Marty Two Bulls Sr. is an Oglala Lakota originally from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He has worked as a graphic designer in television, commercial printing, daily newspapers and new media. His work has also appeared in the newspapers like Indian Country Today (Martin, SD), Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Times (New Town, ND), Cherokee One Feather (Cherokee, NC), and News from Indian Country (Hayward, WI).
Two Bulls started his editorial cartooning in his high school newspaper where he learned the fundamentals of cartooning, layout and design. This interest would lead him to pursue studies at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver Colorado and later to earn a BFA at The Institute of American Indian Arts. His 'editoons' started out as a hobby but within a few years the hobby turned into a career. He has produced over six hundred editorial cartoons and continues to produce work week after week.
Two Bulls began as a journalist in weekly newspapers and then moved on to dailies. He accepted a position at the Rapid City Journal as a graphics editor and he served on the editorial board for seven years before moving on to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader where he continued as graphics editor for six more years. Two Bulls eventually left newspapers to pursue a fine art career and freelance as a cartoonist.
Marty Two Bulls, Sr.'s work focuses on issues of political interest to Native peoples, a vital niche market. Native Americans have been historically persecuted and marginalized by the dominant culture, which has reduced them to a minority in their own lands. Two Bulls creates his cartoons for his people; if non-Natives are touched by his work, all the better. It is important to him that the message of the editorial is made known to all peoples.
Two Bulls, Sr. currently works as a senior freelance artist, college art professor and graphic designer. Marty works and studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He enjoys teaching, painting, sculpting and designing jewelry. His website is m2bulls.com.
The Herblock Prize is awarded annually by The Herb Block Foundation for "distinguished examples of editorial cartooning that exemplify the courageous independent standard set by Herblock." The winner receives a $20,000 net cash prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy. Marty Two Bulls will receive the Prize on May 28th in a ceremony held at the Library of Congress. Dolores Huerta, renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers union alongside Cesar Chavez , will deliver the annual Herblock Lecture at the awards ceremony. She is Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
Judges for this year's contest stated "Marty Two-Bulls, Sr.'s bold and assertive cartoons, drawn in a style distinctly influenced by underground cartoonists, demonstrate courageous and independent thinking. Two-Bulls' commentary from his unique perspective as one of America's few Native American political cartoonists addresses local, national and international issues in a powerful and incisive way." His work reflects the quote from Herblock engraved on the trophy which states "Political cartoons, unlike sundials, do not show the brightest hours. They often show the darkest ones, in the hope of helping us move on to brighter times."
The Herblock finalist for 2025 is Peter Kuper. He will receive a $7,500 net cash prize. The judges said "Peter Kuper's long-standing commitment to cartooning about climate change and the causative role of multinational corporations stands out even more vividly in today's political environment. His multi-panel silent cartoons convey a wealth of information and commentary in a visually striking manner. "
The Herb Block Foundation seeks to further the recognition and support of editorial cartooning: www.HerbblockFoundation.org.
Sarah Alex
Co-President
The Herb Block Foundation
