Oscar Howe Collection
The 
University of South Dakota is proud to be the home of the largest single collection of works by Oscar Howe. Numbering over fifty pieces, the collection includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture. Established in 1960, the University's Oscar Howe Collection provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the artist's style in works dating from 1946 to 1976..
The Oscar Howe collection is housed in a special gallery in the University's sensitively renovated Old Main. Build in 1882, Old Main is both physically and emotionally at the hear of the USD campus, and it is only fitting that this distinctive historical building serves as the home for the work of one of the institution's most celebrated faculty members.
The Oscar Howe Gallery is located on the first floor of Old Main and is open to the public between 1 and 5 p.m. daily (except holidays), or by appointment.
Samples from USD Howe Collection
Northern Plains Contemporary Art Collection
In 1999, 
The University of South Dakota and its University Art Galleries established an American Indian Fine Arts Collections as a major component of its Permanent Collection. It was conceived as a study collection to engage the academic community, especially students, with a unique aesthetic and cultural perspective. This sub-collection is founded on the legacy of Oscar Howe and is dedicated to Robert L. Penn, 1972 USD graduate and Oscar Howe protege. 
Penn, who died February 1, 1999, was widely considered to be a leading painter of his generation among the Northern Plains Indian artists. The sub-collection currently includes over 60 pieces created by notable Northern Plains Indian fine artists between 1930 and the present. It is our goal to grow this sub-collection into a major visual survy of the art history of the Indian Fine Arts Movement on the Northern Plains which was initiated by Oscar Howe and sustained by Bobby Penn and his generation. Our hope is that this work will inspire young Native American artists, foster deeper appreciation of Native American contemporary art and culture, and contribute to a larger understanding of the diverse and rich artistic life of the region.
The University Art Galleries is please to share selections from its Permanent Collection with South Dakota communities through our touring exhibition program.
Archives
In keeping with the function of a university, The University of South Dakota established the Oscar Howe Archives in 1976 to facilitate research on Oscar Howe. These archives, housed in the University's I. D. Weeks Library, contain the most extensive and comprehensive holdings on the life and artistic career of Oscar Howe, including published material, interviews, and oral history. Supplementing the I. D. Weeks archives is the world's largest collection of slides and photographs of Oscar Howe works which may be accessed through the University Art Galleries.
The I. D. Weeks Library archives are open to the public 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
John A. Day, Director
University Art Galleries
The University of South Dakota
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, South Dakota 57069
(605) 677-3177
jday@usd.edu
