Early Years
Oscar Howe was one of the earliest students in a studio arts program designed by art teacher Dorothy Dunn at the Santa Fe Indian School in New Mexico.
Howe’s first entry for the “Indian Annual” exhibition at the Philbrook Art Center (now Philbrook Museum of Art) won the Grand Purchase Prize, a remarkable achievement for a first- time participant in such a significant national competition.
Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota, 1915–1983), “Dakota Duck Hunt,” circa 1945; watercolor on paper; 16” × 25.5”. Philbrook Museum of Art. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma; museum purchase, 1947.28.
Umine Wacipi
Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota, 1915–1983), “Umine Wacipi” (“War and Peace Dance”), 1958; watercolor on paper. Location unknown; private collection.
Image Courtesy of University Art Galleries, University of South Dakota
36 SPRING 2022 AMERICAN INDIAN
“Umine Wacipi” (“War and Peace Dance”) may be Howe’s most influen- tial work. Its rejection from Philbrook Art Center’s (now Philbrook Museum of Art) annual art competition in 1958 due to its divergence from what was considered “traditional” Native Amer- ican painting caused the normally quiet Oscar Howe to respond force- fully in his own—and other contem- porary artists’—defense. His letter to Philbrook ignited a movement that advocated for artists’ innovation and individuality that has resonated through the generations of Native artists that followed.
TOP: COURTESY OF THE NMAI AND OSCAR HOWE FAMILY; BOTTOM: PRIVATE COLLECTION; IMAGE COURTESY UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA
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