PUBLIC ART Continuing an ancient tradition By Bernie Hunhoff
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AVEMEN DREW ANIMAL art on dirt walls 45,000 years ago. Romans carved grand sculptures. Medieval artists painted frescos. South Dakota continues the ancient tradition of public art with a rotating collection of works that now numbers 110 pieces. However, South Dakota’s public art includes works you’ll find nowhere else in the world, and the latest additions are perfect examples. Mick Harrison’s oil titled Quick Eye and Quicker Gate (above) depicts three modern-day cowboys sorting cattle in a Black Hills corral. Harrison, a rural Belle Fourche artist, lauds South Dakota’s Art for State Buildings program, which was launched by U.S. Senator Mike Rounds when he was governor in 2007. Rounds envisioned a state art collection
16 • South Dakota Arts Alive
that would celebrate the state’s artists, promote the beauty of South Dakota and enliven the sometimes-bland hallways and foyers of government buildings. State lawmakers and governors have routinely budgeted $20,000 or more since then through the South Dakota Arts Council, except for a hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, when leaders were uncertain about state revenues. Patrick Baker, executive director of the South Dakota Arts Council, says the program has been re-started with a $24,610 budget. “We had an incredible outpouring of creativity and an overwhelming response,” he says. Sixtytwo artists submitted works for consideration. Thirteen were selected. They’ll be on exhibit in Pierre
