Artists can restore our perspective, help us view the future By James D. Hagen, Secretary, Department of Tourism
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mong the resources that make South Dakota great and help attract visitors to our state is our creative community—the thousands of artists who call this place their home. The intricate tapestry of South Dakota’s culture helps define who we are as a people, connecting our past to our future through the efforts of artists working today. This process of making art that helps us understand ourselves and our surroundings has never been more important than it is right now, in the age of global pandemic. Technology has helped to bridge the gaps during the past few months, but nothing connects us like the expressions of real emotion that come to us through shared works of poetry, striking paintings, expressive sculptures or music that moves us. As we have socially distanced from each other, the need to reach out, to find new ways to explore this new normal is in all of us. We want to find some perspective on the world as we find it today, and artists can help us
discover that perspective. South Dakota artists have been thinking, working, collaborating and creating during this time, distilling their vision and emotions into works of art and finding new ways to share that art. I believe that those works of art, which we will see and hear in the months and years ahead, will help us all make sense of this shared experience. South Dakota artists are our neighbors and friends, and their grounding in the soil of our state intertwines with each cultural touchstone in their lives to produce something we can relate to, and which can help us recover from the pandemic’s jolt to our lives. Their work will be an integral element of the South Dakota story we share with visitors and future generations. Through new art, we can restore our emotional and spiritual perspective and prepare ourselves to view the future with optimism and a new resolve. Art can do that— South Dakota artists can do that—for all of us!
James D. Hagen
Harvey Dunn plein air event goes virtual
It takes more than a global pandemic to slow down De Smet’s Harvey Dunn Society. The group’s popular summer plein air painting event will be held online August 7-9 with a theme of Paintings on the Prairie 2020. “We have the opportunity to be plein air event pioneers as we conduct one of the first virtual plein air events in South Dakota,” said Rita Anderson of the De Smet Development Corporation. “The only bad news is that we won’t be able to be together physically. We are planning to use available web sites, social media and apps like Zoom and Facebook Live to see each other at workshops and social hours.” As in previous years, all artists, experienced or beginners at painting outdoors, are encouraged to join in the event, preserving the Harvey Dunn painting heritage with their own paintings of prairie landscapes and landmarks. The virtual plein art event is a way for artists to paint outdoors at locations safe and convenient to them instead of everyone having to come to De Smet. Artists will share images of themselves and their work in online galleries and be virtually connected with the other artists. The event will wrap up with a virtual Zoom meeting for all participants, giving everyone a chance to contribute to the conversation and to present their work and for sponsors to present awards and make announcements. “We hope artists all across South Dakota will help us spread the word,” Anderson said. “As always, there are no registration fees—and this year, people will not need to take off work or make room reservations. This year’s event will certainly be new and fun—and we’ll all learn together!” For more information, contact Anderson at rita@desmetsouthdakota.org or visit www.desmetsd.com. Page 17
