Back to the drawing board: Dignity dispute settled between artist, South Dakota governor's office

Artist laureate Dale Lamphere meets with Gov. Noem to overcome hurdles around sculpture exhibit near Chamberlain

A sculpture portraying an indigenous woman that greets travelers crossing the Missouri River in central South Dakota has generated buzz since its creation a decade ago.

But the 50-foot piece created by the state’s artist laureate, and then gifted to the state of South Dakota in 2016, is once again at the center of conversations in the state Capitol as well as in South Dakota’s arts and Native American communities.

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That’s because Dale Lamphere and some of the state’s most influential tribal leaders say the state hasn’t followed through with a promise to adorn the site where “Dignity: Of Earth and Sky” stands — at a rest stop along Interstate 90 — with interpretations of the piece, the inspiration behind it or explanations of the materials and work that went into its creation.

“There was an absence of any effort from the state to engage the public about the piece and the history of South Dakota,” Lamphere told The Dakota Scout on the eve of a meeting he was to attend with the South Dakota Department of Transportation to reignite talks about how to add the elements to the exhibit that Lamphere and others — like Rep. Tamara St. John — say were agreed upon when the Sturgis-area artist agreed to gift the piece to the state.