Detailed view of Mary Sully's Spring artwork, which shows a repeated pattern of green, red, and beige shapes
Mary Sully (American [Dakota], 1896–1963), Spring (detail), c. 1935, colored pencil and pigments on paper. The Driscoll Art Accessions Endowment Fund and bequest of Virginia Doneghy, by exchange, 2023.56.2

Mary Sully: Native Modern

Mary Sully: Native Modern

March 15, 2025 - September 21, 2025
Gallery 276
Free Exhibition

Born on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota, Mary Sully was a reclusive artist who, between the 1920s and 1940s, created highly distinctive works informed by her Native American and settler ancestry. This first solo exhibition of Sully’s groundbreaking production highlights recent Mia acquisitions, works that complicate traditional notions of Native American and modern art.

Mary Sully (American [Dakota], 1896–1963), Spring (detail), c. 1935, colored pencil and pigments on paper. The Driscoll Art Accessions Endowment Fund and bequest of Virginia Doneghy, by exchange, 2023.56.2