The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has opened "Mary Sully: Native Modern," a solo exhibition featuring the intricate "personality prints" of Yankton Dakota artist Mary Sully (born Susan Mabel Deloria). The show includes 18 triptychs, drawings, memorabilia, and a film clip, highlighting her abstract vertical designs that blend Dakota heritage with 1920s–1940s celebrity culture. Sully, who died in obscurity over 60 years ago, was rediscovered by her great-nephew, Harvard professor Philip Deloria, after he found her work in a basement. Her art was previously included in the groundbreaking exhibition "Hearts of Our People" at Mia, and she also had a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2024.
This exhibition matters because it brings long-overdue recognition to a self-taught Native American modernist artist whose work bridges Indigenous aesthetics and early 20th-century popular culture. Sully's reclamation challenges art historical narratives that have marginalized Native women artists, and her presence at major institutions like the Met and Mia signals a broader shift toward inclusivity in the art world. The show also underscores the importance of family advocacy and scholarly research in recovering lost artistic legacies, as Philip Deloria's book "Becoming Mary Sully" played a key role in her resurgence.