James Louks was born in Wyoming and grew up in South Dakota. He earned his MFA at the University of Montana in 2014. His studio practice is interdisciplinary and explores, comments on, and critques themes related to the socio-political, economic and cultural norms specific to rural America. He has previously taught studio art and art history courses at the University of Montana, Black Hills State University and the University of New Mexico-Gallup and served as the Gallery Director for the Roland Dille Center for the Arts at Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Louks lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he is an Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at Chatham University.