Artist Talk with Dyani White Hawk

Dyani White Hawk brings her groundbreaking practice—where traditional Lakota design meets bold abstract painting—into conversation with A Nation of Artists, exploring how Indigenous artists have always been essential to the American story, even when institutions failed to recognize them.

White Hawk’s monumental works challenge viewers to reconsider what American art means. By weaving together star quilts, geometric abstraction, and materials that carry cultural memory, she creates a visual language that honors ancestral knowledge while pushing contemporary art forward. Her work asks essential questions: Whose traditions count as “American”? How do artists maintain cultural continuity while innovating fearlessly? What happens when we finally tell the full story of American creativity?

This conversation, moderated by scholar and curator Leah Triplett, brings together themes of tradition, continuity, and innovation in Indigenous art—illuminating how Native artists have shaped American visual culture for centuries, often without credit or recognition.

In collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Artists on Art lecture series, this event celebrates how contemporary artists expand our understanding of American art history by insisting we look deeper, question assumptions, and make space for voices that have always been here.

This program is offered in a hybrid format—attend in person at PAFA or watch the live stream on YouTube. A link to the livestream will be emailed to all registrants by 11:30 AM on the day of the event. A recording of the program will be shared with registrants following the event.