Monumental Memories
EXHIBITION
Monumental Memories
On display May 22nd, 2026 – October 4th, 2026
As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we are invited to reflect not only on our nation’s past, present, and future, but also on how, why, and what we choose to remember. The word monument comes from the Latin momentum as “something to remind.” Across time, people have built monuments to commemorate events and individuals who have shaped our stories, to mark moments of triumph and tragedy, and to preserve memories for generations to come.
The Black Hills region is home to some of the nation’s most iconic monuments like Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Rapid City’s Presidential Statues. These monuments have earned the region as reputation as one of America’s largest outdoor sculpture gardens. From the Tatanka: Story of the Bison to the Friendship Tower and Mount Coolidge Lookout, this landscape is filled with places of remembrance that commemorate national themes as well as regional legacies and local memories.
Monumental Memories explores why the Black Hills have become such a landscape of commemoration. Why here? Why do we build, carve, and dedicate? What do these monuments say about who we are and how do they shape the stories we tell about ourselves?
In recognition of three milestones: the 250th anniversary of the United States, the 150th anniversary of Rapid City, and the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, this exhibit invites visitors to explore the art, history, and meaning of memorialization in all its forms: from monuments and memorials, to national and state parks, to local parades and celebrations.
Join us in celebrating and commemorating the stories that have shaped our local, regional and national past and reflect on their place in our present and how they may shape our future.
We will host an opening reception and ribbon cutting for the new exhibition on Friday, May 22nd 2026 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM.
An Intergenerational Survey of Contemporary Lakota Art
Lakota Contemporary
EXHIBITION
Lakota Contemporary: An Intergenerational Survey of Contemporary Lakota Art
On display October 9th, 2025 – May 8th, 2026
Curated by artist laureate of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Marty Two-Bulls Jr., Lakota Contemporary is an intergenerational examination of contemporary Lakota Art. The featured artists span a wide range of careers, ages, genres, and mediums. Such artists include Martin Red Bear, Mikayla Patton, Keith Brave Heart, Marty Two-Bulls Jr. and many others.
Lakota Art defies the generalization of conventional western paradigms and instead is rooted in a deeper relationship to community and place. Historically, Lakota artists and creatives were innovators who adapted to an ever-changing world, adopting new materials, ideas, and ways of expressing themselves. The participating artists in this exhibition carry that same spirit. The goal of this exhibition is to allow those artists the opportunity to share works outside of a narrow theme or topic and encourages the avant-garde with the intention of challenging the audiences’ expectations.
Marty Two Bulls Jr. is an artist and educator based in Rapid City, SD. Two Bulls is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and was raised in the high plains of South Dakota. He is one of two inaugural Artist Laureates for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Two Bulls comes from a large family of Lakota artists including his father Marty Two Bulls Sr. who is an accomplished editorial cartoonist. Marty Two Bulls Jr. has worked in arts education for the last 10 years. He earned his Bachelors in Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and his Masters in Fine Arts from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Two Bulls has exhibited his artwork in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally with works in several museum permanent collections.
Avis Marvelous
Birds of the Western Frontier 1776-1896
EXHIBITION
Avis Marvelous: Birds of the Western Frontier 1776-1896
On display April 24th, 2026 – February 7, 2027
This exhibition invites visitors to look more closely—at birds, at history, and at the evolving relationship between art and science.
Featuring richly detailed 19th-century engravings created during government survey expeditions across the Trans-Mississippi West and Alaska, Avis Marvelous captures a time when observation shaped both artistic expression and scientific understanding. Artists documented bird species in regions largely unknown to Western science, producing works that are as visually striking as they are scientifically significant.
The exhibition includes works by John James Audubon, Daniel Giraud Elliot, Joseph Wolf, and Titian Ramsey Peale, many of which place birds within their natural environments—offering early visual records of ecosystems that have since changed.
The exhibition is reflective of the Black Hills through historic bird specimens from the museum’s Behrens Collection, gathered locally between the 1880s and 1920s.
Beyond its artistic merit, the exhibition highlights the ongoing importance of ornithology. Birds are widely recognized as early indicators of environmental change—responding quickly to shifts in climate, habitat, and pollution, often described as the “canary in the coal mine.” Their roles in seed dispersal, pollination, and pest control also make them essential to maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance.
Ornithology began with observation and curiosity and has evolved into a critical field within environmental science, helping guide conservation efforts in a rapidly changing world. Today, birdwatching remains one of the most accessible ways for people to engage with the natural world—an activity that begins with simple curiosity and deepens into a lasting connection with place.
An opening reception will be held on April 24 from 4:00–6:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public.
The exhibit is included with regular museum admission.