Artist Talk—Dyani White Hawk: Sacred Geometry and Contemporary Art

Artist Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota) celebrates the exhibition "Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static" with us, focusing on how geometric composition—a cornerstone of Edna Andrade’s art—is a means of connection to historical, ancestral, or natural forms in their respective practices. White Hawk presents how she draws from the long history of Lakota abstraction in beadwork, painting, and quillwork (a form of embroidery using porcupine quills).

"Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static" offers a new look at the practice of acclaimed artist and educator Edna Andrade (1917–2008). Presenting a selection of drawings recently gifted to the Harvard Art Museums by the artist’s estate, this exhibition emphasizes the central role of drawing and interdisciplinary exploration in her art and in modernist movements of the 20th century. The exhibition is on view through January 4, 2026.

This video is a clip from the lecture "Geometry and Contemporary Art: Artists Talk with Crystalle Lacouture, Odili Donald Odita, and Dyani White Hawk." To watch the full program: https://youtu.be/tBPHB6yAQXM.

Speaker: Dyani White Hawk, artist.

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"Edna Andrade: Imagination Is Never Static" is made possible through the generosity of the Edna Wright Andrade Charitable Trust, whose extraordinary gift of drawings from across the artist’s career to the Harvard Art Museums demonstrates the Trust’s deep commitment to fostering the study of art for future generations. Support for the exhibition is provided by the Rosenblatt Fund for Post-War American Art, the Agnes Gund Fund for Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Edna W. Andrade Fund and the Edna Wright Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Related programming is supported by the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund. Modern and contemporary art programs at the Harvard Art Museums are made possible in part by generous support from the Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Fund for Modern and Contemporary Art.

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All images and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and this channel does not claim any right over them. Copyright Disclaimer: Any use of copyrighted content on this channel constitutes “fair use” pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107 as it is utilized for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

All works by Dyani White Hawk: © Dyani White Hawk.

Video Thumbnail: Artist Dyani White Hawk presention at the Harvard Art Museums on September 18, 2025. © 2025 President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Video Recorded on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Menshel Hall, Harvard Art Museums © 2025 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Video production: Casey Preston. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.