Star Quilt, 1980, Laymen’s Guild of the Church of Jesus, Rosebud. Star quilt in Nellie Star Boy Menard section in honor of her dedication to her community.
South Dakota Art Museum opened its new exhibition, Her Art, Her Story: South Dakota Women Artists 1900-1950, Sept. 28 and it will be in town until Jan. 18, 2025.
The exhibition features 10 female artists: Ada Caldwell, an SDSU professor who was influential in building an appreciation of the arts in SD; Olive Cottier and her sisters, Ella Irving and Bernice Talbot, ran the Pine Ridge Pottery for years; Frances Cranmer Greenman, “nationally recognized society portrait painter”; L. Lova Jones, landscape and portrait artist; Nellie Star Boy Menard, “multi-talented creative” who was recognized nationally for her commitment to her community and culture; Myra Miller, creator of “hyper-realistic” still life’s; Lulu (Tasina) White Eagle, creatively used traditional methods from her culture.
Karli Haack, a junior history education major, visited the museum on the exhibition’s opening day. She was drawn to Caldwell’s untitled watercolor, displayed with a poem accompanying it.
The poem and watercolor were made for Caldwell’s longtime companion and SDSU colleague, Gertrude S. Young.
Logan Horsley Guerue, 19, was interested in a star quilt displayed with Menard’s work. The quilt was not made by her but was included to honor their dedication to teaching.
“I am Lakota-Sioux. When my family is born, we get our own star quilt. It is interesting to see one not made by the family we go to,” Guerue said.
Taylor McKeown, curator of collections and exhibitions at the South Dakota Art Museum, said that when deciding on what artists to include, they tried to create a diverse range of artists from this period.
They also looked for those who were self-taught or had extensive training. They looked for artists who created for their pleasure and those who were recognized nationally, and then they picked artists from different parts of the state.
Due to limited space, many pieces were not included in the exhibition.
“One of the goals of this show was to allow visitors the very rare opportunity to juxtapose these artists’ works within one space.” McKeown said, “I am glad we are able to do that, but wish we could have included more artists from the period.”
Other than paintings, there are sketches, beadwork, and much more for visitors to enjoy.
McKeown hopes that visitors see the artists as people.
“I hope that they see the included artists as human beings, all of whom who lived complicated, vibrant and creative lives,” McKeown said.
“I think it’s a great way to highlight stories of lesser-known women who had something to say,” Haack said.
If you enjoy the exhibition or want to see more Native American art, the museum will have another new exhibition starting Nov. 16. This upcoming exhibition, “Creation.Story”, will focus on the beliefs, values, lifestyles, and cultural practices of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people, the Sioux.
