USD Art Galleries Leads First Catalogue Raisonné for Oscar Howe
The USD Art Galleries is proud to lead a groundbreaking project: the creation of a catalogue raisonné documenting the complete works of Oscar Howe, a celebrated artist and professor whose art celebrates the beauty, spirituality and vibrant energy of his Native American culture.
The University of South Dakota Art Galleries has assembled a team of scholars, researchers and assistants to establish a catalogue raisonné — the complete works of Oscar Howe, artist-in-residence and professor of art at USD.
“I am pleased and honored to assist the University of South Dakota and its select team of curators, artists and art historians in this massive project that compiles and publishes a comprehensive volume detailing the many unique works of my father,” said Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, Howe’s daughter.
This project honors his work and legacy. The full catalogue will be digitally accessible by December 2026. The USD Art Galleries is excited to enter the second phase of the Howe database project, connecting with private collectors who are a vital part of Howe’s legacy and the preservation of his artwork.
The conversation about updating the database, or catalogue raisonné, began in 2021 at the opening celebration of “Oscar Howe: Dakota Modern” at the National Museum of the American Indian, New York City.
Amy Fill, director of the university art galleries, and Carol Geu, senior lecturer of art history, connected with the Howe family and independent curator Christina Burke, whose work focuses on Native American artistic traditions and their contemporary expressions. Together, they led conversations centered on building upon the work of Kathleen Ash-Milby, curator of Native American art, at Portland Art Museum, and the team of curators who created the exhibition, “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe.”
“A catalogue raisonné is an indispensable resource for scholars, art markets, researchers, artists, and anyone interested in the history of art, cultural heritage, and the works of an individual artist. With today’s increased need for equitable access and digital inclusion, this catalogue raisonné will provide access to the artistic and cultural legacy of Oscar Howe widely available to a global audience, encouraging scholarly research and dissemination of Dakota identities across cultures and generations,” said Fill.
The database will require ongoing updating as researchers discover new stories and information in addition to when works are sold, exhibited and published. The format of a digital catalogue will allow continuous modification and continue to promote, protect, preserve and elevate the intricate legacy of Oscar Howe.
Bruce Kelley, Ph.D., dean of the College of Fine Arts, praised the database initiative.
“The creation of a comprehensive database and a published catalogue raisonné is yet another way that we honor Howe’s legacy,” he said. “It is exciting to see the full extent of his work come together in a single resource. Some of these pieces have never been seen by Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, Howe’s only child. Documenting the location and provenance of each of his works is a significant gift to both the larger arts community and to Howe’s direct descendants.”
For those closest to Howe, the catalogue raisonné is a meaningful tribute to his enduring contributions to art and culture.
“He was much more than just a ‘Native American’ artist; he was a modern American artist. He worked tirelessly to capture the beauty, spirituality, reverence of nature, and vibrant energy of his Native culture in an enduring visual form that could be recognized, understood, and appreciated by Natives and non-Natives alike,” said Maresh. “It is fitting that the culmination of this project will be the first-ever catalogue raisonné produced for a Native American artist, which will have major significance in maintaining and promoting my father’s unique legacy.”
Born to Create: Howe’s Life and Legacy
Howe was born in 1915 at Joe Creek on the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. He became a renowned artist whose work would be seen around the globe by the time he was 18.
Howe attended the Pierre Indian School before returning home to learn from his grandmother, Shell Face. While there, he spent hours drawing and painting, using anything he could get his hands on as tools for his craft. His grandmother would share the history of their people, telling stories and legends of the generations before them. In 1933, Howe left the Plains for New Mexico and attended the Santa Fe Indian School where he joined the art program established by Dorothy Dunn. Though he could have taken his talents anywhere, Howe chose to return to his roots in South Dakota upon graduating in 1938.
Howe exhibited works in New York, London and Paris while he was a student in the 1930s and was later represented by more than 50 solo shows. He was named artist laureate of the Middle Border in 1954 and artist laureate of South Dakota in 1960. He was also the first recipient of the South Dakota Governor’s Award for Creative Achievement in 1973.
He earned his B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University and later received his M.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma. In 1957, after teaching at Pierre High School for three years, he became an artist-in-residence and professor of art at the University of South Dakota.
Oscar Howe dedicated 23 years of his career to USD. He retired as emeritus professor of art in 1980, leaving behind a legacy that would influence generations of students for decades to come.
The gallery asks that all private collectors please contact them at [email protected] to update their information within the Howe database. All information remains confidential if requested by the collector.
“I am pleased and honored to assist the University of South Dakota and its select team of curators, artists and art historians in this massive project that compiles and publishes a comprehensive volume detailing the many unique works of my father,” said Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, Howe’s daughter.
This project honors his work and legacy. The full catalogue will be digitally accessible by December 2026. The USD Art Galleries is excited to enter the second phase of the Howe database project, connecting with private collectors who are a vital part of Howe’s legacy and the preservation of his artwork.
The conversation about updating the database, or catalogue raisonné, began in 2021 at the opening celebration of “Oscar Howe: Dakota Modern” at the National Museum of the American Indian, New York City.
Amy Fill, director of the university art galleries, and Carol Geu, senior lecturer of art history, connected with the Howe family and independent curator Christina Burke, whose work focuses on Native American artistic traditions and their contemporary expressions. Together, they led conversations centered on building upon the work of Kathleen Ash-Milby, curator of Native American art, at Portland Art Museum, and the team of curators who created the exhibition, “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe.”
“A catalogue raisonné is an indispensable resource for scholars, art markets, researchers, artists, and anyone interested in the history of art, cultural heritage, and the works of an individual artist. With today’s increased need for equitable access and digital inclusion, this catalogue raisonné will provide access to the artistic and cultural legacy of Oscar Howe widely available to a global audience, encouraging scholarly research and dissemination of Dakota identities across cultures and generations,” said Fill.
The database will require ongoing updating as researchers discover new stories and information in addition to when works are sold, exhibited and published. The format of a digital catalogue will allow continuous modification and continue to promote, protect, preserve and elevate the intricate legacy of Oscar Howe.
Bruce Kelley, Ph.D., dean of the College of Fine Arts, praised the database initiative.
“The creation of a comprehensive database and a published catalogue raisonné is yet another way that we honor Howe’s legacy,” he said. “It is exciting to see the full extent of his work come together in a single resource. Some of these pieces have never been seen by Inge Dawn Howe Maresh, Howe’s only child. Documenting the location and provenance of each of his works is a significant gift to both the larger arts community and to Howe’s direct descendants.”
For those closest to Howe, the catalogue raisonné is a meaningful tribute to his enduring contributions to art and culture.
“He was much more than just a ‘Native American’ artist; he was a modern American artist. He worked tirelessly to capture the beauty, spirituality, reverence of nature, and vibrant energy of his Native culture in an enduring visual form that could be recognized, understood, and appreciated by Natives and non-Natives alike,” said Maresh. “It is fitting that the culmination of this project will be the first-ever catalogue raisonné produced for a Native American artist, which will have major significance in maintaining and promoting my father’s unique legacy.”
Born to Create: Howe’s Life and Legacy
Howe was born in 1915 at Joe Creek on the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. He became a renowned artist whose work would be seen around the globe by the time he was 18.
Howe attended the Pierre Indian School before returning home to learn from his grandmother, Shell Face. While there, he spent hours drawing and painting, using anything he could get his hands on as tools for his craft. His grandmother would share the history of their people, telling stories and legends of the generations before them. In 1933, Howe left the Plains for New Mexico and attended the Santa Fe Indian School where he joined the art program established by Dorothy Dunn. Though he could have taken his talents anywhere, Howe chose to return to his roots in South Dakota upon graduating in 1938.
Howe exhibited works in New York, London and Paris while he was a student in the 1930s and was later represented by more than 50 solo shows. He was named artist laureate of the Middle Border in 1954 and artist laureate of South Dakota in 1960. He was also the first recipient of the South Dakota Governor’s Award for Creative Achievement in 1973.
He earned his B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University and later received his M.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma. In 1957, after teaching at Pierre High School for three years, he became an artist-in-residence and professor of art at the University of South Dakota.
Oscar Howe dedicated 23 years of his career to USD. He retired as emeritus professor of art in 1980, leaving behind a legacy that would influence generations of students for decades to come.
The gallery asks that all private collectors please contact them at [email protected] to update their information within the Howe database. All information remains confidential if requested by the collector.
