Through September 11: Dakota Modern | The Art of Oscar Howe at the National Museum of the America Indian in NYC

This major retrospective introduces new generations to one of the twentieth century’s most innovative Native American painters. Howe (1915–1983) committed his artistic career to the preservation, relevance, and ongoing expression of his Yanktonai Dakota culture. He proved that art could be simultaneously modern and embedded in customary Ohéthi Šakówi (Sioux) culture and aesthetics—to him there was no contradiction.

Howe challenged the art establishment’s preconceptions and definitions of Native American painting. In doing so, he catalyzed a movement among Native artists to express their individuality rather than conforming to an established style. This legacy of innovation and advocacy continues to inspire generations of Native artists to take pride in their heritage and resist stereotypes.

He proved that art could be simultaneously modern and embedded in customary Ohéthi Šakówi (Sioux) culture and aesthetics — to him, there was no contradiction. His legacy of innovation and advocacy continues to inspire generations of Native artists to take pride in their heritage and resist stereotypes. Info

The exhibition will be on view through September 11, 2022. in New York, it will be on view at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) in Portland, Oregon, November 5, 2022–May 14, 2023, and the South Dakota Art Museum at South Dakota State University in Brookings, June 10, 2023–September 17, 2023.

The National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, One Bowling Green, New York, NY 

Through July 31: Keith Haring: A Radiant Legacy at the James A. Michner Museum

This exhibition of more than 100 unique works features two rare Subway drawings, complete suites of many of Haring’s icon print series, and “Medusa Head” (1986), the largest print in the artist’s oeuvre.

Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and raised in Kutztown, Keith Haring (1958–1990) was arguably one of the most accomplished and prominent American artists of the 1980s. Working across a variety of mediums including painting, print, posters, drawing, sculpture, and street art, he developed a style that was instantly recognizable. Through his friendships with artists Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he became interested in the colorful graffiti art that peppered city streets, which would become a major influence on his meteoric rise.

Throughout his career, Haring was featured in more than 100 solo and group exhibitions and produced over 50 public works of art in cities around the world. Many of his works were designed for charities, hospitals, daycare centers, and orphanages. Over 900 children participated in his mural creation commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. He also designed 85 posters with a pictorial language, direct messages, and universal appeal that still resonate today. Info

The James A. Michener Museum, 138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, PA 

Opening March 17, 6:00-8:00 pm: Eleen Lin and Tammie Rubin | Mythodical at C24 Gallery 

Mythodical features work by Taiwanese-born painter Eleen Lin and African-American ceramic artist and educator Tammie Rubin. Lin’s body of work [above] is a nearly decade-long project investigating the unlikely results of a series of mistranslations between English and Mandarin versions of the classic novel, Moby Dick. Rubin’s sculptures are fantastical totemic objects created from ubiquitous forms found in the visual language of modern consumer culture.

Both artists explore the evolution of myths that emerge through total immersion in mainstream narratives, their vision manifested through a deeply methodical and detailed creative process. Their respective identities offer additional layers of perspective about both the immigrant and ethnic minority experience in the United States, and how essential these points of view are to developing truths that cross both time and geographic boundaries. Info

C24 Gallery, 560 W 24th St, New York, NY

Opening March 17, 4:00-8:00 pm: Robert Smith | Curtain Call at Veridian Artists

Smith’s oeuvre has consisted mainly of the closeup undisturbed natural landscape, in later years he has become absorbed with the closeup imagery of the interplay of curtains and the wind. Here, the result is a panoply of visual sensations, from the bold and dramatic to the lyrical and sublime. Above: “Curtain Call 5418”, 20”x 30”; Archival Pigment Print Edition of 7, 1 AP Signed, titled, and numbered 1/7 in ink on recto

These deconstructed images reveal the chiaroscuro of light falling on ephemeral folds of curtains backdropped by the sash and trim of the screened windows. Compositions range from the simple to the complex with powerful and evocative blacks measured against mysterious and magical shadows. While each image is further titled only with a digital number, they could conjure their own title, e.g., “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair” and “Shark Tank.” The artist wonders if the viewer could spot these. Info

Viridian Artists, 547 West 27^th Street, NY, NY In addition to seeing this fascinating exhibit in person, you can see the exhibit virtually on the Viridian Artists website at www.viridianartists.com.

LES Gallery Night March 17, 4:00-8:00 pm 

Frosch & Co. sent the alert this month to join them on Thursday from 4-8 pm for their showing of works by Chamdliss Giobbi. Above: Chambliss Giobbi, Grand Guignol (After Bacon), 2022, Melted Crayola crayons on canvas. Info

LES Gallery Nights is a monthly event that supports local art spaces through a free and self-guided walk. Map and info here

Opening March 18, 5:30-7:30 pm: Exquisite Attention at Hedge Gallery

Subscriber Cathie Bleck presents new work in this three-person show in Cleveland, OH with Rebecca Cross, and Taryn McMahon. The collection of individual and collaborative pieces by these compelling women artists is aimed to raise consciousness about human harm to our planet through the context of contemporary art-making. Above: The Source 2, 2022

Bleck’s works on paper form a visual journal of contrasting scale from small accordion sketchbooks to some of her largest works to date in the form of 55-by-170-inch scrolls. Her graphite drawings and clay pigment paintings explore the dualities that exist in nature and our human evolution.

Together, the artists have employed the technique of exquisite corpse drawings for the exhibition as well. They shared inspired imagery on one piece of paper, which is folded into three sections so they are unable to see what the other artist has illustrated. They then traded the drawings in between sessions so that each one has left her mark, resulting in intrinsically experimental forms related to better respecting our natural world. Info

Hedge Gallery, 1300 W 78th St #200, Cleveland, OH 

Continuing through April 16: Dorothea Tanning | Doesn’t the the Painting Say It All at Kasmin Gallery

This exhibition brings together canvases and works on paper drawn from the artist’s remarkable oeuvre to present the most comprehensive solo presentation of her work for US audiences in decades. 

Spanning four decades from 1947–1987, and including significant examples on loan from major museum collections and important private collections, the exhibition traces Tanning’s stylistic arc from its roots in surrealism through interrelated phases of the artist’s career to what became a deeply original and timeless painting practice. Across these bodies of work, Tanning’s unique formal language is characterized by the tension between figuration and abstraction. Her insistence on mystery and enigma encourages an experience of ongoing discovery for the viewer. Info

Kasmin Gallery, 509 West 27th Street, New York, NY See the feature in ArtNet News