'Dakota Modern' exhibit brought Oscar Howe's work back to South Dakota

"Dakota Modern" was on display this past summer at the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University in Brookings. The museum welcomed the public to a free opening-day celebration on June 10, along with educational events and programming related to Oscar Howe throughout the summer and beyond.

The retrospective exhibition celebrating the work of Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe was curated by Kathleen Ash-Milby and organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Portland Art Museum. It originally opened at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in March 2022 in New York City and was displayed at the Portland Art Museum until May 14. The South Dakota Art Museum was the final stop for "Dakota Modern” through Sept. 17.

The exhibition at the South Dakota Art Museum featured over 60 works by Howe, including early pieces created in New Mexico and Oklahoma, as well as a substantial selection of mature works painted by Howe during his years in South Dakota and his time teaching at the University of South Dakota. The exhibit also explored Howe’s public works, including the Corn Palace murals in Mitchell.

"Dakota Modern" drew from collections across the country, including many in South Dakota. It was a celebration of Howe’s contributions to South Dakota and his definitive impact on the history of art.

Howe’s daughter, Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, expressed her delight at the exhibit coming to South Dakota, emphasizing her father's deep connection to the state.

Howe, a dynamic visual artist, has been credited with challenging stereotypes related to Native American art, advocating for the recognition of the power, strength and individualism in old Indian paintings. He was a pioneer in expressing the intersection of modern art with customary Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) culture and aesthetics.

"Dakota Modern" traced the artistic development of Howe from his early conventional work in high school in the 1930s to his emergence as one of the 20th century’s most innovative Native American painters, defying preconceptions and definitions of Native American art. His legacy continues to inspire generations of Native artists to take pride in their heritage and resist stereotypes.

Ash-Milby, the curator, said that recognizing Howe’s contribution to the field was a long overdue acknowledgment of his impact on both Native American and modern American art.