Robert Penn, Messenger

Having received a scholarship to work with Oscar Howe, followed by several years as a work-study assistant to Howe, Penn gained both a friend and a mentor in Howe. For some 30 years, Penn has made a significant mark as in the world of American Indian art. His work can be seen in public collections at the Smithsonian Institution and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Penn won prizes at the Colorado Indian Market and at the Northern Plains Tribal Arts Exhibition. He was given more than a dozen solo exhibitions and received the Governor's Award for Distinction in Creative Achievement in the Arts. In 1993 a retrospective of his work was organized by the University Art Galleries at the University of South Dakota.

Penn taught at the Oscar Howe Summer Institute in the summers of 1991 and 1992. A Robert Penn Retrospective was held in June 1993 at the University Art Galleries at the University of South Dakota, and another at the Washington Pavilion Arts and Science building, Robert L. Penn--Selected Works, July 6 - October 6, 2013.