.

Is screen printing used by Native American artists?

Yes. Native artists have used screen printing and serigraphy as artistic mediums for decades. Museums and cultural institutions document numerous Native artists whose work includes screenprinted and serigraph prints.

Can Native American art be contemporary?

Absolutely. Native art is not limited to historical or traditional forms. Native artists today work in contemporary painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, fashion, sculpture, digital art, and many other mediums.

How does Native Wylde connect to Native printmaking?

Native Wylde grew from a love of original Native art and printmaking. Original artwork is developed in the studio and can become serigraphs on paper or screen-printed apparel. Today, that process continues in our Oklahoma City studio.