2023 College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame Recipients
Bryan Akipa
The College of Fine Arts hosted its Celebration of Excellence event on Friday, September 29, 2023, honoring outstanding alumni, educators and friends of the Fine Arts. Among the 2023 honorees is Bryan Akipa, whose artistry and advocacy have helped revive and sustain traditional Sioux flute music on national and international stages.
Growing up on the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation in northeastern South Dakota, Akipa first encountered the Lakota flute while studying under Oscar Howe at USD. A wooden mallard-head flute crafted by Lakota maker Richard Fool Bull awakened his creative voice. Although Akipa paused his studies to serve in the U.S. Army and returned to find Howe had passed away, he shifted his major to elementary education—and began performing the flute for students, colleagues and communities as his reputation grew.
Today, Akipa is a self-taught maker and performer of traditional Dakota flutes, using indigenous scales and techniques passed down through generations. He has released multiple solo albums and collaborated with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra through its Lakota Music Project.
His work has been honored with the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the South Dakota Governor’s Award for South Dakota Living Treasure and the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation Mentor Artist Fellowship. In 2023, he served as USD’s keynote speaker and performed at the University, sharing a lecture and performance on Tahokmu painting under Oscar Howe’s influence. Bryan Akipa serves as an international ambassador for Native American flute music and a living bridge between tradition and contemporary artistic practice.
Cathy Britton
Cathleen (Cathy) Britton dedicated nearly four decades to nurturing vocal music across South Dakota’s schools and communities, making a lasting impact on students and choral programs across the region.
After earning her BFA ('74) and MFA ('90) at the University of South Dakota, Cathy pursued a 38-year career in music education, directing choirs at all levels—including 23 years with high school vocal programs in Sioux Falls at Washington and Bishop O’Gorman High Schools. Her vibrant teaching style and mentorship created a space where students could grow musically and personally, fostering high expectations and strong outcomes.
Under her leadership, choir and show choir ensembles competed at regional and state levels, and many of her singers were selected for All-State Chorus and American Choral Directors Association honor choirs. After retiring in 2014, she continued serving as an adjudicator, mentor and vocal director for the University of Sioux Falls musical productions. She also contributed to ACDA leadership at state and regional levels, and in 2020 earned the National Outstanding Music Educator Citation from the National Federation of State High Schools.
Cathy Britton’s commitment to fostering choral excellence, lifting student voices and sustaining choral community in South Dakota reflects the core values of USD’s Fine Arts legacy.
Gerald Cournoyer
Gerald Cournoyer, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe from Marty, South Dakota, has established himself as an influential contemporary artist, educator and advocate—following in the footsteps of his mentor Oscar Howe and expanding on Indigenous visual traditions in new directions.
Cournoyer’s early development drew on Ledger art and figurative Indian portraiture, and his training included USD (BFA, Interdisciplinary Studies), the Institute of American Indian Arts and an MFA in painting from the University of Oklahoma. Under the tutelage of USD professor George Hughes, his artistic vocabulary grew to include abstract watercolor, acrylic and mixed-media work combining Lakota quillwork patterns, rawhide parfleche, beadwork and bold color fields. He later earned a master’s degree in Arts Management and, more recently, a master’s in Philanthropy and Fundraising.
As an artist, Cournoyer’s work is shown in regional, national and international venues. As a scholar and administrator, he fosters connections among artists, cultural institutions and funding agencies, guiding the next generation of Native artists. His practice and leadership continue to expand the possibilities of Indigenous art in the contemporary gallery sphere.
Gerald Cournoyer’s career embodies the dynamic blending of cultural heritage, studio innovation and community engagement, exemplifying the mission of USD’s Fine Arts to sustain creative expression and cultural dialogue.
Jayson Kerr Dobney
Jayson Kerr Dobney is an accomplished museum curator, music historian and USD alumnus whose work bridges performance, scholarship and institutional leadership in the field of musical instruments.
Dobney earned a dual degree in music education and piano performance at USD, followed by a Master of Music in history of musical instruments. Early in his career, he served as Associate Director of the National Music Museum, and later joined The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today, he holds the position of Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge of the Department of Musical Instruments at The Met.
In 2019, he co-curated the iconic exhibition Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll, which drew more than 700,000 visitors and later toured to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Rolling Stone called it capable of “reverent gasps from anyone who cares about rock history.” Dobney has also curated exhibitions including Early American Guitars: The Instruments of C. F. Martin and Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York.
Before his museum career, he taught elementary and middle school music in Vermillion and led music ministry work at churches in New York. Dobney also served as president of the American Musical Instrument Society. His multifaceted contributions to performance, scholarship, education and museum curation reflect the broad possibilities of artistic careers nurtured by USD.
Mi Young Lee
Mi Young Lee came to the U.S. in 1982 to pursue BFA and MFA degrees in art at the University of South Dakota. Since then, she has built a rich international career as a visual artist whose works engage themes of memory, healing and place.
After her MFA, Lee began exhibiting locally and regionally, participating in juried shows and mounting solo exhibitions. Her international debut came in 1995, when her work was shown to critical acclaim in South Korea. She has since exhibited in galleries across China, Germany, and the U.S., all while staying connected to USD — serving as juror for the Stilwell Student Awards and inspiring emerging arts students.
Lee built her primary studio home in northeast Austin, Texas, and operates a secondary studio in Pompano Beach, Florida, exhibiting seasonally in both regions. Her public works are visible at sites like the Sioux Falls Regional Airport and the USD Beacom School of Business. A USD Distinguished Alumni Awardee (2009) and former Homecoming Parade Marshal, she continues to contribute to the university’s visual arts presence.
Mi Young Lee’s work and dedication speak to the power of art to connect across cultures, heal communities and sustain lifelong engagement in creative practice.
Tom (Posthumous) & Cindy Lillibridge
Dr. Cynthia (Thoene) “Cindy” Lillibridge (USD BFA ’70; MA ’73; EdD ’74) dedicated her life to music education and psychological support, while her husband Tom Lillibridge actively championed arts philanthropy and institutional support in South Dakota and beyond.
Cindy taught vocal and instrumental music in South Dakota schools for 12 years, served as a guidance counselor and school psychologist, and was recognized as the South Dakota School Psychologist of the Year in 1998. A lifelong musician, she played piano, clarinet and harp, and was honored as Distinguished Bandmaster of America.
Tom, though not a USD alum, was a passionate supporter of USD, especially of the National Music Museum, where he served as chairman of the Board of Trustees for decades. Together, they established the Guitar Gallery at the museum and funded the renovation of the Slagle Hall Auditorium organ. Their philanthropic legacy is memorialized in the Lillibridge Wing of the museum.
The Lillibridges were honored as South Dakotans of the Year, University of South Dakota philanthropists, and recipients of the Inman Award by the USD Foundation. Their shared commitment to music, education and community investment resonates deeply in USD’s Fine Arts community.
Dr. Ron Moyer
Dr. Ron Moyer, a transformative educator, director and theater advocate, shaped USD’s Theatre Department for decades and left a legacy still honored today through the Ron L. Moyer One-Act Festival.
With a PhD in Theater History, Dr. Moyer joined USD as a faculty member early in the Lee Center’s opening, eventually serving three terms as Chair of the Theater Department during his 36-year tenure. He spent summers directing and acting at the Black Hills Playhouse, weaving together scholarship, pedagogy and practice.
Known for cultivating a collaborative, community-oriented theatrical culture, Moyer mentored generations of theater students, directed high school festivals and believed in theatre’s power as a mirror to society. He was honored by the South Dakota High School Activities Association for decades of service.
Under his influence, USD theater continues to emphasize ensemble, critical inquiry and civic engagement — a living legacy of his vision for the arts as both craft and community practice.
Dr. Warren M. Lee (Posthumous)
Dr. Warren M. Lee served as Dean of USD’s College of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1968, led the Black Hills Playhouse, and laid foundational structures that have sustained USD’s arts programs for generations.
During his tenure, Lee guided the college’s growth, coordinated with the South Dakota Arts Council and the Bicentennial Commission, and led national arts organizations such as the National Collegiate Players and American Educational Theatre Association. He also directed the Black Hills Playhouse, fostering a high-quality summer stock program and providing hands-on training and performance opportunities for students.
In recognition of his service, USD named its art center the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts in 1975. His vision cemented USD’s connection to regional arts, training and community outreach—a legacy still visible today in the programs, buildings and partnerships made possible by his leadership.
