BROOKINGS — The Brookings Area United Way’s Volunteer United program recently announced that the South Dakota Art Museum docents have named the October 2023 Volunteers of the Month, an area-wide award program sponsored by First Bank & Trust.

The docents, who are volunteer guides, helped to develop and facilitate guided tours of the landmark exhibition "Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe," which was on display at the South Dakota Art Museum from June 10 to Sept. 17.

Each of the 15 docents typically gave about four tours per week and about 12 to 15 hours of their time per person this summer for this exhibition.

All of the recognized docents trained for the exhibit by studying the work and life of Oscar Howe in two trainings before the exhibition opened.

During the exhibition, the docents were giving tours to folks not only across the nation but to folks across the world. Over 750 people received guided tours from the docents and educators while the exhibit was here.

The "Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe" is an acclaimed retrospective that culminated its national tour in Oscar Howe’s home state of South Dakota. This exhibit spent time in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Portland Art Museum before coming to the South Dakota Art Museum. As South Dakota’s first artist laureate in 1960, Oscar Howe made a special impact in South Dakota. The South Dakota Art Museum describes it as an “honor” to display his work and provide free tours to the public through the South Dakota Art Museum’s Docent program.

To learn more about the South Dakota Art Museum, visit https://www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-art-museum.