Discover old friends and new favorites as you peruse selections from the Museum's permanent collections. The collection is particularly noted for its strong representation of South Dakota and regional art, historical and contemporary American Indian art, and fine art prints.

The South Dakota Art Museum serves the diverse peoples and communities of the state and its visitors as South Dakota’s premier visual arts resource. The Museum collects and preserves artworks of aesthetic, cultural, and historical significance. The collections contain over 7,000 objects primarily representing the artistic achievements of artists from South Dakota and the surrounding region and artists from further afield who are of national and international significance.

Explore features a selection of artworks added to the collections throughout the history of the South Dakota Art Museum. The exhibit includes beloved favorites as well as rarely viewed treasures.

Five paintings by Oscar Howe, first Artist Laureate of South Dakota, represent his early and mature styles. Works by contemporary artists living and working in the state, including Arthur Amiotte, Diana Behl, Jim Yellowhawk, among others, celebrate the diversity of practice happening here and now. Artists of national and international significance are represented as well, particularly by pieces from the Cockerline Collection of fine art prints from 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Artists whose works are on display:
unknown Lakota artist ￭ Valerio Adami ￭ Robert Aldern ￭ Arthur Amiotte ￭ John R. Anderson ￭ Richard Anuszkiewicz ￭ Steve Babbitt ￭ Debra Bakken ￭ Robert Alan Bechtle ￭ Diana Behl ￭ Byron Burford ￭ Kay Cheever ￭ Dana Crooks ￭ Lulu White Eagle ￭ Richard Edie ￭ Joe Goode ￭ Charles Greener ￭ Dennis Guastella ￭ Keith Haring ￭ Carol Hepper ￭ Oscar Howe ￭ Kenny Kinyon ￭ Myra Miller ￭ Don Montileaux ￭ Dorothy Morgan ￭ Helen Morgan ￭ Louise Nevelson ￭ Jay Olson ￭ Joseph Patrick ￭ Brian Paulsen ￭ Robert Lee Penn ￭ Beverly Pepper ￭ Paul Peterson ￭ Birger Sandzén ￭ Jes W. Schlaikjer ￭ Andrew Standing Soldier ￭ Mark Stemwedel ￭ Lynn Thorpe ￭ Jim Yellowhawk