Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artist Dyani White Hawk, 46, who is Sičáŋǧu Lakota is one of 20 individuals who has been awarded a prestigious, $800,000 MacArthur Foundation grant, also known as the “genius” award. Dyani is extremely grateful for this web of support. Dyani is a multidisciplinary artist who works with beads and paint, drawing from Lakota abstractionism and European art traditions. In both her finished objects and art-making process, White Hawk centers ideas of connectedness—within community and family, across generations, and between craft and fine art.
Since 1981, 1131 individuals have been named MacArthur Fellows. Among them, only nine are Minnesota residents, and just three are artists from Minnesota. Dyani joins Martin Puryear-sculptor, awarded 1989 and Patricia Hampl-writer, awarded 1990. The genius award is an anonymous, peer-nominated award that will provide stability to Dyani to sustain her studio space in the Casket Arts Building for the next five years. It will be like having a salary for five years, which she considers a great gift. With a crew of 10 people at the studio, the support this brings will make dreaming, envisioning and growth possible.
Being in the Arts District holds a special place in Dyani’s heart. She chose to establish her studio practice here to be a part of a larger community that inspires her. She is proud of the arts scene in Minnesota, noting that artists are often told that they have to move to New York or Los Angeles to “make it” in the art world. The support Minnesotan artists receive in the form of grants and other opportunities makes it possible for them to work here as artists, and that is a beautiful thing. She was super proud that she and Pao Houa Her, both Minneapolis based artists were included in the 2022 Whitney Biennial.
The shared energy that is felt from other artists in this arts community is very special to Dyani. She loves her studio at the Casket Arts Building, and notes how incredible landlords, Jennifer Young and John Kremer have been to her and this arts community over the years. She collaborates with many artists in the district for various things, and notes that you do not have to go outside of the District to find collaborators and vendors such as Arts District Imageworks, and Artserve. She is currently working on a large collaboration with Mercury Mosaics, her former neighbor when she had a studio in the Thorp Building.
Dyani has been a creative spirit from a very early age. She recalls making things, engaging in imaginary play, drawing, photography, crafting, and then eventually beadwork and cultural art forms. In her younger years, she didn’t necessarily think of herself as an artist, but her mom often told her she was. Dyani would often dismiss it as her mom being nice. However, one day, her mom said, “Dyani, you are an artist, and one day you’re going to believe me.” When she sold her first drawing during her undergraduate years, she excitedly called her mom with the news, and her mom asked, “Do you believe me yet?” Years later, it began to click that her mom was right, and that art could be her whole life. When she realized she could follow her lifelong passion, she felt immense joy and gratitude. She is most balanced when she is creating.
Dyani offers valuable advice to the next generation of artists: She describes the art world as “generations of conversations among people.” Her advice is to dig deep into your truth and work hard to discover your individual contribution to these larger conversations. She emphasizes that it’s a vast field with room for everyone but cautions that success takes time and involves sacrifice and hustle. She believes that if you persist, you will find the place that brings you the greatest joy.
Biography
Dyani White Hawk received an AA (2003) from Haskell Indian Nations University, a BFA (2008) from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and an MFA (2011) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. From 2011 to 2015, she served as gallery director and curator for All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis. Her work has been exhibited at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; Museum of Contemporary Art Denver; John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art, University of Nevada; List Gallery, Swarthmore College; Plains Art Museum; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Tucson Museum of Art; and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Article by Lisa Roy