"Art of the Plains" at Crazy Horse Memorial

Hello all,

It's about time someone else besides Katie should contribute to the Plains Song Review blog, so I wanted to let everyone know about an event happening this month in South Dakota.

Arthur Amiotte, an Ogalala Lakota artist and professor, will present a program called "Art of the Plains" on Aug. 14 at the Crazy Horse Memorial at 6 p.m. Another interesting tidbit - Amiotte is a descendant of Standing Bear, who fought in the Battle of Little Big Horn and illustrated John Neihardt's book Black Elk Speaks.

It sounds like the program will focus on the advantages of mastering multiple media and education about American Indian art forms.

From the Black Hills News Bureau website:

After experimenting with a range of painting styles as well as working in fiber, hide and beads, he took off in a new direction. In 1988, he started a collage series, a genre in which he explores autobiographical issues, as well as larger themes in Lakota history and art history. “I purposefully decided to treat Sioux life from the periods of approximately 1880 to 1930, a period when culture change and adaptation were drastically taking place in the areas of technology; printed media and language; fashion; social and sacred traditions; education; and for Sioux people, an entirely different world view,” stated Amiotte in 2001.

Another program on Aug. 21 features Urla Marcus' program "Past & Present Educational Views from a Northern Cheyenne Perspective."

Plus, those who go to either program get free admission to the memorial - sounds like a deal to me.

Photo courtesy South Dakota Department of Tourism. Copyright Crazy Horse Mem. Fnd.. via Black Hills News Bureau.