10/10/2022
Indigenous Peoples’ Day honors the culture and history of Native people past, present, and future. This includes the many visionary artists that have broken boundaries and given their communities a voice. In the mid twentieth century, Yanktonai Dakota artist Oscar Howe challenged the art world’s narrow view of Native American painting. In his words, “there is much more to Indian Art than pretty, stylized pictures.” Paintings like “War Dancer” exposed the artificial barrier between what was seen as “traditional” and “modern.” A flurry of fractured, angular shapes captures the dancer’s forceful step that has launched him into a mid-air spin. The vivid and dynamic motion of Howe’s paintings brought Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) dances, ceremonies, and stories to life. Throughout his career, Howe rooted his experimentations with modernist abstraction in Dakota culture and design principles. He taught at the University of South Dakota from 1957–1983 and today is honored by the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute, a program that encourages the next generation of Native American artists to carry the traditions of their communities forward.
IMAGE: Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina / Trader Boy) (Yanktonai Dakota, 1915–1983), "War Dancer," c. 1959, tempera on paper, 17 ¾ x 23 7/8 in., , Museum purchase, 1959.199