Voices of the Plains
2025-07-24 - 2026-06-12 | Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD, 57325, United States
This exhibit features artwork from the Aktá Lakota Museum’s permanent collection, highlighting the creativity and resilience of artists connected to the Plains. Through a diverse range of styles, media, and generations, Voices of the Plains celebrates the depth and vibrancy of Native expression. The exhibition also reflects the museum’s ongoing commitment to honoring Indigenous voices and expanding its evolving collection.
Curated by David A. Meyer II
Featured artwork: Pride of the Prairie (c) 2017 by Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo, Lakota

Poetry on the Road
2026-01-30 17:00 - 19:00 (America/North_Dakota/Center)
Poetry is hitting the road in South Dakota for the third year in a row, thanks to the South Dakota State Poetry Society (SDSPS). With events taking place across the state, Poetry on the Road invites audiences to find inspiration, listen deeply, and lift their own voices.
South Dakota’s State Poet Laureate, Bruce Roseland, along with fellow SDSPS member poets and special guests, will visit the Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center on Friday, January 30, 2026, from 5–7 p.m. The evening will feature poetry readings followed by an open mic, where attendees are invited to sign up and share their own original poems.
By bringing poetry directly to communities across the state, Poetry on the Road helps SDSPS fulfill its mission to foster the creation and appreciation of poetry that appeals to the senses, challenges the imagination, and stimulates creative and intellectual thought.
Find a Poetry on the Road Event near you HERE!
SDSPS’s Poetry on the Road is brought to you by the South Dakota State Poetry Society, the South Dakota Humanities Council, and many local sponsors.

St. Joseph’s Student Art Exhibit
2026-03-02 08:00 - 2026-03-31 16:30
In honor of National Youth Art Month in March, students of St. Joseph’s Indian School are being celebrated through a Student Art Show and Sale hosted by the Aktá Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.
The exhibition highlights the importance of art education for all children while advocating for continued support of quality school and community art programs. It also provides St. Joseph’s students with the opportunity to present their work in a professional gallery setting.
Participation in the Student Art Show and Sale allows students to share their creativity and artistic talents with a broader audience. Throughout the exhibition, visitors may purchase artwork directly from the student artists, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the students.
A closing reception and gala will be hosted by the Aktá Lakota Museum on March 26 for participating students, their families, and staff.
The exhibition is on display in the Historical Center Gallery and will remain open to the public through March 31.
Exhibition is curated by Casey Walsh, Museum Curator.

Opening July 2026
2026-07-01 - 2026-10-31
Modernity Meets Tradition: Real Tradish explores the intersection of modernity and traditional Lakota ways. The exhibit features work that bridges past and present—through the application of traditional techniques and symbolism, to modern materials, themes, and imagery. Together, these pieces affirm that Lakota traditions are not gone; they are living practices that continue to adapt, endure, and thrive in the 21st century.
Curated by Casey WalshFeatured artwork: Untitled – Self Portrait (c. 1988), Daniel Long Soldier (Oglala Lakota)

"Americans"
2026-11-07 08:00 - 2027-01-07 16:30
The South Dakota Humanities Council is bringing Americans, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition to the Aktá Lakota Museum for an exclusive tour in 2026!
Based on a major exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, Americans explores how deeply intertwined American Indians are in the culture of the United States.
American Indians are less than 1% of the population, yet images of Indians are everywhere. American Indian images, names, and stories infuse American history and contemporary life. Pervasive, powerful, at times demeaning, the images, names, and stories reveal how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
Americans surrounds visitors with images and objects from popular culture and delves into these historical events. The exhibition invites visitors to explore this complicated history and to share local stories about Native American history, culture and identity.
South Dakota Host and Partner Sites.
September 12 – October 31, 2026 – SDSU Briggs Library, Brookings
November 7, 2026 – January 9, 2027 – Aktá Lakota Museum, St. Joseph’s Indian School, Chamberlain
January 16 – March 6, 2027 – The Heritage Center, Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge
March 13 – May 1, 2027 – AH Brown Library, Scherr Howe Event Center, Mobridge
May 8 – June 26, 2027 – W.H. Over Museum, USD, Vermillion
