Oscar Howe Memorial Lecture, Dedication of Victorious Sculpture Taking Place Sept. 17
Since 2023, the University Art Galleries and Gallery Director Amy Fill have collaborated with Colleen Cutschall to bring the Victorious sculpture to life.
“Working with Colleen has been an inspiring and deeply collaborative experience. From the beginning, the project has been guided by a shared commitment to honoring Oscar Howe’s legacy while creating something that speaks to the present and future of Indigenous art,” said Fill. “Every stage of the project has reflected a genuine creative and meaningful partnership, especially seeing how it connects artists, students, alumni, faculty and community members. It demonstrates that art is not created in isolation; it grows through relationships, mentorship and shared purpose.”
Cutschall, a former student of Howe and an exhibiting artist in the 2023 Oscar Howe Legacy Exhibition, designed the work, which was fabricated by Natalie Higgason ’22.
Cutschall’s idea for the sculpture, which will live in the USD Sculpture Garden, came during the Oscar Howe Legacy Exhibition. After reviewing and studying the planar quality and movement of Howe’s work, she began to visualize how to give form to her vision.
“The work I chose is reflective of Oscar’s painting of a female scalp dancer,” said Cutschall. “The painting lends itself to sculptural interpretation. I hope Victorious goes beyond that to address the strength and fierceness of confronting one’s enemies, fears and challenges. To be victorious in that endeavor.”
The sculpture also represents a full-circle moment for Cutschall, who first encountered Howe’s teachings as a student of his workshops and now honors his legacy through her own artistic interpretation.
“While I learned art techniques, the role modeling that Oscar Howe represented both as an artist and an educator has subtly shaped my own journey,” said Cutschall. “Even though we were a generation apart, it was a time of great loss of cultural history and memory. His work has demonstrated how, through art and design, we can recover and remember who we are as people.”
For Higgason, the opportunity to fabricate Victorious was especially meaningful.
“It means a lot to me that Colleen trusted me to build Victorious. I am honored to have the opportunity to help create something that will be on campus long after I’m gone,” said Higgason. “From the beginning, I wanted to make sure that Colleen’s vision remained at the forefront of the project. I’m excited to see Victorious take its place in the sculpture garden, bringing her vision to life.”
In addition to the lecture and sculpture dedication, Cutschall will host a retrospective—Circle Back—which reflects her exploration of Indigenous histories, family memory and cultural identity. The retrospective highlights her evolution as an artist, from reinterpreting historical imagery to developing new visual languages inspired by Lakota traditions and cosmologies.
The events begin at 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2026, in the College of Fine Arts Sculpture Garden with a traditional dedication and honoring of Cutschall by her family and Damon Leader Charge, director of Tribal Outreach.
A reception for the Circle Back retrospective will follow from 6 to 7 p.m. in the John A. Day Gallery. From 7 to 8 p.m., Cutschall will present the Oscar Howe Memorial Lecture, reflecting on her life and work as an artist and the enduring influence of Howe on her career.
For more information about the Oscar Howe Memorial Lecture or to receive a link to the livestream, please contact [email protected].
Accessibility: The venue is ADA accessible. For accommodations, please contact [email protected] by Sept. 15, 2026.
About the Oscar Howe Memorial Lecture
Established in 1989, the Oscar Howe Memorial Lecture honors the life and work of Oscar Howe (1915–1983), a Yanktonai Dakota artist whose modernist vision transformed Native American art. Howe taught at USD from 1957 to 1980, mentoring generations of artists and influencing contemporary dialogues on Indigenous art. Each year, the lecture series invites scholars, artists and cultural leaders to reflect on Howe’s artistic contributions and enduring impact. Sponsors include the Native American Cultural Center, Native Student Services, the Institute of American Indian Studies, the University Art Galleries and the College of Fine Arts at USD.
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