Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe
The “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe” exhibition and its companion catalog of the same name cover more than 40 years of the Yanktonai Dakota artist’s career. They trace his development from his early conventional work created in the 1930s through the emergence of his abstract approach to painting during the 1950s and 1960s. Perhaps most significantly, they follow Howe’s journey from “traditional” painter to groundbreaking modernist. Exhibition curator Kathleen Ash-Milby began developing
“Dakota Modern” in 2016 while serving as an associate cura- tor at the National Museum of the American Indian. Working with scholars Christina Burke at Philbrook Museum of Art, John Lukavic at the Denver Art Museum and Bill Anthes at Pitzer Col- lege as well as NMAI staff, the exhibition took six years to create. Co-edited by Ash-Milby and Anthes, the exhibition’s com-
panion catalog is the most comprehensive collection of scholar- ship regarding this artist’s work to date. Ash-Milby reflected, “I don’t think any of us realized the depth of untapped resources and potential avenues for further research.” In addition to mul- tiple scholars, contributors to the book include Howe’s daughter, Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, who offers a personal reflection on her father and his work. NMAI Curator Emil Her Many Horses, who is an Oglala Lakota artist and one of the catalog’s authors, said Howe’s artworks are “very complex” and full of symbolism. “His work embodies the stories that were passed down to him. A lot of our traditional stories are represented in his paintings,” he said. The publication features photos of nearly 150 of Howe’s
paintings and murals alongside 50 personal photographs of Howe at work and with family. Almost all of the artist’s works, which reside at universities, museums, churches and private homes, were photographed specifically for this catalog. Most of the artworks are archived at the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion, where he taught for many years. In part- nership with Amy Fill, University Art Galleries director, and her staff at USD, project team members photographed the works and gathered information about their materials, tech- niques and condition. These images have been shared with USD, adding to the documentation of Howe’s legacy. Together, the exhibition and the catalog introduce new generations to the extraordinary work and life of Oscar Howe and expand their understanding of what defines Native art. For those who thought they knew Howe, they provide a more in-depth look at his biography, his works and the impact he made on generations of Native artists. Following is a selection and adaptation of the engaging
“Dakota Modern” exhibition featuring Howe’s innovative art- works at NMAI in New York.
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Howe was raised with Dakota cultural and spiritual beliefs, but he was also an active Episcopalian. The blending of and interconnectedness between these two belief systems is apparent in his paintings of Native and Christian cultural figures.
Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota, 1915–1983), “Origin of the Sioux,” 1960; casein on paper; 30” x 20.5”. Oscar Howe Family Collection, University Art Galleries, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, HF OH 28 (O.H.L.01).
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