Past Exhibitions
Anila Quayyum Agha: Shadows and Splendor
Anila Quayyum Agha is internationally recognized for her award-winning large-scale installations that use light, shadow and pattern to create inclusive, immersive & shared experiences.
The Prairie is My Garden
The title of Harvey Dunn’s quintessential prairie painting, "The Prairie is My Garden," serves as a springboard for this exhibition which considers the human connection to the land that we now know as South Dakota.
Navigating Narratives: The Corps of Discovery in Titonwan Territory
An educational art exhibition from the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) centered on the eight days in September 1804 when the Corps of Discovery traveled up the Missouri River through Titonwanian Territory. Curated by Dr. Craig Howe,
Termespheres: Without Beginning or End
Selections of Termespheres ® by South Dakota artist, Dick Termes.
Primordial Shift: The Art of Michael Meilahn
Experience this immersive exhibition of large-scale blown glass ears of corn by farmer and renowned glass artist, Michael Meilahn. Explore the intersection of science, agriculture and art!
Moments of Is: Stuart Artist-in-Residence Alums
Featuring works by artists who have participated in the Stuart Artist in Residency (AiR) program at the SDSU School of Design.
Heated: Art to Keep You Warm
Selections from the Collections to warm our hearts and souls.
Signe Stuart: Events in Time and Space
Six decade retrospective of Signe Stuart's artworks.
Succession: Artists and Their Students from the Museum Collections
Pairings of works by teachers and their students, including Harvey Dunn and Oscar Howe and their students.
Confluence: Selections from the Collections
Selections from the Collections including works by Harvey Dunn, Paul Goble and more.
Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe
The acclaimed retrospective celebrating the lifeworks of Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe (1915 - 1983) culminates its national tour in Howe’s home state of South Dakota.
Continuum: Honoring Oscar Howe's Legacy
South Dakota Art Museum curated exhibition of artworks by students of Oscar Howe and their students.
Flocks and Flights: Paul Goble Illustrations of Birds
Paul Goble illustrations depicting birds
Guild Acquisitions
Works acquired with funds from the South Dakota Art Museum Guild
South Dakota Governor’s 10th Biennial Art Exhibition
Biennial juried exhibition of some of South Dakota’s best artworks and greatest artists (South Dakota Art Museum is the opening venue)
Pose | Repose: Figurative Works from the Collections
Figurative works from the Permanent Collections
The Buechel and Thorburn Collections
Buechel and Thorburn Collection works
When Trees Dream
Curated by Rina Yoon and John Schuerman.
Linger: Slow Looking with the Collection
Works by Fundingsland, Henning, the Laymen’s Guild of the Church of Jesus, Rosebud, Luckhart, Bob H. Miller, Paolozzi, and Wilke encourage us to linger.
Harvey Dunn: Images of Family and Home
This exhibition features Harvey Dunn's depictions of family and home in their various forms.
Explore: Selections from the South Dakota Art Museum Collections
Discover old friends and new favorites as you peruse selections from the Museum's permanent collections.
Making Relatives: Illustrations by Paul Goble
Paul Goble illustrations depicting family.
The Gift
Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies exhibit based on a traditional Lakotan narrative about White Buffalo Woman's gift of a sacred pipe to the Itazipco Oyate.
Come Closer: Small Works from the Collection
A selection of smaller artworks from the permanent collection.
The Legend of the White Buffalo Woman: Illustrations of Paul Goble
Paul Goble illustrations from "The Legend of the White Buffalo Woman."
Harvey Dunn: Decades
Drawn from the collection of the South Dakota Art Museum, Harvey Dunn: Decades shares a chronological selection of 4 - 5 works from all five decades of Harvey Dunn’s career.
Image: Harvey Dunn, untitled (Lost in Desert, vultures gathering), oil on canvas, 1935
Jerry Fogg | 11 Degrees of Tatanka: Native Soul Art
Image: Gallery view of "Warriors" by Jerry Fogg
Arc of Life: Illustrations by Paul Goble
"Arc of Life" explores different phases of life captured in Paul Goble’s books and illustrations.
Paul Goble, illustration from "Lone Bull's Horse Raid," 1973; Watercolor and ink painting of a horse drinking from the river. South Dakota Art Museum 1995.01.002J
Compelling Visions: Selections from the Willem and Diane Volkersz Contemporary Folk Art Collection at the Missoula Art Museum
Image: Alva Gene Dexhimer, "Cat Sand," paint on chipboard, 1982.
Missoula Art Museum 016.19.06
Willem Volkersz: The View from Here | A 25 Year Retrospective
Image: Willem Volkersz, "Canadian Hero," 1995, neon, wood, found objects
The Radiant Sun: Illustrations by Paul Goble
The sun is an important spiritual being in American Indian cosmologies. Revered by Plains Indians as a source of life and renewal, Goble’s suns and rays symbolize
it’s power and importance as well as harmony and unity. This exhibition shares some of the illustrations in which Goble’s sun makes an appearance.
Image: Paul Goble, illustration from "The Gift of the Sacred Dog."
Martin Weinstein: Moment to Moment
Martin Weinstein’s paintings are created on layers of transparent acrylic sheets. A single work is composed of several distinct views of the same location painted days, months, even years apart.
Image: "Trawden, Stormy Mornings" © Martin Weinstein 2016, acrylic on multiple acrylic sheets
Exhibition organized through Katharine T. Carter & Associates.
Recent Acquisitions: 2016 – 2021
Artworks in this exhibition joined the museum's collection between 2016 and 2021. Although recently acquired their dates of creation range from c. 1899 – 2019.
Image: Grete Bodøgaard, "Badlands," wool, cotton, linen weaving, 1986
Lowell Nesbitt: Florals
This series of floral silkscreens by Lowell Nesbitt (1933 – 1993) are drawn from the South Dakota Art Museum’s Cockerline Collection of fine art prints from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Image: "Red Spotted Lily (from the Stamp Series)." silkscreen, 1981ALL DUNN: The Complete Harvey Dunn Collection
They’re back! All the Dunns, 142 works, altogether in one gallery and on extended display in honor of our 50th anniversary.
Image: Harvey Dunn, "The Prairie is My Garden"
The Cathy and Ken Vogele Collection
Stunning traditional American Indian artistry will be on display in this show of recent donations from Cathy and Ken Vogele.
Image: Wife of Martin Shangreaux (Oglala Sioux Tribe), untitled (ceremonial moccasins)
South Dakota Governor’s 9th Biennial Art Exhibition
This exhibition shares some of South Dakota’s best artworks and greatest artists at multiple exhibiting institutions across the state through the course of the one-year traveling show.
PAST - PRESENT: Recent Acquisitions in Abstraction
Recent acquisitions from current South Dakota State University faculty intermingle with past faculty. Works by former SDSU students intermingle with works from past solo exhibition artists.
Image: Peter Reichardt, "BOO!"
Into the Great Unknown: Illustrations by Paul Goble
This selection of illustrations by Paul Goble features multiple stories of people setting out on difficult journeys into the unknown, and the leap of faith required to do so.
Image:
Illustration from "Death of the Iron Horse," 1987
watercolor and ink on paper
Collection of the South Dakota Art Museum, 1995.01.010G
Gift of Paul and Janet Goble.
50 Works for 50 Years: Collections Retrospective
In celebration of our 50th anniversary this collections retrospective will share acquisitions from each of the 50 years the South Dakota Art Museum has been in existence.
Image: Mel Spinar, "Hilton M. Briggs and Elmer H. Sexauer"
Harvey Dunn: Imagining Others
This exhibition celebrates Dunn’s desire to fully and deeply render truths about humanity.
Image: Harvey Dunn, "The Return" oil on canvas, n.d.
Articles of a Treaty: An Educational Exhibit About the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty
This educational art exhibit from the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) focuses on the articles of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty between the “different bands of the Sioux Nation of Indians” and the United States.
ABSTRACTION: Eight South Dakotans
This exhibition celebrates the current practice of non-objective abstraction in South Dakota through the works of eight of the state’s top artists.
Image: Diana Behl, "is only"
Amir Fallah: What It Means to be an American
This is an installation of Amir Fallah’s stained and fused glass portrait of an immigrant, "Offerings," housed in a domestic structure. It features audio recordings of American immigrants talking about what being an American means to them.
Billie Grace Lynn: White Elephants
This inflatable sculptural installation by Billie Grace Lynn features a grouping of three life-sized inflatable white elephants.
1 Roof 2 Airs
Co-curated by John Schuerman and Katayoun Amjadi, 1 Roof 2 Airs shares the artwork of ten US-based artists with personal histories from countries experiencing conflict in the Greater Middle East.
Image: Nooshin Hakim Javadi, "Life is the Aggregation of All Moments of Desire"
Afghan War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia
Co-curated by Dr. Annemarie Sawkins and Enrico Mascelloni, Afghan War Rugs: The Modern Art of Central Asia brings to the United States one of the most distinct collections of Afghan war rugs in the world.
Image: Afghan War Rugs, Portrait Rug- Ahmad Shah Massoud, Knotted Wool, Afghanistan (dated 2000)
Laura Heit: Two Ways Down
"Two Ways Down" is an installation pairing projected animation with thrown shadows cast from rotating paper dioramas.
Image: "Two Ways Down" installation detail
Laura Heit: Films
Laura Heit employs stop-motion, live-action puppetry, hand drawing, and computer animation in the selection of short films on view.
Image: screen from "The Deep Dark", 2011
S.D. Nelson: Sharing My Vision
"S.D. Nelson: Sharing My Vision" presents a selection of original artworks by this award-winning author and illustrator.
Image: S.D. Nelson, "Black Elk's Vision 2"
A Life's Work: Paul Goble Illustrations of American Indian Stories
This traveling exhibit is a celebration of Goble’s life and career. The exhibit represents a small collection of his complete works but it provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy artworks from different books and from different stages of his career.
Image: collage of selected Paul Goble illustrations
Harvey Dunn: Fences, Cows, Plows and Oxen
Present in nearly half of Dunn works in our collection, fences, cows, plows and oxen were a common feature of the subsistence lifestyle that South Dakota's settlers relied on in the pioneering era of Dunn's youth. This exhibition celebrates these prairie paintings and the roots of South Dakota's agricultural heritage.
Image: Harvey Dunn, "Just a Few Drops of Rain"
Flourish: Marjolein Dallinga and Jantje Visscher
Jantje Visscher uses light energy as a drawing material, creating installations on the wall out of focused light and reflections. Marjolein Dallinga creates felted sculptures and wearable art of intricate pattern and rich texture and color. The drama of organic unfolding is alive in the works of both of these artists, and comes together in strikingly beautiful and surprising ways in this first ever joint exhibition.
Image: Marjolein Dallinga (Canadian), "Mature Tongue," felt, 2016. Image © Lucien Lisabelle.
Topsy-Turvy IKTOMI: Illustrations of Paul Goble
This exhibition features Paul Goble’s illustrations of Iktomi stories. Iktomi is the Lakota name for the American Indian trickster, who appears in the stories of peoples all over the North American continent. He is famous for getting into mischief, causing trouble, and never learning the lessons handed out to him.
Image: Paul Goble, illustration from "Iktomi and the Buffalo Skull"
Ripple Effects: Artworks from the Permanent Collection
These artworks from the South Dakota Art Museum Permanent Collection reflect elemental natural wave forms in their patterns and designs. More than just a design motif, many of these works speak to the spiritual qualities and connective potency of these forms and patterns.
Image: Wu Chien Lem, "Filling What's Empty," 1978
South Dakota Governor’s 8th Biennial Art Exhibition
The South Dakota Governor’s Biennial is designed “to recognize and encourage South Dakota artists, to promote the artistic identity of South Dakota, to celebrate the cultural and artistic heritage and future of South Dakota, and to encourage a larger sense of community and connection across separate artistic communities within the state.”
Harvey Dunn: War Works
November 11, 2018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended combat in World War I. This exhibition commemorates the anniversary of the end of the war with a series of artworks created by celebrated South Dakota artist Harvey Dunn.
Image: Harvey Dunn, "Oliver Staggered Over and Entered Major Worsley's Quarters," 1927
Takuwe
The title for this exhibit from the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies is one Lakota word: "Takuwe." In English: "Why." The focus of the exhibit is the 1890 massacre of Lakotas at Wounded Knee, but it doesn’t begin or end with the killings. Its intent is to begin with positives and to close with a call to action.
Image: Keith BraveHeart, "Wowicala Iciwayankapi"
Rooted, Revived and Reinvented: Basketry in America
Curated by the National Basketry Organization in collaboration with the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri, ninety-three objects in this exhibition provide an historical overview of American basketry from its origins in Native American, immigrant, and slave communities to its presence within the contemporary fine art world.
Heroes, Saviors and Triumphs: Illustrations by Paul Goble
This exhibition of Paul Goble illustrations features stories of triumph and the heroes—both mortal and supernatural—who save the day.
Harvey Dunn: Illustrations
This exhibition features illustrations by Harvey Dunn from the collection of the South Dakota Art Museum.
My Hero! Contemporary Art and Superhero Action
This exhibition, organized by Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA, presents a sprawling collection of international artworks in a variety of media that celebrates and re-envisions the lives of iconic superheroes.
The Sea and the Land and the Sky: Harvey Dunn and Ada Caldwell
Ada Caldwell
"Rocky Mountain Landscape"
oil on board, n.d.
South Dakota Art Museum Collection 1977.03.06
South Dakota Art Museum Stories: #MySDAMStory
Lives changed by experiences at the South Dakota Art Museum—through artwork, people, reflection and recognition—these are the stories we will share here. Your stories!
Death of the Iron Horse: Illustrations by Paul Goble
March 1 - July 10, 2016
Crying for a Vision (Hanbleceya): A Fluid Odyssey in Glass
Works by Angela Babby
September 29, 2015 - February 27, 2016
Harvey Dunn's Feminine Images
September 29, 2015 - February 27, 2016
Landscapes: From the Illustrations of Paul Goble
September 4, 2015 - March 1, 2016
Liminal Surrender
Cathryn Mallory
September 22, 2015 - February 13, 2016
Unframing Lands View
Gregory Euclide
August 11, 2015 - January 30, 2016
Sponsor Dr. David and Patricia Meyer
Illustrations by Paul Goble: Images of Love
October 14, 2014 - March 16, 2015
Carol Brown Goldberg
January 27 - April 19, 2015
Organized by International Arts and Artists, Washington, D.C.
Masters of the Golden Age: Harvey Dunn and His Students
No Holds Barred: Experiments of William Weege
Harvey Dunn's Women in Red
January 27 - April 19, 2015
Above and Below: Reflections in the Illustrations of Paul Goble
March 20 - August 30, 2015
Heart to Heart (Artist Couples)
January 13 - April 26, 2015
Cast and Crew: The Sculptures and Film of Jerry Barrish
October 21, 2014 - February 22, 2015
Harvey Dunn: The Complete Collection
August 16, 2014 - January 11, 2015
South Dakota Governor's 6th Biennial Art Exhibition
September 30, 2014 - January 4, 2015
Lakota Arts + Identities
September 2, 2014 - January 11, 2015
Shannon Sargent: Objects Found for the Purpose of Understanding
May 20 - October 12, 2014
Illustrations by Paul Goble: Under the Blanket of Night
April 22 - October 5, 2014
Without a Net
Robert C. Jackson
Exhibit sponsor: Dr. David and Patricia Meyer
June 10 - September 21, 2014
Gerald Cournoyer: Walking with a Dream (Yuha Hanble Omani)
Exhibit sponsors:
In memory of Oscar and Elaine Olson
In honor of Helen Gottsleben
Zeno Wicks III and Roxanne Savaryn-Wicks
June 10 - September 21, 2014
People and Places: Paintings and Sculptures from the Collections
March 25 - August 24, 2014
Howard Pyle and Harvey Dunn: Teacher and Student
Exhibit sponsor: Bowes Construction
April 8 - August 3, 2014
Glow Pop Art
Bob H. Miller
Exhibit Sponsor: Harms Oil
February 15 - June 1, 2014
Oscar Howe
Horses, with permission of the Oscar Howe Family
May 21, 2013 - June 1, 2014
Oblique Legacies
Stephen Braun
January 14 - May 11, 2014