Museums across the country that are closed to the public, now share their exhibits virtually. The South Dakota Arts Museum hosted a webinar on an exhibit called “Articles of a Treaty”.
Wade Patton
The virtual event had two goals. To showcase the work of dozens of artists - and to teach some history. More than 60 artists from the Oceti Sakowin-or a Lakota, Dakota and Nakota tribal region - submitted pieces for the exhibit. The visual work, poetry and songs all held a connection to the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty.
Craig Howe is the director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies. He curated the exhibit.
“The challenge they’ve given me is to talk about ideas of the exhibit.”
Howe says the art is divided into 17 sections circulating around things like land and farming. Each one corresponds with one of the 17 articles of the Fort Laramie Treaty.
“We have this very important document. Everyone talks about the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty, but hardly anyone has ever read it. Everyone says they know what’s in it but really very few people have actually read the treaty so this is what we were trying to do.”
The art in the exhibit is paired alongside text from the treaty - so people see the language from the original document. The center has presented four such educational exhibits. The full webinar is available on the South Dakota Art Museum's website.