The Bacone College School of Indian Art was recently awarded $25,000 to offer five Bacone art students $5,000 art scholarships for the 2020-2021 school year.
The National Society Daughters of the Revolution, an organization with a long history of supporting Bacone College, its programs and its art collection, awarded the funds during their recent executive board meeting.
“Much gratefulness is extended to the NSDAR and especially their chair of the American Indian Committee, Suzanne Heske, who championed our cause and helped these scholarships become reality,” Art Director Gerald Cournoyer said. “I’m excited to be able to offer five School of Indian Art students these substantial scholarships to help them further their studies.”
Future students who wish to attend the historic Bacone College School of Indian Art should contact Art Director Gerald Cournoyer at [email protected].
About the Bacone College School of Indian Art:
The Bacone College Art Department was founded in 1935, and was led by such prestigious directors as Acee Blue Eagle through 1938; Woody Crumbo through 1941, then again from 1943-1945; Walter Richard “Dick” West from 1947-1970 and 1979-1986; Terry Saul from 1971-1976; Ruthe Blalock Jones, 1979-2010; and Tony Tiger, 2010-2014.
Notable Native American artist alumni include all of the previously noted art directors and artists such as Virginia Stroud, who was an art major from 1969-1970; Willard Stone, a sculptor who studied under Blue Eagle and Crumbo and won national recognition while a student at Bacone; Solomon McCombs and Enoch Kelly Haney.
Our current director is esteemed Oglala Lakota Artist Gerald Cournoyer. Cournoyer’s work has been shown in regional, national and international venues, including galleries in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Italy. As the director of the Bacone College School of Indian Art, he teaches drawing, painting and sculpture.