Oscar Howe

Oscar Howe
May 13, 1915 - October 7, 1983
American Artist/Casein Paintings
Artist Laureate of South Dakota - 1960

~"One criterion for my painting is to present the cultural life and activities of the Sioux Indians; dances, ceremonies, legends, lore, arts... It is my greatest hope that my paintings may serve to bring the best thing of Indian culture into the modern way of life."

Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina or "trader Boy") (Yanktonai Dakota, 1915-1983) was an American artist, who became well known for his casein paintings.

(May 13, 1915-October 7, 1983) born in Joe Creek, South Dakota on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Descended from Sioux Chiefs, belonged to the Yanktonai band of Dakota. He attended the Pierre Indian school in South Dakota in 1933, before attending Dorothy Dunn's famous art program at the Santa Fe Indian School from 1933-1938.

He was a veteran of WW II , and held a masters of fine arts degree in art from the University of Oklahoma.

Howe developed a distinct style of his own, he began with traditional Sioux "straight line" painting, based on hide and later ledger paintings, a form which symbolizes truth or rightousness and infused it with Cubism, portraying the contemporary realities of his tribal cultural.

In the 30's he was employed by the Works Progress Admin. in South Dakota, which hired him to paint a set of murals for the municipal auditorium in Mobridge, SD and a mural within the dome of the old Carnegie Library, now the Carnegie Resource Center in Mitchell, SD. From 1948-1971, Howe designed panels for the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.

He was rejected from a show of Native American art at the Philbrook Museum, because his art did not meet the criteria of "traditional" Indian style. In protest he wrote "Are we to be held back forever with one phase of Indian painting that is the most common way? Are we to be herded like a bunch of sheep, with no right for individualism, dictated to as the Indian has always been, put on reservations and treated like a child and only the White Man know what is best for him... but one could easily turn to become a social protest painter. I only hope the Art World will not be one more contributor to holding us in chains." This action led to the acceptance of abstraction within that community.

He was named Artist Laureate of SD in 1960, two exhibition spaces are dedicated to show his work. One in Mitchell and one in Vermillion South Dakota

From April 17, 2007 to February 17, 2008, an exhibit of Oscar Howe's work was on display at the SD Art Museum in Brllkings, SD. Most of these works were done in casein paint. There were also works in graphite on paper and sculpture of stone and bronze on display. There is also an Elementary School in Sioux Falls SD named afte him.

For more information check out!

http://en.wikipeida.org

http://OscarHowe.org

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grannym