Monte Yellow Bird Sr. or better known in the art world as Black Pinto Horse is a nationally renowned Native American Artist, Cultural/Educational Consultant, Presenter and Storyteller. A member of the Arikara and Hidatsa Nation from White Shield, North Dakota, he currently resides in Great Falls Montana as the Artist in Residence with the Paris Gibson Square Museum and Great Falls Public Schools.

As an artist he best expresses himself through the use of a collection of vibrant colors, shapes and symbols of his traditions. His love of color, the faith he learned from his mother and images from his First Nation heritage are all influences helping to create his artwork.   The applied color imitates the bright, bold application of Expressionism and the 20th century “Fauvism Movement”.  His focus on collaborating “First Nation” Images with 20th century “Expressionism” has given him a better understanding of himself and has been the key to establishing his own style of works.  His work is a reflection of pride for his people and a respect for life.
	When Monte was fifteen, he pursued his dreams as an artist and attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM. One of it’s kind and very prestigious, IAIA is a multi-tribal center of higher education dedicated to the preservation, study, creative application, and contemporary expression of American Indian arts and cultures.  It is a place where traditions are rediscovered and reaffirmed, where it’s possible for American Indian students to celebrate their art and cultural identity.   While studying there, he met many others with aspirations such as his from hundreds of tribes across the United States.
Black Pinto Horse attended NDSU and majored in History Education with Art as a minor, and graduated in 2002 from Minot State University with a BA in the Fine Arts. Oil painting is his first love and much of his recent work is created using this medium.  He also creates works in acrylics, watercolor, printmaking, and ceramics mediums. Sculpting is the most comfortable for him. It allows him to work with Mother Earth, the essence of life. When a person works with the earth, the importance of life and all its creatures reveals itself. Its life Creator has made possible and blesses each day in unique ways. Mother Earth allows us to walk on and with her, making our paths possible and keeping our footsteps safe.
Among other things, he also provides teambuilding workshops to corporations, educates teachers about First Nation traditions and culture and attends art shows across the United States.  In March, Monte was chosen to demonstrate oil painting to the large crowds at this year’s 50th Heard Museum Indian Art Show in Phoenix, AZ. With experience in many different capacities, he also works with at-risk youth and is trained in the Boys Town behavioral modification system where he served as a cultural consultant for the Native American students and staff at Boys Town in Nebraska.  If he is not working with students and staff in the Great Falls Public Schools or painting in his studio at the Paris Gibson Square, he is somewhere across the United States providing educational programs through his fine art business, Black Pinto Horse Fine Arts.	His key phrase, “We are on this earth for such a short time, if you're going to shine, shine brightly”, best describes the work of Black Pinto Horse (Monte Yellow Bird Sr.)

 

Education:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts, Minot State University, Minot ND, 2000
• Education Program, North Dakota State University, Fargo ND, 1997-1995
• Carpentry Certificate, Fort Berthold Community College, New Town ND, 1994
• General Studies/ Fine Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe NM, 1975-1977
• Boy's Town behavior modification Model, Boy's Town - Nebraska
• Reality Therapy - Dr. W. Glasser

 

Shows/commissions:

Presentations:

• The Heard Indian Market, Phoenix AZ, March 2008
• Girls & Boy's club, staff teambuilding workshop, Great Falls Mt. Jan. 2008
• Three Affiliated Tribes Days New Town schools - "Having a voice w/ color" lecture series
• Bismarck State College, lecture series- "Black Pinto Horse Art", Bismarck ND. Feb. 2008
• NDSU, Native Waters; Continuing Education for Teachers, Devils Lake ND, November 2007
• Heritage Festival, Fort Totten ND, September 2007
• Keynote speaker for the graduating class of 2007, Minnie H Elementary, May 2007
• Fargo Moorhead Leadership session on Diversity, Fargo ND, April 2007
• Upper Midwest Honors Conference, Dickinson State University, April 2007
• Minnie H fourth grade graduation, Devils Lake ND, May 2007
• CASA's, "Stop Horsin' Around Help Stop Child Abuse", Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Rapid City SD, May 2007
• South West Middle School, Winter Counts, Rapid City SD
• Minnie H Elementary, Warrior Shields, Devils Lake ND, April 2007
• Midwest Honors Conference, Dickinson ND, April 2007
• Fargo Moorhead Leadership  Diversity Panel, Fargo ND, April 2007
• Mayville Highschool, Winter Counts, Mayville ND, March 2007
• Mayville State College, Native Perspective on the Holocaust, Mayville ND, 2007
• Mayville Elementary, Warrior Shields, Mayville ND, March 2007
• Fort Union Indian Art Showcase; Ledger Art, Winter Counts, and Arikara History, Williston ND, 2006
• Little Hoop Community College, Culture Camp, Tokio ND, 2006
• NDSU, Native Waters; Continuing Education for Teachers, Devils Lake ND, March 2006
• NDSU, IWW Continuing Education, Fargo ND, 2006
• These Hides Speak, Fort Union guest speaker, Williston ND, January 2007
• NDSU, American Indian Heritage Month, Fargo ND, November 2006
• Fort Union Indian Art Showcase; Ledger Art, Winter Counts, and Arikara History, Williston ND, August 2006
• Red River and You, Teacher Institute 2006, Presenter, Devils Lake ND, August 2006
• Lake Region Public Library, Storytelling, Devils Lake ND, July 2006
• National Buffalo Museum, White Buffalo Calf Celebration, Jamestown ND, June 2006
• Lake Region State College, Keynote Speaker; Graduation, Devils Lake ND, May 2006
• Fargo/Moorhead Native American Educational Presentation, Fargo ND, 2006
• Youth Educational Services, Moorhead MN, 2006
• NDSU, Native Waters; Continuing Education for Teachers, Devils Lake ND, March 2006
• UND Trio Program Congressional Delegate, Grand Forks ND, 2006
• Stevensville Art Auction, Stevensville MT, June 2006
• “The Tent of Many Voices”, Lewis & Clark Signature Event,  2005
• NDIEA Conference, Spirit Lake Casino, Fort Totten ND, 2005
• Line Mountain School, Treverton PA, 2005
• Two Rivers Gallery, Minneapolis MN, 2005
• “The Tent of Many Voices”, Lewis & Clark Signature Event,  Bismarck ND, 2005
• Lake Region State College, Devils Lake ND, 2005
• Air force Base, Native American Month, Minot ND, 2004
• Fort Berthold Domestic Violence seminar, New Town ND, 2004
• Grand Forks Public School, Diversity Awareness, Grand Forks ND, 2004
• Dakota Ojibwa Child & Family Service, Manitoba Canada, 2003
• Issues of Diversity: Spirituality and Healing Among Native Americans, Minot ND, 2003
• Traditional Teachings, Friendship Center, Winnipeg Canada, 2002
• Traditional Teachings/ Martial Arts, Thunderbird House, Winnipeg Canada, 2002
• White Shield school, Native American month, White Shield ND, 2002
• Minot State University, Counseling Department, Minot ND, 2002
• Minot Public School, Lewis & Clark Elementary , Minot ND, 2000
• White Shield school, Chief’s Day, White Shield ND, 1985

 

School Workshops:

• Warrior Shields, New Town ND, Feb. 2008
• Warrior Shields,  Rapid City SD, May 2007
• Warrior Shields, Minnie H Elementary, Devils Lake ND, April 2007
• Lake Region State College, Diversity Week, Warrior Shields, Devils Lake ND, February 2007
• Winter Counts, Storytelling on Buffalo Hides, Eight Mile Public School, Trenton ND, January 2007
• Creating Your Own Identity, Williston Area Schools- 4th grade, Williston ND, January 2007
• Winter Counts, Storytelling on Buffalo Hides, Poplar Junior High School, Poplar MT January 2007
• Creating Your Own Identity, Artist in Residence, Jamestown Area Schools, November 2006
• Celebrating Your Identity, Washington Elementary, Fargo ND, November 2006
• Youth Educational Services, Moorhead MN, March 2006
• Warrior Shields, Creating Your Own Identity, Bennett Elementary, Fargo ND, March 2006
• Celebrating your Identity, Horace Mann Elementary, Fargo ND, March 2006
• Centennial Elementary, Fargo ND, March 2006
• Warrior Shields, Devils Lake Middle School, Devils Lake ND, February 2006
• Warrior Shields, Minnie H Elementary, Devils Lake ND, June 2006
• Warrior Shields, Madison Elementary, Fargo ND, November 2006
• Winter Counts, Madison Elementary, Fargo ND, November 2006

 

Publications:

• " On the Wind Shards", Native People's Magazine, pg. 13, March/ April 2007
• "Celebrate Everyone's History", Sentinel, Elizabethville PA, 2007
• "Winter Counts", Hear it Now Public Radio, Prairie Public, Fargo ND, January 2007
• "Indian Tale", Williston Herald, Williston ND, January 2007
• "Yellow Bird exhibit on display", Williston Herald, Williston ND, January 2007
• "Monte Yellow Bird’s one man show coming to the James I", Williston Herald, Williston ND, January 2007
• "Monte Yellow Bird’s one man show coming to the James II", Williston Herald, Williston ND, January 2007
• " Heard About the Prairie: A Virtual Art Stampede", Prairie Public Broadcasting, featured interview/ Native American perspective, Fargo ND, 2006
• "Students create shields depicting tribe", The Sun, Jamestown ND, November 2006
• "Yellow Bird’s art going on display", The Sun, Jamestown ND, November 2006
• Upper Dauphin Sentinel, Elizabethville PA, 2007
• "Black Pinto Horse Fine Arts, Someone You Should Know", WDAZ, Devils Lake/Grand Forks ND, 2006
• "Friends of Fort Union", Confluence News, Fort Buford, ND, 2006
• Minot Daily News, Minot ND, 2006
• Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck ND, 2006
• Fargo Forum, Fargo ND, 2006
• Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks ND, 2006
• Williston Herald, Williston ND, 2006
• Jamestown Sun, Jamestown ND, 2006
• Upper Dauphin Sentinel, Elizabethville PA, 2006
• The Bitterroot Star, Stevensville MT, 2006
• Devils Lake Journal, Devils Lake ND, 2006, 2005
• North Dakota Council on the Arts, Prairie Arts News, ND
• Lake Region State College, Horizon, Devils Lake ND, Spring 2006
• North Dakota State University, Fargo ND
• Minot State University, Minot ND
• The Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe NM
• University of North Dakota, Fargo ND
• North Dakota Council on the Arts, 2006, 2005, 2004
• Nelson County Art Council, Pekin ND, 2006, 2005
• The Sheridan Press, Sheridan WY, 2006
• Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls MT, 2005
• WDAZ, Spirit of the Painted Pony, Easter Seals, Devils Lake ND, 2005
• WDAY, Buffalo Path, the Gathering, Herd About the Prairie, Fargo ND, 2005
• KXJB, Buffalo Path, the Gathering, Herd About the Prairie, Fargo ND, 2005
• KVLY, Buffalo Path, the Gathering, Herd About the Prairie, Fargo ND, 2005
• Mclean Independent, Garrison ND, 2004
• MHA Times, Newtown ND, 2004
• Benson County News, 2004
• Valley City Times, Valley City ND, 2004