BROOKINGS, S.D. (10-1-26) — As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University invites visitors to consider the people, places, ideals and contradictions that have shaped the nation through “America in Art,” on view through Jan. 2, 2027.
Rather than attempting to tell the full 250-year history of the United States, “America in Art” uses the anniversary as a point of entry. Through works primarily drawn from the South Dakota Art Museum’s collection, along with select loans, the exhibition asks how people have understood, experienced, imagined, challenged and represented America.
“The 250th anniversary gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect, not simply to commemorate,” South Dakota Art Museum Director Donna Merkt said. “The exhibition invites visitors to consider not only what America has been, but what we hope it might become over the next 250 years.”
Shaped by community voices
Community input played a central role in developing “America in Art.” As museum staff began considering possible directions for the exhibition, they turned to the public with a simple, open-ended question: What should be included in an exhibition titled “America in Art” at the South Dakota Art Museum?
Responses ranged from calls for celebration and patriotism to requests for South Dakota landscapes, pioneer and agrarian life, Native American perspectives, immigrant stories and fuller representation of a variety of communities and lived experiences.
Those responses helped shape an exhibition designed to hold multiple perspectives at once. Approximately 40% of the works on view are by Native artists and artists of color. The exhibition also includes works by immigrant artists, women artists, queer artists, artists from East and West River South Dakota and artists from across the United States.
“The exhibition is rooted in South Dakota, but it is not limited to South Dakota,” Merkt said. “It uses this place as a point of entry into a much larger national story.”
Three themes explore the American experience
Rather than presenting works chronologically, “America in Art” is organized around three broad themes inspired by language from the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
“We the People: Identities, Voices, Perspectives” explores identity and belonging, considering how family, work, migration, tradition, community and popular culture shape how people understand themselves and one another.
“Of the United States: Land, Place, Power” considers relationships among people, land and power. The works explore ideas of home and homeland, agriculture and settlement, Native lands and broken treaties, environmental change and the ways land carries cultural, spiritual and historical meaning.
“Secure the Blessings of Liberty: Promise and Paradox” examines freedom, rights, opportunity, service, equality and participation in democracy alongside the different ways those ideals have been experienced throughout American history.
Works are intentionally placed in conversation with one another, bringing different artists, histories and perspectives together across time. Artists represented include South Dakota artists alongside artists from throughout the United States, creating a national conversation grounded in the experiences and histories of this region.
Upcoming ‘America in Art’ programs
The museum will continue the conversations raised by the exhibition through a series of free public programs this fall.
Oct. 1 – Portraits of the Black Midwest
5:30 p.m. refreshments | 6:30 p.m. lecture
Ashley Howard, history professor at the University of Iowa, will explore Black histories of the Midwest and their connections to race, class, gender and violence, followed by an open community conversation. Presented in partnership with the Black Student Alliance.
Nov. 4 – An Evening of Music and Poetry with Curious Music Collective
5:30 p.m. refreshments | 6:30 p.m. performance
Curious Music Collective, a Sioux Falls-based chamber music group, will perform compositions while South Dakota State University students read their original poetry. Curious Music Collective members include, but are not limited to, Zach Van Harris III, Yi-Chun Lin and Lawrence Diggs.
Dec. 4 – America in Art: Creative Voices in Conversation
5:30 p.m. refreshments | 6:30 p.m. panel discussion
What role does the arts play in our community and in building a nation at large? Cory Haala, assistant professor/extension specialist of civic engagement and public history at South Dakota State University, will moderate a discussion between artists on display in “America in Art”: Erin Wohletz, assistant professor of printmaking at the University of South Dakota; Klaire Lockheart, assistant professor of art and design at the University of Nebraska Kearney; as well as art lender Sean Flynn, professor of history at Dakota Wesleyan University. The panelists will reflect on how art has shaped and responded to our nation over 250 years — and why it matters today.
All programs are free and open to the public.
Exhibition support
“America in Art” is made possible through generous support from David and Patricia Meyer; Arthur Primas; SDSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Art Bridges; National Endowment for the Arts; South Dakota Arts Council; Carol E. and Alan R. Bender Endowment; Jack Stengel; Pamela and Merritt Warren; Fantle Endowment; Barbara B. and Van D. Fishback; Nancy Lyons; Liz Rezek; and Marlys Thompson.
About the South Dakota Art Museum
The South Dakota Art Museum inspires creativity, connects people and enriches lives through art. Museum and exhibition admission and parking are free.
“America in Art” is on view June 13, 2026-Jan. 2, 2027, at the South Dakota Art Museum, 1036 Medary Ave., Brookings, South Dakota.
About South Dakota State University
Founded in 1881, South Dakota State University is the state’s Morrill Act land-grant institution as well as its largest, most comprehensive school of higher education. SDSU confers degrees from seven different colleges representing more than 230 majors, minors and specializations. The institution also offers 39 master’s degree programs, 17 Ph.D. and two professional programs.
The work of the university is carried out on a residential campus in Brookings, at sites in Sioux Falls, Pierre and Rapid City, and through Extension offices and Agricultural Experiment Station research sites across the state. SDSU’s research expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year were more than $94 million. SDSU has a Doctoral University: High Research Activity designation on The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
For more information: SDSU News • www.sdstate.edu
— From SDSU University Marketing and Communications
