This year marks the centennial of renowned South Dakota artist Oscar Howe. He was born May 13, 1915 at Joe Creek on the Crow Creek Reservation. He was an art professor at the University of South Dakota from 1957-1980 and one of the most important Native American artists of the 20th century. He’s credited with helping change the direction of Native American art by advancing the cause of personal expression and not conforming to the strictures of what was considered the “traditional Indian style.”
A new book, Native American Master Artist: Oscar Howe, introduces the life and legacy of the Yanktonai Nakota artist to elementary school students. Authors Lois Sayre and Lisa Vande Vegte Dresch joined Dakota Midday to discuss the book. Sayre is a retired educator and Dresch is an art teacher at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls.