ArtsAlive
Summer 2021
Your Guide to SD Summer Arts
On the cover:
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“Moonlight in the Garden,” from the series “Gardens I've Known” by Deborah Mitchell, is part of the Governor’s 9th Biennial exhibition, currently touring South Dakota. A triptych of the same title was recently purchased by the South Dakota Arts Council for inclusion in the Art For State Buildings program. A South Dakota artist and educator with an MFA in printmaking, Mitchell’s early influences were frequent trips to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and her mother’s lush gardens. To view Deborah Mitchell’s online gallery, follow her blog or learn more about the artist’s work, visit deborahmitchellartist.com.
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Summer 2021 Volume 23, Issue 3
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Arts Alive South Dakota is published by Arts South Dakota
PO Box 2496 Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 605-252-5979 info@ArtsSouthDakota.org www.ArtsSouthDakota.org Page 2
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Summer arts are live and in-person this summer throughout South Dakota
Register now for the online Arts Education, Band Director and Choral Director Institutes Arts festivals fill the parks in communities throughout SD Theaters take center stage with summer performances Tourism Secretary James D. Hagen invites you to take a South Dakota arts road trip
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A conversation with Artist Fellow Ben Miller
The Gift exhibition shares the story of the sacred pipe
Dale Lamphere 20 Sculptor helps unveil Community Tapestry in Rapid City
Dakota Native 22 South Tourism Alliance charts a course for the future
Mailing address change?
Need to change your Arts Alive mailing address? Contact Arts South Dakota directly! Email us at info@ArtsSouthDakota.org or visit the Contact Us page at www.ArtsSouthDakota.org. Please give us the current name and address to which Arts Alive is being mailed, along with all of your new mailing address information.
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Summer arts abound in South Dakota! Live music, festivals and theaters prepare for audiences
fter a year of virtual performances, innovative programming and socially distanced arts of every kind, South Dakotans—along with travelers from around the nation—are ready to return to in-person arts events. While health and safety are still paramount, venues are gearing up for busy summer seasons, with full schedules of arts opportunities announced throughout the state. Below you will find a sampling of the summertime fun you and your family can enjoy. To discover the full range of arts happenings, visit the calendar page at www.ArtsSouthDakota.org and go to www.TravelSouthDakota.com.
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Levitt at the Falls: 40 free outdoor concerts
Live concerts return to the Sioux Falls Levitt Shell with a full calendar for the 2021 season. Professional artists will perform 40 free concerts at the Levitt Shell in Falls Park West starting on Friday, June 11 and running through Saturday, September 11. The 2021 season will consist of local, regional and national professional artists offering a variety of genres and musical styles. With eight different musical series offered— Americana, Women of Song, Country, Garden Fresh, Homegrown, World Music, Rock & Blues and a Family Series—there will be something for everyone. “After a year of tremendous challenges for our community, we are so thrilled to bring news of hope and joy with a return to free, outdoor live music and community building at the Levitt Shell,” said Nancy Halverson, Executive Director of Levitt at the Falls. “We are grateful for the support of our many sponsors and donors for investing in the power of live music.” Levitt concerts will be held each Friday and Saturday night during the summer, with Thursday concerts added into the schedule in the months of July and August. Levitt events will include opening acts featuring local performers and a variety of food and drinks available. The lawn will open at 6 pm each concert night with music beginning at 6:30 pm. Additionally, Family Series performances for kids and youth groups will be held on four Friday mornings throughout the summer at 10 am. Opening night on Friday, June 11 for Levitt at the Falls will feature the 2020 GRAMMY-winning quintet Ranky Tanky, who bring a fresh and inspiring jazz take to the traditional Gullah music of South Carolina. Closing night on Saturday, September 11 will feature Chicago’s LowDown Brass Band, an all-horn band which leans heavily on dance hall and street beat rhythm, with the energy of hip hop, jazz, reggae and soul. For a concert schedule and more information about Levitt at the Falls, visit www.levittsiouxfalls.org. Continued on page 4...
Opening night at the Levitt Shell in downtown Sioux Falls will feature the GRAMMY-winning group Ranky Tanky.
Below, a scene from the 2019 Levitt season. Paul Schiller photo, courtesy of Levitt at the Falls.
Summer arts
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Shakespeare returns to the park in Vermillion
The South Dakota Shakespeare Festival brings a professional production of Twelfth Night, or What You Will, to Vermillion’s Prentis Park, June 17-20. The play is directed by Oliver Mayes, who is working toward an MFA in directing at the University of South Dakota, according to Executive Artistic Director Chaya GordonBland, who looks forward to returning to live performances. “In considering our production for this summer, there was an overwhelming consensus within the company that it was important to produce a joyful and uplifting comedy,” she said. “This has been such a challenging and stressful time in the world. We want to bring joy to people’s lives, and help support health, happiness and healing for our communities through theatre.” Throughout rehearsals and performances, the company implemented an array of mitigation techniques, including distancing, use of masks and thorough sanitation. The production in the park will take place for a live audience as well as via a streaming platform and SDSF is also planning safe and responsible arts education programming in collaboration with outreach partners. In fulfillment of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival’s values of access and inclusion, all programming is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.sdshakespearefestival.org.
Meghan Cameron performs as Time in “The Winter’s Tale.” Photo by Lynn Vidler, courtesy of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival.
Bluegrass is back in the Hills
Special Consensus will headline at this year’s Black Hills Bluegrass Festival.
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The Black Hills Bluegrass Festival has extended the 40th anniversary celebration of West River’s favorite outdoor music festival. After the cancellation of the 2020 event, bluegrass fans will be lining up for the 2021 shows, scheduled for June 25-27, 2021 at the Rush No More Resort & Campground, near Sturgis. This year’s headliners are The Special Consensus, with appearances by That Dalton Gang, The Waddington Brothers, Montana Standard and the Black Hills Bluegrass Band. Shows, music workshops for adults and children, nightly jam sessions and a Sunday morning gospel performance are held rain or shine in an outdoor concert area with a large building available for audiences in case of rain. The event venue is an RV park with full hook-ups, large pull-through RV sites, forested tent camping spaces and cabins available to rent as well. A swimming pool and a play area help keep the kids busy at the family-friendly event. Visit www.blackhillsbluegrass.com for more information.
www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
Governor’s 9th Biennial Art Exhibition opens at SDAM
The South Dakota Art Museum is the opening venue for the Governor’s 9th Biennial Art Exhibition, running through June 13 on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings. The exhibition displays artworks from some of the state’s leading artists at four exhibiting institutions across the state through the course of the one-year traveling show. The 9th Biennial is an entirely juried exhibition featuring one submission each from 66 artists selected from 289 works submitted by 102 artists. The 9th Biennial opened at the South Dakota Art Museum March 19, travels to the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls from June 26 through September 19, then moves to the John A. Day Gallery at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion October 16 through November 5, and concludes the year of touring at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City December 3, 2021 through March 5, 2022. The South Dakota Governor’s Biennial Art Exhibition was created to recognize and encourage South Dakota artists, to promote the artistic identity of South Dakota, to celebrate the cultural and artistic heritage and future of South Dakota and to encourage a larger sense of community and connection across separate artistic communities within the state. For hours, directions and a complete online catalog of the works, visit www.sdstate.edu/south-dakota-art-museum.
Dahl stages Proof of Life II
Shown below, “Riding & Remembering Those We Lost to COVID-19 in the World,” a 2021 pencil, ink and acrylic on ledger paper by Jim Yellowhawk.
“Rimrocks and Spearfish Creek,” 2020 oil on canvas by Sandra Newman.
Proof that visual artists were busy creating new work during the pandemic year is on display now at the Dahl Arts Center in downtown Rapid City. Proof Of Life II is a new show running through August 7 in the Ruth Brennan Gallery, with a reception for the artists June 25 from 5-7 pm. In March of 2020, photographer Steve Babbitt, a member of the Dahl exhibits committee, suggested the arts center create a virtual art show of regional work during the pandemic. The concept was judged both a great idea and a way to help support local artists. Arts professionals realized that visual artists are used to working in isolation as daily solo performers in their individual studios so, although the Covid-19 pandemic was devastating to all populations, the isolation created by the pandemic is something that visual artists deal with in their daily lives. “When I was thinking of titles for this kind of show, the term Proof of Life just seemed like such an obvious and natural fit,” said Denise Du Broy, museum director and curator. “The paintings, sculptures, jewelry, weavings, photographs and mixed media projects that artists create are the physical proof that they exist, are working and continue to do so. While daily life slowed down and drastically changed for most of the population, this wasn’t the case for most visual artists.” For the Proof of Life II show, the Dahl decided to take advantage of an open gallery and do a non-virtual show made up of the same group of 14 artists. The intention of the juried exhibition is to showcase what regional artists have been working on and completing during this global pandemic, Du Broy said. For more about the Dahl Arts Center and upcoming exhibits, visit www.thedahl.org. Continued on page 6... Page 5
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People Of The Plains returns this summer
Artists share their work with visitors at a previous Native POP celebration.
Main Street Square in Rapid City will once again bring people of all cultures together for the 8th Annual Native POP 2021 art show and market. This juried Indigenous art show and cultural celebration is a free annual event in the heart of downtown Rapid City, scheduled this year on July 9-10. The Gathering of Arts and Culture features original artwork for sale by established and emerging Great Plains Native artists, along with film, fashion and music. This event includes a full day of cultural performances on the stage, with a ticketed artist awards reception slated for the Friday evening before the show. This year’s event will include a special honoring of all our relatives who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit www.nativepop.org for more information.
Wish You Were Here opens at Visual Arts Center Artist Epiphany Knedler brings together a vast array of travel and tourism images in Wish You Were Here, an exhibit opening July 30 in the Bates Trimble Gallery of the Visual Arts Center in the Washington Pavilion in downtown Sioux Falls. Known for prairie fields and pioneer history, along with a landscape uninterrupted for miles, the Great Plains is full of tourist destinations for road-trippers making their way out west. Wish You Were Here examines the ways the region is romanticized using legends, folklore and histories. While the legends of the Great Plains are rooted in experience, from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show to the spirits of the Badlands, the stories grow to overshadow some grim truths of Midwestern history. These stories become a sense of pride and comfort for the local population, who use iconography to perpetuate ideals such as manifest destiny and the Wild West. The images in this series reveal the reality of tourist interactions in roadside attractions rather than the typical picturesque postcards. The images highlight aspects of truth within the idyll, including tourist engagement, surrounding infrastructure and pastoral nature. Images have the power to inform our histories and Knedler believes it is our responsibility to find the truth among the myths, bring awareness to overlooked narratives and respond to them through our actions. For information about the Visual Arts Center or the Washington Pavilion, along with directions and hours, visit www.washingtonpavilion.org/about-us/our-building/visual-arts-center.
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www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Epiphany Knedler’s “Wish You Were Here” will open July 30 at the Washington Pavilion’s Visual Arts Center in Sioux Falls.
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Arts Education Institute
goes virtual for 22nd annual event
Photo by Sara Bill Photography/Karen Cubides Agency.
The success of last year’s online Arts Education Institute (AEI), sponsored by Arts South Dakota, the South Dakota Arts Council and Northern State University has shaped the vision of this year’s 22nd annual institute. Online sessions are slated this year July 12-16, with all AEI workshops offered for up to three graduate and/or CEU credits. AEI, a vital source of professional development and certification credit for our state’s educators, has expanded for 2021 with the addition of the first Choral Director Institute and the continuation of the popular Band Director Institute. Registration is now open for this year’s ONLINE art and choral/music workshops, available for all pre-K through 12th grade educators, but you DO NOT need to be an educator to attend AEI; everyone is encouraged to participate. The Band Director Institute (BDI) is an intensive program designed to expose music teachers to the best in current and standard literature in addition to teaching methods and materials. The online institute will include new band literature sessions, master classes and clinic sessions that focus on a wide variety of teaching subjects for band directors. The band clinician will be Kevin Day, a composer, conductor, producer and multi-instrumentalist on tuba, euphonium, jazz piano and more. Day’s music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion and contemporary classical idioms.He currently serves as the Composer-InResidence of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra. The new Choral Kevin Day, Director Institute (CDI) is Band Director Institute clinician. an extensive and focused program designed to introduce choral music educators to the best in current and standard literature in addition to teaching methods and materials. The online institute will include new choral literature sessions, master classes and clinic sessions that focus on a wide variety of teaching subjects for choir directors.
Save the date
The choral clinician will be Dr. Lee Nelson. Nelson holds the Patricia R. Zahn Chair in choral conducting and serves as the director of choral activities at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Conductor of the Wartburg Choir and Ritterchor (tenor/bass choir), Nelson also teaches choral literature and conducting courses, is the artistic director of Christmas with Wartburg and received the John O. Chellevold Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service. Two special CDI workshops are being offered: That’s Italian!— Preparing favorites from the 24 standards with Dr. Marla Fogderud, or Choral Favorites—A Share Session and Rehearsal Techniques with Dr. Wendy van Gent. AEI registrants not enrolled Dr. Lee Nelson, in CDI may also choose Choral Director Institute clinician. Elementary Music Methods Refresher with Dr. Wendy van Gent, That’s Italian! or Choral Favorites as workshop choices from the AEI class menu. To register and learn more about the Institutes, go to www.ArtsSouthDakota.org.
State Arts Conference 2022 May 19-21 in Rapid City
Join artists, administrators, advocates and arts enthusiasts in Rapid City next spring for the South Dakota State Arts Conference 2022! www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
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Arts festivals return to South Dakota Parks Communities welcome visitors back for 2021 ne of the celebrations of the summer season is a day in the park—and a day in a park filled with arts, crafts, food booths and entertainment is the best summer day of all. From Sioux Falls to Spearfish and Aberdeen to Hot Springs, arts in the park festivities are back this year to beckon crowds eager to experience the fun. Be sure to check out festival websites for any changes in schedules which may occur. One of the first festivals is Aberdeen Arts in the Park, June 19-20 in Melgaard Park. For over 40 years, exhibitors have lined the pavement in the park with handcrafted wares on the third full weekend in June. Each year, this juried event attracts exhibitors from over 12 states. Over 20,000 people enjoy the park during the two-day event that features fine and folk art, entertainment and a wide variety of food items. When the Aberdeen Arts Festival started in 1976, attendees were encouraged to “spend a happy day in the park.” Attendance at the first festival was estimated between 3,000 and 4,000. Advertising in those early years included young boys walking up and down Main Street wearing sandwich boards, and half-gallon milk cartons with the festival logo printed on its side-panels. By the second year, almost 80 exhibitors were registered to be a part of the Aberdeen festival,
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The popular “Mannequin in Motion” returns this year to the Aberdeen Arts in the Park festival June 19-20 in Melgaard Park.
which has become an annual tradition. To learn more about times and activities scheduled at this year’s Arts in the Park, visit aberdeenareaartscouncil.com/events/arts-in-the-park. For a half century, one of the largest juried summer arts festivals has drawn regional visitors to Brookings. The 50th Annual Brookings Summer Arts Festival will be held this year on Saturday and Sunday, July 10-11 in Pioneer Park. Over 200 artists from across the nation, representing 15 disciplines of art, will fill the park with original skilled and handcrafted works, along with 38 gourmet and ethnic food booths to satisfy every appetite. The Edibles and Naturals area showcases 28 artisans who produce gourmet packaged cottage foods and natural skin products, while historic and antique booths celebrate South Dakota’s heritage. A lively children’s area in the center of the park provides fun and educational activities. In addition to a wide selection of artworks, the festival has become known for the
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Festival goers walk the rows of art vendor booths during a previous Spearfish Festival in the Park. This year’s festival is scheduled for July 16-18. Photo by The Black Hills Studios.
entertainers performing in the historic Pioneer Park Bandshell and on side stages throughout the park. For times and entertainment schedules for the Brookings festival, go to www.bsaf.com. The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center is the sponsor of the Spearfish Festival in the Park, held this year July 16-18. The Festival in the Park is one of the largest outdoor summer arts and music festivals in the upper Midwest and serves as the largest fundraiser for the Matthews Opera House & Arts Center. Over 25,000 people attend the festival, which features over 180 fine art and craft vendors with an emphasis on handmade and original products. Over 25 food vendors serve an eclectic variety of cuisines that will please any taste. Free live onstage entertainment from local and regional artists is available throughout the day. For those who want to sit with a cool beverage and listen to music, the “Watering Hole” never fails to please. For schedules and updates, visit www.matthewsopera.com/festival-in-the-park. Downtown Sioux Falls is the strolling venue for the annual Sidewalk Arts Festival hosted by the Washington Pavilion and scheduled for September 11, 2021 from 9 am to 5 pm. The Sidewalk Arts Festival is a free outdoor event with over 240 vendor booths featuring the region’s best fine art, folk art and craft artisans. Enjoy activities for kids, live entertainment, food vendors and more on the streets surrounding the Washington Pavilion. This event is a fundraiser for the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion and is the region’s largest one-day arts festival. For more information on this year’s festival and performance schedules, visit www.washingtonpavilion.org/special-events/sidewalk-arts-festival. These are just a sampling of the arts events and festivals held throughout South Dakota each summer. To find a special arts event near you, check out artssouthdakota.org/calendar/ or TravelSouthDakota.com.
www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
There’s something for everyone at the annual Sidewalk Arts Festival in downtown Sioux Falls, being held this year on September 11. Photo courtesy of the Washington Pavilion.
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Theaters take center stage this summer across South Dakota
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many productions to go dark, but South Dakota theaters are working to bring the arts back to center stage. Those seeking summertime entertainment will find a variety of exceptional live theater performances only a day trip away. Here are what two long-standing South Dakota community theaters and one regional professional theater have planned for summer 2021.
Aberdeen Community Theatre to perform eight shows
Aberdeen Community Theatre (ACT) had big plans for its 40th anniversary until the pandemic flipped its season lineup off like a light switch. In response, ACT offered online events this past year and a live virtual radio adaption of “A Christmas Carol.” James Walker, artistic and managing director, said ACT hopes to produce a live mainstage production by the end of this summer. “We are going to make sure that we are able to get back on our feet and build back to where we were,” Walker said. Storybook Land Theatre, a partnership between ACT and Aberdeen Parks, Recreation and Forestry, will perform outdoors at Wylie Park this summer. Brian Schultz, ACT youth education director, said the cast consists of five to seven paid actors who are joined by area youth for two camps for elementary and middle schoolers. They will perform eight free shows in eight weeks for families and young audiences Tuesdays at 10 am CDT and Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 pm CDT. Visit aberdeencommunitytheatre.com for more information.
Black Hills Playhouse honors its storied past
A 2017 Black Hills Playhouse production of “Grease,” with set design by Victor Shonk.
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The 2020 cast members of Aberdeen’s Storybook Land Theatre.
Black Hills Playhouse (BHP) was selling tickets for its 75th anniversary when the regional professional theater had to cancel its entire season last year. BHP decided to produce its 2021 summer season in a different way with a nod to its past. From 1947 to 1950, BHP performed in a tent called the Frontier Theatre. To ensure the safety of its artists and patrons, BHP created a new outdoor performing arts space that will debut this summer. The New Frontier Theatre has mask-required seating socially distanced from the stage, plus a mask-optional section. Dan Workman, BHP’s artistic director, chose this summer’s shows specifically to be performed outside, said Executive Director Linda Anderson. “The shows will be comic and light with energetic music and dance. We think people are going to be really hungry for this kind of entertainment,” Anderson said. “It is going to be fun for people to see theater outside under the stars in a beautiful location.” Among the summer highlights will be “The Marvelous Wonderettes” June 18-July 4; “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” July 9-25, and “Altar Boyz” July 30-August 15. Shows are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 2 pm MDT and Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm MDT. For more information, visit blackhillsplayhouse.com.
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Live theater returns with Pierre Players production Pierre Players Community Theatre (PPCT) was in the middle of a spectacular season run when the pandemic forced the community theater to delay one production by three months and cancel its summer musical last year. But PPCT rose to the challenge and decided to reopen its doors late last summer despite possibly losing money, said Business Manager Michele Beeler. “We figured out how to make social distancing work in our small theater, required masks at all performances, purchased hand sanitizer stands for around the theater and sanitized our seats,” Beeler said. “We strongly felt it was important to provide our community with some much-needed entertainment, even if it meant playing to smaller audiences.” This summer, PPCT will produce the musical it canceled last summer, “Man of La Mancha,” July 16-18 and July 22-25, followed by a Little Players Children’s Theatre’s performance of “Charlotte’s Web.” For show times, ticket prices and more information, go to pierreplayers.com.
A scene from “Native Gardens,” a past Pierre Players production. Photo by Campea Photography.
Regional Resilience in partnership with Arts Midwest These three theaters are among eleven South Dakota organizations that recently received funds from Arts Midwest as part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. This national recovery initiative is helping under-resourced arts and culture organizations weather the COVID-19 crisis. For information on the other SD arts organizations and Arts Midwest, visit www.artsmidwest.org/programs/resiliencefund.
Penn retrospective at the Dahl Works from private collections show artist’s range
“Grass Dancer,” by Robert Penn.
Wokiksuye: A Remembrance of Robert Penn, on display through August 21 at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, brings together a rare collection of the late artist’s work, including some pieces not previously shown. Wokiksuye is a translation from the Lakota language which signifies “a remembrance.” Most of the artwork in this show is from the collections of Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center in Chamberlain and Cathy and Larry Piersol from Vermillion, SD. Penn (Sicangu Lakota/Omaha), who passed away in 1999, was a protégé of and a work study assistant to the late Oscar Howe. Penn explored and mastered every style of art making that he pursued, moving effortlessly from large oil paintings to intimate watercolor pieces. It didn’t matter if he was working on a portrait study in acrylics or a landscape painting, Penn was equally adept at any media and style he chose to pursue, and this was one of the things that set him apart from other artists. He painted “the truth” as he found it in the world, and he attributed his creative talent to Wakan Tanka—the Great Spirit. Penn has long been viewed as one of South Dakota’s greatest contemporary artists. For more information about the Dahl Arts Center, visit thedahl.org.
www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
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By James D. Hagen Secretary of Tourism
We’re all ready to take a South Dakota road trip
ith travelers feeling more optimistic about the future, vaccinations rolling out in a steady manner and tourism industry members keeping the health and safety of our citizens and visitors top-of-mind by implementing health and hygiene protocols, folks are itching to travel this summer. They want to get out and take a road trip—and there’s no better destination than South Dakota. Visitors to South Dakota are drawn here by our unique cultural heritage, our growing creative community and the arts opportunities presented by communities throughout the state. Summer theaters, visual arts centers and concert venues throughout the state are announcing their warm-weather schedules and inviting travelers to resume their vacation planning. South Dakota has a proud history of attracting visitors to share our arts and cultural sites. From the monumental must-see sculptures at Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Dignity near Chamberlain, to the famous paintings of Harvey Dunn in the South Dakota Art Museum, our state has unique attractions that draw visitors from across the nation and around the world. This summer, South Dakotans have a chance to reacquaint themselves with the places and events that make our state so special. The best part of the summer arts scene in South Dakota is that, once again, it’s happening everywhere. Our music festivals range from jazz and blues in Sioux Falls to bluegrass in the Black Hills. Theatrical offerings bring local and tourist audiences drama and comedy from Shakespeare to melodrama, on stages under the stars and in historic buildings. It’s easy to plan stops to catch all the action with directions and details at TravelSouthDakota.com. The beauty of our land, the richness of our culture and our appreciation of the arts help draw millions of visitors to our state every year. Cultural tourism is a vital part of our economy, creating jobs, prosperity and lifelong learning in a way that is fun and familyfriendly. We work hard to invite people from our neighboring states to enjoy cultural opportunities in South Dakota. This summer, we invite you to join them and discover for yourself why I am so proud of our state and its cultural community.
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www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
A conversation with SDAC Fellow Ben Miller
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Each year the South Dakota Arts Council selects a group of South Dakota artists to receive the Artist Fellowship grant rewarding individual artistic excellence. The $5,000 fellowships reflect the variety and quality of art being produced in South Dakota. In this issue, Arts Alive spoke with Ben Miller, whose writing has appeared in Best American Essays, Best American Experimental Writing, The New England Review, The Southern Review, The Antioch Review, One Story, Fiction International, The Kenyon Review and other venues.
How has the art of writing shaped you as a person? I came to writing young. I mean, before I was twelve. I came to writing as many young people do: in some desperation. I didn’t experience freedom at a school of buzzers or in a crowded home descended into strange disarray. But I discovered freedom could exist in the realm of art—on the canvas of the blank page—and that made it a beacon in the darkness of the 1970s in Davenport, Iowa. I tell part of the story in my first book River Bend Chronicle: The Junkification of a Boyhood Idyll Amid the Curious Glory of Urban Iowa (Lookout Books)—just part, I say, because this is a very large and always evolving story to me—the power of art to positively transform individuals, to allow them to converse with their humanity, and by extension, place the larger culture in helpful dialogue with its realities, however rough they are.
What did this fellowship year allow you to explore as an artist? The generous support of the fellowship provided a welcome practical boost to my writing, which I have usually pursued, by design, far outside of the walls of academia. Holding a day job unrelated to writing brings me into regular contact with the routines and aspirations, joys and disappointments, of the workaday world. The intensity of common experience, I’ve found, enriches my exploration of art’s fundamental role in society. But 2020, of course, threw me off track like it did everyone else. As America has quaked from coast-to-coast due to a compendium of deadly historical events, I’ve found myself—as a part-time worker in a hospital environment—especially dwelling on the issue of form. The fragility of form. The salvation of form. The form your life takes is the form your expressions inevitably assume, if you are a writer. The two are inseparable. And as I’ve literally watched or heard forms vanishing during an epoch of death, I’ve felt an urgent need to know more about what vanishes when a person perishes, and when an institution falters and collapses under pressure. Each human is a product of internal and external forces—the unique result of individuality and intellectual/emotional/spiritual partnerships of many
Ben Miller in Paris, photo by Anne Pierson Wiese.
complex sorts. Studying my particular set of essential details has led to a book-length meditation on the vagaries of literary form that I call The Extravagant Art of Seeing: Thoughts While Tearing Up a Novel Late One Night.
How have your experiences in different environments (Iowa, Times Square, the Radcliffe Institute, South Dakota, Paris) influenced your writing? The first poem I finished that I was proud of I finished at the age of nine. It was entitled New York, New York, I Love You So. It was about a place I had never seen except in magazines. But I could write the stanzas because I did not conceive of America as being made up of regions but as one sprawling entity that connected all to one, one to all. This notion endured. After attending Cornell College in Iowa, I leaped at the opportunity to attend graduate school at New York University, even though I still had never been east of Chicago. I just went. I just loved it. After I met my partner in 1987—the poet Anne Pierson Wiese, who grew up in Brooklyn, but had family roots in South Dakota and Minnesota—I began visiting the Upper Midwest with its awesome skies and quartzite rock, and I loved that too. It was all America. It was all something I should know. It was all larded—below the ascendency of the clouds—with the leaden fury of a history that few people had the time and energy to adequately acknowledge, but the history didn’t dematerialize because of neglect: it was always there, buried or locked up, waiting to be found and liberated, waiting to be known.
www.ArtsSouthDakota.org
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The Gift
shares the story of the sacred pipe New exhibition brings together music, poetry and visual art n response to the growing demand for rigorous, reliable, respectful and relevant education about American Indian communities, the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies (CAIRNS) initiated a series of innovative projects that are transforming how American Indians and their communities are presented and represented within and beyond reservations, particularly in cultural expression and history. Since 2015, CAIRNS has curated the Lakota Educational Arts Project: educational, culturally based art exhibitions that share Lakotan narratives and artworks about important events from when Lakotan ancestors emerged onto this earth up to the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. For these exhibits, new artworks—sculptures, paintings, songs and poems—are created by contemporary citizens of Lakota or Oceti Sakowin Confederacy tribes. The latest exhibition is The Gift, based on a traditional Lakotan narrative about White Buffalo Woman, an emissary from the Pte Oyate (Buffalo Nation), who gave a sacred pipe to the Itazipco Oyate, one of seven oyates of the Lakota division of the Oceti Sakowin Confederacy. In the Standing Rock Reservation in 1911, Lone Man shared the narrative, “The White Buffalo Calf Pipe (Ptehin’cala Canonpa),” with Frances Densmore, who published her account in 1918.
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Angela Babby, “So That Our People May Live” (Hecel Oyate Kinipikte), kiln-fired vitreous enamel on glass mosaic on wedi board.
“This beautiful story is a cultural touchstone for Lakotan peoples,” said Dr. Craig Howe, curator of the exhibition. “Bringing the talents of contemporary Lakotan artists to the sharing of this narrative opens the doors of understanding to a wide range of people who will see The Gift.” The Gift exhibition is now on display at the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center in Chamberlain, and will travel over the next two years to the South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings; Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City; The Heritage Center, Pine Ridge, and the Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY. When Frances Densmore recorded the narrative, she also recorded Charging Thunder singing, “Song of the White Buffalo Maiden.” That song, a new poem by Taté Walker and seven works by Lakotan artists, comprise the first section of The Gift.
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
The second section of the exhibition explores the seven ceremonies—gifts— that Black Elk says were foretold by the White Buffalo Woman. For each gift, a Lakotan musician or musical group composed a song, a Lakotan poet wrote a poem and two Lakotan visual artists each created an artwork. The creative works of these 21 Lakotans constitute the Gifts section of the exhibition. The poems are displayed as text panels and are also printed in the catalog, while the songs are accessible within the exhibition by scanning QR codes and in the exhibition catalogs through either Dropcards that provide a URL and password for downloading them or through QR codes printed on the pages. A curriculum team is also creating classroom activities related to the exhibition. For more about the work of CAIRNS, details on The Gift and exhibition schedules, visit www.nativecairns.org.
Alfreda Beartrack Algeo, “Tapa Wankayeyapi,” mixed digital media.
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hitting the high notes Arts South Dakota, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, enriches the lives of South Dakotans and their visitors, by advancing the arts through service, education and advocacy.
Board of Directors
Stacy Braun, Aberdeen, Chair Katie Hunhoff, Yankton, Vice Chair Dr. Craig Howe, Martin, Secretary Brian Hildebrant, Brookings, Treasurer Dale Lamphere, Sturgis, Past Chair Lance Bertram, Pierre Scyller Borglum, Rapid City Julie Garreau, Eagle Butte and Rapid City Senator Troy Heinert, Mission Dr. Alan LaFave, Valley City, ND Katrina Lehr-McKinney, Sioux Falls Jim Mathis, Sioux Falls Kenny Putnam, Rapid City Shelley Stingley, Sioux Falls Lynn Verschoor, Brookings Kris Wollman, Pierre
Staff
Jim Speirs, Executive Director jim@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 0
Shari Kosel, Program & Communications Director shari@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 1 Andrew Reinartz, Community Development Director andrew@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 2 Sarah Larson, Communications Coordinator sarah@ArtsSouthDakota.org 605-252-5979, Ext. 3
PO Box 2496, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 Phone: 605-252-5979 Email: info@ArtsSouthDakota.org Website: www.ArtsSouthDakota.org Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ArtsSD and YouTube. Page 16
Federal funding for the arts is a vital investment By Jim Speirs, Executive Director, Arts South Dakota The recent federal legislation to stimulate the economy included emergency aid to the National Endowment for the Arts to provide needed support to our national creative industry which has been devastated by the pandemic. The funding will enable states to provide direct relief allocations to local arts organizations and artists, through time-tested subsidy channels—in our state, the South Dakota Arts Council. This investment in our cultural community is an investment in our future—and a resource that is vitally needed at this time. With the recent passage of HB 1169, adding $250,000 in supplementary funding to the South Dakota Arts Council, our state legislators agree that new dollars are necessary to restore our arts industry to the vitality lost during the pandemic shutdown of the past year. State legislative and NEA funding goes a long way in South Dakota and is truly an economic spark for the state's creative economy. We know most Americans, including South Dakotans, overwhelmingly agree that the arts in this country are important to our quality of life (90% agree) and that the arts are important to local businesses and the economy (86% agree). We also know that 81% of Americans agree that the arts are “a positive experience in a troubled world.” Now, more than ever, we need the arts in our state to be strong and vibrant. State and federal funding are only a stopgap to keep the arts alive in South Dakota. This summer, we will all have the opportunity to show our support for arts organizations, artists and creative enterprises in our state. Already we are seeing summer concert venues open, visual arts exhibitions announced and summer theater programs posted to make this summer full of exciting arts opportunities. The return of audiences and the enthusiastic support of South Dakotans everywhere will be the next step in returning our creative industry to its former strength. Please visit www.ArtsSouthDakota.org to find out ways you can participate in the arts throughout South Dakota this summer!
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Larson joins Arts South Dakota staff Sarah Larson has been chosen as the new Communications Coordinator for Arts South Dakota. She will work with online and organizational outreach for the arts advocacy group. Larson grew up in Sioux Falls in an encouraging and supportive family that celebrates and embraces the arts. She learned about painting and line from her dad, creating color stories from her mom, styling vintage fashion from her oldest brother and learning about all kinds of music from her second oldest brother. She was raised to nurture her creative side and chase her dreams. After earning a BA in studio art from the University of Iowa, exploring paint, clay and photography, Larson attended the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, then moved to California to chase the coast. She spent 20 years in the San Francisco Bay area, met the love of her life, became a mother and fully embraced the artist collective and community of the city. She has sewn both professionally and personally for over 15 years, managed display and merchandising for over a decade with Anthropologie, managed textile design and sewing, production, installation and floral design for an innovative event company in the city, and styled and tailored for the marketing vehicles of Old Navy headquarters before returning to Sioux Falls in 2019. Larson most recently has shared her love of sewing and theater costuming as part of her quest to support the arts. She said that as a mom, a believer in change and a lover of life, she is excited to share the mission of Arts South Dakota. “I share the goal of creating community together through art, because art, in one way or another, has changed my life every day,” Larson said. “I am thrilled to be a part of an organization doing incredibly important work to enhance and expand the arts in South Dakota.”
In memory of Jeannette Beemer
Lifelong educator and arts advocate Jeannette Beemer of Pierre passed away this spring at the age of 102. Beemer’s life was devoted to teaching music—she taught in all of Pierre’s elementary schools, and later served as Director of the Music Program for the Pierre Public Schools until her retirement. She was co-founder of the Capital City Children’s Choir, was active in the Pierre Concert Series, volunteered at the Cultural Heritage Center and State Archives and participated in community theater as music director for several shows. In 2015, Beemer was honored with the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Support of the Arts by Governor Dennis Daugaard. She was an inspiration to generations of musicians, teachers and arts advocates across South Dakota.
Remembering Ward Whitwam
The designer of some of South Dakota’s most recognized structures, including the iconic concrete tipis at nine interstate rest stops, has passed away at age 97. Sioux Falls architect Ward Whitwam was the second South Dakotan to be awarded a fellowship by the National American Institute of Architects and in 2017 received the Governor’s Award for Distinction in Creative Achievement in the Arts for his work. At 65, he became the executive director of the South Dakota American Institute of Architects, a position he held for 23 years until he eventually retired in 2011 at the age of 88. His legacy is not only in the buildings he designed, but in the warm memories retained by his friends throughout the state.
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vision for the arts Creative aging: The wisdom and beauty of lifelong learning in the arts
A state agency of the Department of Tourism
Kristi Noem, Governor James D. Hagen, Secretary
South Dakota Arts Council
Mary Bordeaux, Rapid City, Chair Laura Diddle, Brookings, Vice Chair Dohui Kim, Sioux Falls, Treasurer Nan Venhuizen, Sioux Falls, Secretary Brian Bonde, Sioux Falls Roger Broer, Hill City Lynne Byrne, Sioux Falls John Mogen, Sioux Falls Jane Rasmussen, Sisseton Lee Ann Roripaugh, Vermillion James L. Walker, Bath
Staff
Patrick Baker, Director
Rebecca Cruse, Deputy Director
Kathryn Vandel, Arts Grant Specialist & Accessibility Coordinator
Sarah Carlson, Arts Program Coordinator Anne Hatch, Traditional Arts Program Manager
711 E. Wells Ave., Pierre, SD 57501-3369 In-State Toll Free: 1-800-952-3625 Email: sdac@state.sd.us Website: www.artscouncil.sd.gov Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @SouthDakotaArts
South Dakota Arts Council receives support from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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By Patrick Baker, Director, South Dakota Arts Council
There’s a saying: “You can’t teach an …” Never mind. The saying is tired at best, and in my experience not true, in the literal sense anyway (I once taught a middle-aged Labrador to balance milk bones on his nose). Instead, what we at the South Dakota Arts Council (SDAC) know to be true is that lifelong learning is a key to a happy and healthy progression into older adulthood, and “creative aging” opportunities enhance the lives of our most experienced residents who embrace them. That is why we were so excited to learn this spring that SDAC had been awarded a major Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging grant. We are thankful to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Aroha Philanthropies for giving us the opportunity to let arts and creativity play a vital role in the quality of life of our older residents. Like many rural states, South Dakota’s population is aging. It’s estimated that more than 30 percent of South Dakotans will be 55 or older by 2030. To date, SDAC creative-aging projects and programming designed for older adults have included artist residencies at senior centers and living facilities as well as Art for Life pilot programs pairing assisted living centers with local arts organizations and artists in Sisseton and at the State Veterans Home in Hot Springs. Though we have a solid foundation for creative aging programming, this grant will allow us to expand it significantly, including establishing Art for Life pilot programs in four additional communities over the next couple of years. This funding opportunity will also help our agency make a huge impact in South Dakota by providing specialized professional development to dozens of artists and arts organizations to help deliver focused creative aging arts learning experiences to hundreds of people living in remote and rural areas. We aim to serve a significant portion of Indigenous people through these efforts by developing half of our community partnerships within reservation borders and awarding direct grants to artists to provide arts learning activities to elder community members. This opportunity also illustrates the importance of cross-sector partnerships to achieve common goals. SDAC wouldn’t have an Art for Life pilot program if not for its partnership with the North Dakota Council on the Arts that developed it. We wouldn’t have access to many South Dakota veterans and their families and the ability to help them tell their unique stories of service through arts activities if not for a state institution interested in enhancing the lives of its residents through the arts. And we wouldn’t have the funds to expand these successful creative aging programs without the funds received by this grant program. Expanding our current creative aging initiatives and developing new approaches to help spread and nurture creative practices throughout South Dakota, while communicating the value and sustainability of these initiatives, will promote lifelong learning in the arts and enhance the quality of life for all.
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
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Community Tapestry Lamphere sculpture features the work of 20 artists
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n art installation in Monument Health Rapid City Hospital’s new lobby showcases the work of western South Dakota artists brought together with a new sculpture by South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Lamphere. Community Tapestry features metal diamonds arranged in a soaring 16-footwide by 32-foot-tall space. Twenty of the diamonds are frames for the work of artists from the Black Hills and western South Dakota chosen from 103 submissions. Artists were invited to submit a detailed proposal, including a sketch, description of materials and colors and a written statement explaining “What Healing Means to Me.” Open to professional artists, amateurs, craft persons and hobbyists throughout western South Dakota, the installation features art forms including beading, painting, quilting, mixed media, woodworking and metal. In addition to their places on the Community Tapestry sculpture, the selected creations will be
“Community Tapestry” soars over the Monument Health lobby.
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presented in a planned interactive kiosk at the hospital, with artists’ names, biographies and statements about the works. “It is the weaving together of diversity that creates the fabric of community,” said sculptor Dale Lamphere. “That diversity makes Community Tapestry fascinating—the unique stories and perspectives of a wide variety of people, brought together and reflecting the specific cultural touchstone of each artist. I really appreciate the support of Monument Health in presenting these works for future generations to enjoy.” The new sculpture installation is only part of the Monument Health commitment to public art, according to Elle Larsen, chair of the health system’s Art Committee. “Monument Health formed an art committee with the goal of enhancing our healing environments,” she said. “Artwork can help create a connection with patients and provide a more comforting environment, while reducing stress and anxiety. This impact has been linked to positive healing outcomes.” Larsen said that artwork that looks familiar—like home— helps create connections, so Monument Health has chosen art depicting western South Dakota to resonate with patients, visitors and caregivers. “One of Monument Health’s core values is community, so when we were ready to start selecting artwork we reached out to artists in our communities to feature their work,” Larsen said. “Before the Community Tapestry project, most of the art we selected was photography, but when Dale presented the concept for Community Tapestry we were blown away. The idea of bringing together a diverse group of community artists who create art in various media, all with the theme of healing, offered an opportunity to create something so special that will be here for generations to come.” To meet the artists and view individual artworks from CommunityTapestry, visit monument.health/community-tapestry/.
South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Lamphere speaks at the dedication of the new work. Photos this page courtesy of Monument Health Rapid City Hospital.
“It is the weaving together of diversity that creates the fabric of community. That diversity makes Community Tapestry fascinating— the unique stories and perspectives of a wide variety of people, brought together and reflecting the specific cultural touchstone of each artist.” —Sculptor Dale Claude Lamphere
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“Community Tapestry” artists gather together for the dedication of the Rapid City artwork.
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Native Tourism Alliance creates a plan for growth
Tourism provides a promising approach to sustainable development and a way for Native American communities to generate income, alleviate poverty, increase access to health care and education and conserve their cultural and natural resources. The South Dakota Native Tourism Alliance (SDNTA) is an ad hoc network of representatives from the nine federally recognized Tribal Nations in South Dakota, along with local, state and federal partners, to assess the potential for cultural tourism in South Dakota. For the past two years, the group has guided the participatory planning process and has created a shared vision for Native American tourism development, with practical strategies and concrete initiatives for its development in Tribal Nations in South Dakota. Tribal Nations in South Dakota are stewards of a diverse array of natural and cultural resources that offer untapped possibilities for tourism. However, they remain hidden gems despite the many recreational opportunities available— outdoor activities including hunting and fishing, rich cultural and sporting events such as wacipis, rodeos and fairs and gaming opportunities. While South Dakota welcomed 14.5 million visitors who contributed $2.75 billion to GDP in 2019, there is no meaningful connection occurring between those tourists and the Tribal Nations in South Dakota. There is no data available on visitor arrivals except for the Pine Ridge Reservation, where several
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attractions and site managers monitor tourism numbers—an estimated 12,750 visitors per year. “While there is a general lack of community awareness of tourism and its potential in Tribal Nations—as well as readiness and understanding of the market—we believe that Native American tourism can be a catalyst for economic growth in Tribal Nations,” said Stacey LaCompte, Communication Coordinator for the Dakotas, George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies. “Our members believe that tourism can grow over time with concerted attention and effort, ultimately supporting community development and the protection of natural and cultural resources.” The Native American Tourism Development and Management Plan, South Dakota 2020–2025 (NATDMP) is the output of SDNTA’s assessment of the potential for Native American tourism. It was developed over a 12-month period and involved more than 65 SDNTA local stakeholders. The planning process was facilitated by the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies as part of a technical assistance project funded by the Department of Interior’s Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development. NATDMP provides direction and guidance to tribal governments, state-level strategic partners, community leaders and the private sector for working together to enhance the preparedness of Tribal Nations to develop and manage tourism.
www.ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Photo by TravelSouthDakota.
Focus, Hunkpapa Lakota artist, at RedCan Graffiti Jam 2019. Photo courtesy of Cheyenne River Youth Project. RedCan 2021 will be held July 6-11.
The plan’s purpose is to support the development of a sustainable Native American tourism industry that will inspire more people to visit, stay over and spend more money in Tribal Nations. The plan provides Tribal Nations the opportunity to prepare for the future so that tourism—along with other development approaches—can eventually support the economic and social well being of Native American communities in South Dakota and articulates ways in which tourism can drive economic recovery and development. “SDNTA has demonstrated so much resilience this past year and is already implementing three quick-win projects outlined in the strategic plan,” said Seleni Matus, Executive Director of the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies. “Even though most Tribal Nations are closed to outsiders for now, the virus won’t last forever. As the world slowly starts to recover from this pandemic, people heal and economies reawaken, visitors will begin to explore new places, revisit those they know well and seek inspiration in new connections—with people, nature and culture.” To learn more, visit sdvisit.com/native-tourism.
Miss Art World South Dakota crowned
During Women’s History Month in March, Vermillion artist Klaire A. Lockheart was crowned Miss Art World South Dakota, a title bestowed upon her by the original Miss Art World, Katherine J. Cooksey. The coronation was held in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre at the University of South Dakota—a bonus for Lockheart, who was honored to receive her Miss Art World title on the campus where she earned her MFA in painting. Lockheart is well known for creating representational oil on canvas portraits that address gender identity and feminism while incorporating her sense of humor. Her newest paintings are currently on display at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, and she also creates fiber art to address the concepts of women’s art and women’s work. For the coronation, Lockheart created her gown with gold fabric she printed by hand. To make the original printed pattern, she made props and costumes for plastic dinosaur toys so they appear to fulfill the traditional roles of artists and models. She used the silkscreen process to transfer her design to the fabric which features a raptor photographer and a spinosaurus painter. Lockheart uses dinosaurs in her artwork as an analogy for the perseverance of women because, she said, “Women have been fighting for Miss Art World South Dakota Klaire Lockheart by equal rights since the dawn of time.” Aaron Packard. The Miss Art World title originated from Katherine Cooksey, a conceptual artist from the Los Angeles area. Cooksey specializes in performance art, and is the host of the Miss Art World Podcast. “Miss Art World is a lifelong performance piece which is voiced through a variety of artistic mediums.” Cooksey said. “I use this title to question the dominating ideologies of beauty fused with the disturbing and obsessive struggle to obtain it.” While Lockheart and Cooksey create very different and distinct artwork, they’re both Dress contemporary artists who work diligently to celebrate women and uplift other artists. To see detail by Klaire Lockheart. Cooksey’s artwork, visit missartworld.com and to view Lockheart’s, visit klairelockheart.com.
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Arts South Dakota
PO Box 2496 Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496
Arts South Dakota, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, enriches the lives of South Dakotans and their visitors, by advancing the arts through service, education and advocacy. Your donation to Arts South Dakota will enable us to continue our work to strengthen the arts in our state —and will keep Arts Alive coming directly to your mailbox. Please join Arts South Dakota today. Give securely online at
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