ART + DESIGN
The survey also clearly communicated people wanted the lens to portray a South Dakota based framework. Merkt says this does not narrow the point of view, but makes “the national story more specific, grounded, and honest.” “The exhibition is rooted in South Dakota, but it is not limited to South Dakota,” added Merkt. “It uses this place as a point of entry into a much larger national story.” Many South Dakota artists are featured, as well as artists from other states, and people who immigrated to America—a range that matters when it comes to representing the full richness and breadth of the collective story. “South Dakota is not outside the story of America,” clarified Merkt. “It is one of the places where national ideals and contradictions can be seen with particular clarity: in histories of Native homelands and broken treaties, westward expansion and settlement, farming and rural life, immigration and belonging, military service, incarceration, and environmental change.” Artwork in the exhibition is not arranged chronologically as a “march through history,” but rather, centered around ideas, letting pieces from various eras speak next to one another, creating new conversations alongside different perspectives and places. For example, Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe is presented next to Oglala Lakota artist Keith BraveHeart’s 200 Horse Give Aways .
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Admission is free .
LIFESTYLE ISSUE august 2026
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