A new exhibit is on display at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City featuring Indigenous photographers from the Oceti Sakowin Region.
Eunice Straight Head is the guest curator of "Through The Lens," which held its opening reception on Dec. 13, 2024. According to Straight Head, the exhibit signifies a generational shift in the Black Hills arts community, and beyond.
"We're not just taking a photo to document or preserve or, you know, 'salvage documentation' is how they used to do it," said Straight Head. "It means picking up something that's broken. We're reconnecting those pieces. We're capturing something from our heart. And that's storytelling. It's just a way of life, and it's just the way we share our knowledge and our culture."
Straight Head is a Mnicouju Lakota photographer from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the 2024-2025 Miss He Sapa Win. During the curation process, they worked with the Dahl to choose photographs that reflect contemporary Oceti Sakowin life.
"Just being able to witness, look at the different walks of life through photographs, and being able to feel myself represented and resonated along with these people and their stories and their narratives. It's feeling united as one, and a sense of community," said Straight Head.
"Through The Lens" is on display in the Ruth Brennan Gallery at the Dahl through March 1, 2025.
