Oscar Howe
| Oscar Howe | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Mazuha Hokshina ("Trader Boy") |
| Born |
May 13, 1915 Joe Creek, South Dakota, Crow Creek Sioux Reservation |
| Died | October 7, 1983 (aged 68) |
| Monuments | Oscar Howe Memorial Association |
| Education | Pierre Indian School, Santa Fe Indian School, Fort Sill Indian Art Center |
| Alma mater | B.A., Dakota Wesleyan University, 1952, M.F.A., University of Oklahoma in 1954 |
| Occupation | Artist, painter, art professor |
| Employer | Works Progress Administration in South Dakota, Pierre High School, the Corn Palace, the University of South Dakota |
| Known for | Casein and tempera paintings |
| Spouse(s) | Heidi Hampel |
| Children | Inge Dawn |
| Awards | Artist Laureate of South Dakota; Waite Phillips trophy for outstanding contributions to American Indian art, and many others |
Oscar Howe (Mazuha Hokshina or "Trader Boy", May 13, 1915 – October 7, 1983) was an Yanktonai Dakota artist from South Dakota, who became well known for his casein and tempera paintings. He is credited with influencing contemporary Native American art, paving the way for future artists. His art style is marked by bright color, dynamic motion and pristine lines.
Oscar Howe was born in Joe Creek, South Dakota in 1915 on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation. His Dakota name was Mazuha Hokshina, or "Trader Boy." Descended from hereditary chiefs, he belonged to the Yanktonai band of Dakota people. He attended the Pierre Indian School (a boarding school) in South Dakota in 1933.
His artistic talent was recognized when he was young, and he studied in Dorothy Dunn’s art program at the Studio of Santa Fe Indian School from 1933 to 1938. In 1940 Howe was sent by the South Dakota Artists Project (a division of the Works Progress Administration in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration) to Fort Sill Indian Art Center in Lawton, Oklahoma, to study mural painting techniques with Olle Nordmark. WPA artists were being commissioned to do murals in numerous federal buildings and sometimes local public buildings as well.
After working for several years and serving in World War II, Howe went to college on the GI Bill, earning his B.A. degree at Dakota Wesleyan University in 1952. Having worked as an artist for more than a decade, he also taught as Artist-in-Residence. He received his M.F.A. at the University of Oklahoma in 1954.
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