“Wounded Knee III,” by Arthur Amiotte (Oglala Sioux Tribe), acrylic collage 36.5 x 48.75.
Traveling exhibit asks Takuwe —why? he Lakota Educational Art Exhibitions Project is now touring the Takuwe exhibition to museums across South Dakota. The idea for the exhibit is one Lakota word: Takuwe—in English, “Why?” The focus of the exhibition is the 1890 massacre of Lakotas at Wounded Knee, along with historical context leading to the massacre and contemporary context related to land issues and opportunities at Wounded Knee today. The exhibit, developed by the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) and supported by a South Dakota Arts Council grant, begins with positives and ends with a call to action. Over 300 Lakotas are participating in the exhibit, including 30 visual artists who created original works for the core of
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the exhibit. Seven poets and 12 musicians are also included, along with an installation piece of 300 small artworks, each a five-inch square. The creators of these 300 artworks represent the 300 Lakotas massacred at Wounded Knee. Takuwe (pronounced DAW-ku-way) opened at The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School in March, is now on exhibit at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center and moves to the South Dakota Art Museum in November. The catalog for this exhibition features the artworks and poems, with an included link to digital copies of audio recordings of the poets reading their work. The Takuwe catalogs are available for purchase by the general public at each host institution, or directly from CAIRNS at www.nativecairns.org.
www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
