Dakota Hoska

Tribal Affiliation: Oglala Lakota

Born: 1966

Known for: Oil painting and monotype printmaking

“When I was first starting to paint, I was a little bit stubborn about adhering to a formal tradition. But now, I think I’m so used to the medium. It’s very challenging. There’s a lot to learn about oils.” — Dakota Hoska

Dakota Hoska is a member of the Oglála Lakhóta Nation, Pine Ridge, and currently serves as the Associate Curator of Native Arts at the Denver Art Museum. She joined the museum in 2019 after working as a Curatorial Research Assistant at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where she supported the groundbreaking exhibition “Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists.” In 2019, Dakota completed her MA in Art History, with a focus on Native American Art History at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. Her academic pursuits also include completing two years of Dakota language at the University of Minnesota in 2016 and receiving her BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2012.

Although Dakota had a successful career in marketing in a business-to-business capacity, curatorial work and the arts have always been her true calling. As a curator of Indigenous Arts of North America, Hoska is passionate about working closely with her Native community while continually learning about beautiful artwork. In her own art, Dakota explores her relationship with her Indigenous community through painting and monotype printmaking. She captures singular moments of human interactions and the fleeting play of color and light while reflecting on her own personal journey and philosophical viewpoints.