Creation.Story Exhibit at SDAM Highlights Oral Tradition
February 22, 2025
Since the beginning of human civilization, storytelling has served as a powerful means of sharing experiences and teaching lessons about cultural values. The exhibit Creation.Story, on display at the South Dakota Art Museum through March 15, uses contemporary art and historical objects to tell the origin stories of the state’s Očéti Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires) people – the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota.
To celebrate the exhibit, SDAM will host a public reception with light refreshments on Saturday, March 1, from 5-7 PM. At 6 PM, participating curators and artists will conduct a panel discussion, supported by an SDHC grant, related to the exhibition content and artworks. Featured scholars will include Keith BraveHeart, Jhon Goes in Center, Misty King, and Marlena Myles.
According to Taylor McKeown, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at SDAM, the goal of the exhibition and its cultural education programming is to promote Indigenous oral traditions, facilitate cross-cultural dialogue, and foster artistic expression and public engagement with Očéti Šakówiŋ creatives.
Creation.Story does this by incorporating the work of nine contemporary Lakota and Dakota artists alongside historical objects from SDAM’s Native American collections. When combined, these elements take the viewer on a journey through time with ancient spiritual entities and creation narrative beings that are culturally recognized as transcendent “relatives” and acknowledged as the central foundations for Očéti Šakówiŋ beliefs and lifeways.
McKeown believes South Dakota offers a unique context for this project because Očéti Šakówiŋ creation stories are tied to specific geographical locations within the state. “Sites like Wind Cave, or Maka Oniye, considered the place of emergence for the Lakota people, serve as physical markers of these sacred narratives,” he said.
“In showcasing these creation stories in a state that holds physical markers of their origins, this project emphasizes the importance of oral tradition and fosters a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of land, culture, and spiritual belief systems. It highlights the role of the humanities in preserving these narratives and encourages broader engagement with Indigenous contributions, making the project a vital platform for promoting the humanities in both local and national contexts.”
To enhance the experience, SDAM has produced a catalog assembled featuring artist statements by all participating Očéti Šakówiŋ artists, as well as essays by the exhibit’s Lakota and Dakota curators: Keith BraveHeart, Jhon Goes In Center, and Marlena Myles. Other artists contributing to the exhibit and its curation include Angela Babby, Misty King, and David Meyer. The exhibit is also made possible through the work of SDAM curators Taylor McKeown, Donna Merkt, and Abigail Ramsbottom.
For more information, please visit https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-art-museum/exhibit/creationstory
SDHC is proud to have supported this project through grant funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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