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Arts Alive is published by Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council in partnership with South Dakota Magazine. Contact Arts South Dakota at P.O. Box 2496, Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2496 or by phone (605) 252-5979.
On the cover: Sunset Windmill, by Kay Quale of Watertown, was one of 12 pieces of art chosen to be placed on billboards throughout South Dakota this past year. Community arts councils were invited to participate to promote arts throughout the state in communities where billboards were available through a partnership with Lamar Advertising and Arts South Dakota. Madison Sunset by Thomas Jones of Madison (above) was also part of the project.
Madison Sunset by Thomas Jones
Spires at Sunset by Jennifer Kanz appeared on a “Home
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Creating Arts Connections
By Jim Speirs, Executive Director Arts South Dakota
The biennial State Arts Conference earlier this summer in Sioux Falls brought together champions of the arts from across South Dakota for two days of meaningful workshops, dynamic speakers and the exchange of creative ideas. But the most important aspect of the conference was creating a place where person-to-person arts connections could happen.
This year’s conference had a strong focus on advocacy, reminding participants that they are the frontline activists for the arts and creativity in South Dakota — and that advocacy can be as simple as sharing the message that the arts matter! Representatives of the state’s Community Arts Councils flocked to Sioux Falls, as 30 leaders from 19 communities traveled a combined 8,000 miles to share their stories of success and their passion for our cultural environment. They joined over 100 other conference attendees. The local integration of creative programming into the everyday lives of South Dakota residents was another powerful theme of the conference, shared by city leaders from Yankton to Hill City. You will read more about the arts conference in this issue of Arts Alive. If you joined us at the conference, thank you, and if you couldn’t make it this year, plan to attend in 2026. Everyone is welcome!
We were reminded that the arts drive our local and state economies with jobs, ticket sales and tax revenues. People came away from the conference energized to share their advocacy, re-educated on the sheer power of cultural connections and convinced that ours is a culture rich in history, potential, legacy and creativity. Most of all, those of us who attended were linked in the knowledge that all of us — and everyone who shares our belief in the arts as vital to modern life — are the future of cultural growth in South Dakota.
This partnership is made possible with funds from the State of South Dakota through the Department of Tourism and from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Donor Spotlight
Aberdeen Area Arts Council: Building Connections
Supporting organizations like Arts South Dakota help the Aberdeen Area Arts Council (AAAC) build connections within the local, state and national arts community, according to AAAC Executive Director Jason Hill.
“They provide support in terms of collaborative opportunities with other arts organizations, technical assistance, resources, mentorship, training opportunities for our staff, partnering on statewide projects, and increased visibility for our organization,” Hill says. “The staff are always available for help and assistance with any projects or ideas we may be working on.”
The Aberdeen Area Arts Council was a partner with Arts South Dakota in the Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 study. Data from this national study provided AAAC with evidence-based resources for community stakeholders on the important role the arts play in the economic impact of the community.
“This past year we were approached by Arts South Dakota to participate in their Home is Where the Art Is project,” Hill says. “We were able to feature a piece from a local artist on a billboard free of charge. This provided a positive impact for our community and our local artist who had his work featured.”
South Dakota Art Museum: Strength through Collaboration
“The South Dakota Art Museum aspires to serve the diverse communities of South Dakota as the state’s premier visual arts resource,” says Donna Merkt (left), the museum’s director. Annually, the museum presents around 12 exhibitions, balancing those with a South Dakota or regional focus and those with national or international considerations.
“Collaborating with statewide arts organizations like Arts South Dakota is crucial for the South Dakota Art Museum as it strengthens the cultural ecosystem across the state,”
Merkt says.
Merkt believes organizations like Arts South Dakota, the South Dakota Arts Council, the South Dakota Art Museum and others work to educate and introduce art to diverse audiences through advocacy, educational initiatives, research, programming and marketing. These organizations and individuals support artists, cultivate arts and culture philanthropists, encourage art-positive policymakers, and sustain South Dakota’s arts and culture economy.
One of Jason Hill’s favorite pieces of Aberdeen art is this mural by Nick and Nicole Fischer at Malchow Plaza.
Arts Council’s ‘New Vision’
A STATE AGENCY OF TRAVEL SOUTH DAKOTA
Kristi Noem, Governor
James D. Hagen, Secretary
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIR: Joanna Lawler, Rapid City
VICE-CHAIR: John Mogen, Sioux Falls
SECRETARY: Nan Venhuizen, Sioux Falls
TREASURER: Dohui Kim, Sioux Falls
Roger Broer, Hill City
Mary Bordeaux, Rapid City
Lee Ann Roripaugh, Vermillion
Jane Rasmussen, Sisseton
Cristen Roghair, Okaton
Joshua Spies, Sioux Falls
Jim Walker, Bath
STAFF
Patrick Baker
Executive Director
patrick.baker@state.sd.us (605) 773-5507
Rebecca Cruse Deputy Director rebecca.cruse@state.sd.us (605) 295-4052
Kathryn Vandel Grant Specialist
kathryn.vandel@state.sd.us (605) 773-5925
Sarah Carlson Program Coordinator sarah.carlson@state.sd.us (605) 773-3102
Anne Hatch
S.D. Folk & Traditional Arts, Program Coordinator sdtraditionalarts@outlook.com (605) 608-0490
South Dakota Arts Council 711 E. Wells Avenue Pierre, SD 57501
Fax: (605) 773-5977
Email: sdac@state.sd.us ArtsCouncil.sd.gov
Follow us on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @SouthDakotaArts
By Patrick Baker, Executive Director South Dakota Arts Council
It was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait for the South Dakota Arts Council 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.
Adopted by the Council in July, the plan will advance South Dakota’s artistic and cultural vitality over the next five fiscal years by guiding the state arts agency’s work to provide funding, points of connection and resources.
The plan took four years to complete due to the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and reimagining how we seek input from the arts community. Despite the sea change in how we asked for input on doing our jobs – shifting from a string of regional public-input meetings to dozens of artist-led community interviews across the state – we still front-loaded the plan with our values, which, as a values-based leader, I think is critical.
SDAC believes the arts are essential in daily life across South Dakota; the arts connect communities, cultures and generations; the arts are a vital component of South Dakota’s economy (just check the Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 study, featured in this issue); and a vibrant arts ecosystem attracts, sustains and advances a diverse population of professionals. We plan to evaluate and make commitments related to these values annually.
These values are founded in the Arts Council’s commitment to serving all South Dakotans through the arts by not only helping to provide access, but also including as many perspectives as possible in our planning. As dedicated members of South Dakota’s arts sector who share a passion for our state and the inspiring art-making happening in it, our team strives for excellence in creative solutions, attentive service to our creative community, and investing in art that advances the field and our state.
This five-year plan was shaped through our vision of South Dakota as an expansive arts community where people connect, build strong relationships, share and develop ideas. SDAC will uphold that community by providing broad access to the arts; supporting and serving a knowledgeable and engaged field of artists, educators, presenters and volunteers; continuously adapting to changes; promoting diversity of thought, expression and culture that is reflected in our state; and encouraging and supporting colleagues at every stage of their career.
Even though I’ve had ample time to think about this new plan, it didn’t occur to me just how apt our strategic imperatives are until June when I attended the 2024 South Dakota Arts Conference, where all in attendance seemed to be operating under the same important factors. Everyone was being curious and responsive; exploring and enhancing opportunities; and ultimately preparing for a future of discovery, change and growth.
Though much has changed with the South Dakota Arts Council’s strategic planning over the course of its 58-year history, and the current plan heralds a new vision for the state arts agency, SDAC’s essential means to these ends should feel familiar: We help artists and communities achieve their work through grantmaking, policymaking, partnership and advising.
The South Dakota Arts Council 2024-2029 Strategic Plan may be viewed in the “About Us” section of SDAC’s website at artscouncil.sd.gov.
HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
Billboard campaign displays art of local creatives
Story by Katie Hunhoff
LADY BIRD JOHNSON famously tried to ban billboards along highways with the Highway Beautification Act of 1965. “Ugliness is so grim,” she said. “A little beauty, something that is lovely, I think, can help create harmony which will lessen tensions.”
Although Johnson had qualms about outdoor marketing, she might have loved Arts South Dakota’s “Home is Where the Art Is” campaign, which displays works from 12 artists on large billboards. Arts South Dakota began by collaborating with arts councils who
Suspicious Visitors by Kat Thompson, Sturgis
Lost and Found by Bill Feterl, Deadwood
wanted to be involved and were members of Arts South Dakota. Each council’s team invited local artists to submit ideas. Once images were selected, Arts South Dakota then placed the billboards within each community. Sprinkled through the pages of this magazine are the works of the chosen 12 artists.
Shari Kosel, Arts South Dakota’s Program and Communications Director, spearheaded the project. “In this season of political billboards we thought it was refreshing to see art along the roadways.”
Even Lady Bird would agree.
True Colors by Lance Smith, Aberdeen
Subway Slime by Lexus Tjeerdsma, Yankton
“COMMUNITY
ARTS COUNCILS PROMOTE AND CELEBRATE LOCAL ART WHILE ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING THEIR CREATIVE CITIZENS.” — Jim Speirs
Canyon Divas by Helen Goodman-Champ, Spearfish
Watercolor Bison by John Curtis, Hot Springs
Burning Beetle by Paul Horsted, Custer
WaterBirds by Reyna Hernandez, Sioux Falls
“
Professor Pomm’s Poetry
Law students at USD get passionate about creative verse
Story by John Andrews
I’M GOING TO read a poem to begin today’s class.” English students might expect their instructor to say that, but future attorneys studying tribal law?
Poetry has long been a component of tribal law classes at the University of South Dakota’s Knudson School of Law, thanks to Frank Pommersheim. “I wanted to try some things that were beyond the dry discussion of cases day in and day out that I think generally fatigue students,” he says. “I was interested in trying to read some poems — mostly that I wrote — that were short and demonstrated the power of language and metaphor and provided another angle of vision for students.”
Pommersheim joined the law faculty in 1984 after 10 years of
working on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. He began experimenting with poetry after becoming a father. His poetry has evolved from family reflections to his assumption of a Buddha persona and the publication of small booklets illustrated by his daughter, Kate. “You have these experiences as a father with your children and they are amazingly intense, and I was struck by that,” he says. “I wanted to have a way to help me explore and remember that. Along the way I started to read a lot of Chinese and Japanese poetry, particularly haikus, and I was taken with that vehicle — brief, intense expressions of things.”
Students came to expect that each class would include a Buddha poem, sometimes inspired by a case they were studying and sometimes
simply to break the monotony of reading case files, statutes and briefs. It’s starkly different from Pommersheim’s time in law school. “Looking back, that’s one of the things that made my law school experience quite negative, because it had nothing to balance the rather dry study of law. Based on my own experiences, I thought there had to be a better way to do this.”
Pommersheim’s teaching philosophy is built around three tenets: master the subject matter, demonstrate a passion for it and find a way to engage students. Poetry became his key to student engagement.
“When they’re engaged with the materials they participate, they’re energized, they think it’s a worthwhile notion, and you develop a little
community, which is very important,” he says.
Pommersheim retired in 2019, but his successor, Ann Tweedy, is also a poet, and has carried on the tradition of poetry in her federal Indian law classes. “I started to think about how a lot of Indian law is from a non-Native perspective,” Tweedy says. “I decided to incorporate some Native poetry and some short stories by Zitkala Sa. The students really enjoy that. It’s a way to incorporate Native voices into federal Indian law, which is rare to hear.”
Tweedy has published three chapbooks and her first full-length book, The Body’s Alphabet, earned a Bisexual Book Award and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. She has also written poems about
subjects that come up during class. One, regarding the property case Pierson v. Post, has been published, and other law professors around the country have begun assigning it to their classes.
Student evaluations have consistently reinforced Pommersheim’s notion that poetry enhanced their learning experience. “I was struck by how struck students were, and how poetry stuck to them,” he says. “They could pay more attention to language, see things they might not ordinarily see, and if it provided any pour over effect to how they thought about law or studied law, all the better.”
Buddha Visits the Rosebud Sioux Reservation Tunkasila
The people suffer but reach out to you
Distant stars the red road
Buddha Sends a Hunter/ Gatherer Poem to Professor Pomm’s Indian Law Class
Cut complicity gather reason seek balance show respect find spirit pour it all out
Aaron Packard
BRUSHING UP
UKULELIST BRINGS MUSICAL OPPORTUNITIES TO LEMMON
There’s a new generation of ukulele players in Lemmon thanks to a $4,000 GIG (Grow, Invest, Gather) Fund grant from Arts Midwest. The funds, awarded to the Grand River Arts Council, helped bring Pierre musician Katie Dwyer to town in March. She spent a week offering ukulele lessons after school in the Lemmon Public Library and leading music production classes for teens and adults. After her residency, she offered additional lessons virtually through the library.
Dwyer is an independent singer-songwriter, music producer and arts advocate. She is half of a band called Moon and Sea and works as a freelance audiobook narrator for the South Dakota
Historical Society Press in Pierre, where she lives with her husband and four children. “I loved my time in Lemmon,” Dwyer says. “I’ve always been multi-passionate, so I really appreciated that I was able to teach workshops on a variety of topics in addition to performing at multiple locations.”
Ukuleles are still available to check out at the library, where Raven Christman, who also serves as president of the Grand River Arts Council, is the head librarian. “Working with Katie was a dream,” Christman says. “She is extremely talented and patient and really knows her stuff. She opened up musical opportunities for our kids that many of them don’t have.”
Arts Education Institute
CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Twenty-five years of teaching teachers has developed arts curriculums across the state. South Dakota’s Arts Education Institute was held in mid-July at Northern State University in Aberdeen.
Offerings for the anniversary year included two days of workshops on several types of painting, digital me-
dia, drawing and building cardboard structures — all of which inspired new skills that teachers could bring to their classrooms.
Graduate, undergraduate and recertification credits make the institute useful for professional development of pre-K through 12th grade teachers. Non-educators are also welcome.
A LEGACY OF CREATIVITY: ARTS ORGANIZATIONS CELEBRATE MILESTONES
The Madison Area Arts Council is the oldest active recognized arts council in South Dakota. It began as the Community College Arts Association, whose members brought art receptions (above) to the Lake County community beginning in the mid-1960s.
Madison Area Arts Council — 60 years
The precursor to the Madison Area Arts Council, the Community College Arts Association, was established in June 1964 and was officially incorporated in 1967. The Community College Arts Association became the Madison Area Arts Council in 1992. It serves Madison and surrounding communities.
Vermillion Area Arts Council — 50 years
The Vermillion Area Arts Council celebrates its 50th anniversary. On to new adventures, it is merging with the Vermillion Cultural Association.
Rapid City’s Dahl Arts Center — 50 years
The Dahl Arts Center, western South Dakota’s largest community space dedicated to arts and culture, celebrates its 50th season this year. The center, managed by the Rapid City Arts Council, opened to the public October 20, 1974.
Beresford Area Arts — 25 years
Beresford Area Arts celebrated its 25th anniversary this past summer. Beresford Area Arts was established in the summer of 1999 to support activities that promote cultural arts in the Beresford community.
SUPPORTING LOCAL LEADERS, ARTISTS
Arts organizations across the state continue to be provided quality professional development by Arts South Dakota, through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects (GAP). Arts South Dakota was awarded $27,500 in 2024 through GAP’s Local Arts Agency Category.
“GAP funding through NEA supports our professional development for arts organization staff, board and volunteers, as well as our work supporting the network of over 30 active Community Arts Councils across the state,” said Andrew Reinartz, Community Development Director for Arts South Dakota.
Reinartz noted that specific programs supported by the GAP grant include the Arts Leadership Institute, webinars, the Community Arts Council Network and the Community Arts Handbook. Arts South Dakota’s
Arts Leadership Institute and complementary programs also provide technical assistance and networking for arts administrators.
Other GAP awardees in South Dakota:
• Cheyenne River Youth Project, Inc. Eagle Butte, awarded $30,000 in GAP’s Folk and Traditional Arts Category for RedCan Graffiti Jam, a public art project.
• Chamber Music Festival (aka Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills) Rapid City, awarded $20,000 in GAP’s Music Category to support a music education program.
• First Peoples Fund Rapid City, awarded $38,600 in GAP’s Folk and Traditional Arts Category for documenting the stories and voices of Community Spirit Award honorees.
Lumhe Sampson, of the Sampson Brothers, leads a music and dance activity for children at the RedCan Graffiti Jam.
South Dakota Arts Council
GRANT DEADLINE MARCH 1
Applications for South Dakota Arts Council grant support open January 1, 2025, with a March 1 deadline. Grants are available for artists, organizations and schools, public arts programs and educational programs. Some of these categories have subcategories as well for finding the perfect grant funding fit. All arts disciplines are eligible for funding.
Contact the South Dakota Arts Council at (605) 773-5925 with questions. Staff is able to assist applicants during business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. Visit ArtsCouncil.sd.gov for more information or to sign up for newsletter updates.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The Governor’s Awards in the Arts show appreciation for individuals and organizations who make South Dakota a better place through the arts. All categories are lifetime achievement awards and honorees will be recognized next February in Pierre during the 2025 legislative session.
Staff at Arts South Dakota and the South Dakota Arts Council welcome nominations. Go to artssouthdakota. org/governors-awards-in-the-arts/ for information.
ARTS SOUTH DAKOTA WELCOMES BOARD MEMBERS
Patrick McGowan runs Punchn Communi cations and works with leaders who want to solve problems and achieve clarity through better communications. His mission is to empower more human connection.
He launched Punchn in 2020. This first iteration helped people solve the problem of how to look and sound like a professional on Zoom. People who worked with him reported having more energy, more engagement and more influence. As one workshop participant shared, “I see now that it’s not just about my ideas. I know now that I am just as important.”
Throughout his more than 25-year career McGowan has been solving problems at the intersection of art and technology.
Jacqui Dietrich is Executive Director of the Rapid City Arts Council and the Dahl Arts Center, a community hub celebrating 50 years in western South Dakota.
Dietrich is a natural for the Arts South Dakota board. The Black Hills native earned an MBA from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She has dedicated her career to helping communities integrate entrepreneurship and the arts into economic development strategies that enrich everyone and add more color to life.
Dietrich believes in the power of the arts to connect people and create community. “The arts are vital to South Dakota, fostering cultural heritage and creativity that enhances our communities, economies, and quality of life. Art can build bridges and open hearts and minds to the new possibilities we can create together.”
Dale Lamphere is returning to Arts South Dakota.
Well-known across the state for his largerthan-life sculptures like Dignity in Chamberlain, the Arc of Dreams in Sioux Falls, and the upcoming Remembering the Children in Rapid City, Lamphere was named the South Dakota Artist Laureate in 2014 and received many awards for his work.
Lamphere’s works vary from portraits to giant abstract visions, many using polished metal and rough stone, and are noted for blending art and engineering.
Alison Curley
Dance in a Buffalo Skull by SD Nelson
BUILDING BRIDGES: STUDENTS CONNECT AT ARTS CONFERENCE
Students at the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute often learn about people like Keith BraveHeart, Roger Broer and Dale Lamphere, but they got to meet and speak with them at the South Dakota Arts Conference held June 7-8 at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls.
A trip to a gallery is a regular feature of the summer art institute, a two-week program for Native youth held at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. Because of the close proximity and timing of the conference, students bundled the traditional visit with the opportunity to network. “The folks hosting the conference were all thrilled that the students would be there,” said Cory Knedler, chair of the USD art department and summer institute coordinator. “They did a great job of honoring the students. Most of them had never been to a conference like this.
From their point of view, they were treated like royalty.”
Students attended a panel discussion led by BraveHeart that focused on the “Oscar Howe Legacy Exhibition: Across Four Generations,” on display at the Pavilion during the summer of 2024. They met musician Mato Wayuhi, known for his work on the FX series Reservation Dogs, and visited Post Pilgrim Gallery, where Jennifer White — a former institute attendee — works and displays her art.
Knedler said attending the conference allowed students to ask specific questions of each artist and learn how they might follow in their footsteps. “They’re not going to have all the answers,” Knedler says, “but it’s a good opportunity to see that there are professional artists out there who had the same questions when they were students, and now they are doing art as their main career.”
Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute students met artists like Dale Lamphere at the state arts conference in Sioux Falls.
BRUSHING UP
Eva Madsen
‘FRECKLE FACE’ IS A WINNER
U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson announced Eva Madsen of Aberdeen as the winner of the 2024 Congressional Art Competition for South Dakota. Madsen’s drawing, Freckle Face (right), received the top ranking from the South Dakota Arts Council. Madsen was a senior at Roncalli High School. Her art teacher is Amy Heinz. The artwork will be on exhibit for the next year in the Cannon Tunnel at the U.S. Capitol, along with the winning artwork from other congressional districts. Lilly Young, a senior at Mitchell High School, was announced runner up with her black and white photograph Frozen in Fog, which will be displayed in Rep. Johnson’s Washington, D.C. office for the next year. Her art teacher is Marica Shannon. The annual Congressional Art Competition is sponsored by members of
the U.S. House of Representatives. The South Dakota Arts Council collaborates with South Dakota’s representative.
WHERE DO THEY STAND?
Arts South Dakota is conducting a survey seeking the opinions of government candidates on the arts in the state. Those surveyed include candidates for Congress and the state legislature.
Arts South Dakota is a public partner to South Dakota’s art agency, the South Dakota Arts Council, and acts as
the state’s lone arts advocacy group. As a bipartisan organization, Arts South Dakota does not endorse candidates for public office and all candidate responses are published verbatim. To view survey responses, which will be available in October, please visit artssouthdakota. org/candidates-survey-on-the-arts/.
THE COLD HARD CASH
When communities invest in arts and culture, they are not doing so at the expense of community and economic development. Rather, they are investing in an industry that stimulates the economy, supports local jobs and contributes to building healthy, vibrant and livable communities. Arts South Dakota, in partnership with the South Dakota Arts Council and five communities (Aberdeen, Brookings, Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Yankton), released a study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in 2022. Find more information at ArtsSouthDakota.org/AEP6.
$9,041,120
$8,546,125
SOUTH DAKOTANS APPRECIATE THE ECONOMIC AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE BENEFITS PROVIDED BY THE ARTS.
91% of respondents mentioned a sense of community or neighborhood pride in arts offerings would feel a sense of loss if cultural opportunities were not available 88%
Bridget Beck is working on the first piece in her series of sculptural princesses. Beck hopes to empower women and girls by celebrating unconventional beauty, to encourage playful abandon, to inspire their own creativity and to promote confidence.
AWARDING ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
ach year, art fellowships are awarded to exceptional South Dakota artists. The awards are not confined by discipline or media, allowing for a wide array of artistic talents to be recognized. Fellows receive $5,000 to support their future endeavors, in part as a testament to their past achievements. Applications are reviewed by a panel of citizen reviewers who consider each applicant based on their individual merit and artistic excellence. The panel chooses a select few applications to receive funding, and those recommendations are finalized by the South Dakota Arts Council Advisory Board.
2025 South Dakota Art Fellows
Bridget Beck, Spearfish — Beck is creating a body of large scale figurative sculptures featuring stained glass and steel fabrication. The funds from the grant allowed her to purchase an industrial welder.
Deborah Jean Mitchell, Rapid City — Mitchell, a visual artist, will use the award to create a reflective body of work allowing her to heal from the traumatic experience of losing her studio to an arsonist.
• Eduardo Mendoza Reyes Ortiz, Sioux Falls — Known for using Live Looping techniques, Reyes Ortiz plans to modernize Andean music under his stage name EMRO. He plans to release an album to educate and enrich the local community.
• Matthew Gade, Rapid City — Gade intends to use the funds to continue attending conferences focused on continuing art education, in addition to traveling across the state to reach communities and tell visual stories through photography.
• Timothy Rickett, Aberdeen — Rickett’s award will be used promote his creative work in a new series, Here in the Mysterious Elsewhere, which focuses on the Midwestern experience, rural aesthetics and the romanticization of shared histories.
A FIRST FOR THE ARTS IN SIOUX FALLS Maren Engel
Sioux Falls has hired Maren Engel as its first Arts Coordinator. Engel has a background in arts administration, performing arts, community development and fundraising. As Arts Coordinator, Engel collaborates with city departments, community organizations, neighborhoods and individuals. Her responsibilities include creating arts and culture policies, managing city art investments, implementing procedures and developing partnerships and financial resources to meet the diverse needs of residents and visitors.
“I’m very excited to see the City of Sioux Falls recognize all that is going on in the arts in the community,” Engel says. “My hope is that the arts community feels good knowing that they have an advocate for them, advocating for them at the city level.”
Engel hopes the success of her position will open opportunities for other communities across the state. Engel is actively involved in the arts, performing with Transept, the Good Night Theatre Collective and Midtown Coffee Radio Hour. She is also a member of the Sioux Falls Arts Council, serving on its Fund Development Committee.
ACCESS TO THE ARTS
Arts South Dakota is collaborating with leadership from South Dakota’s arts educator associations to establish a new advocacy cohort. This cohort will ensure that arts education remains a priority for South Dakota students.
Arts South Dakota Executive Director Jim Speirs is excited about the possibilities with this advocacy group, calling it, “A collective, unified voice supporting and advocating for arts education in South Dakota and vital to protecting arts education access for all South Dakotans.”
“South Dakota arts education organizations are excited to partner with Arts South Dakota to ensure every South Dakota child has access to a high-quality fine arts education,” said Mary Cogswell, chair of the Arts Advocacy Cohort. “We are very grateful to Arts South Dakota for initiating the discussion.”
Cogswell joins seven other South Dakota arts educators for the cohort: Laura Schenk, Beth Neitzert, Mandy DeWitt, Desy Schoenewies, Kristin Dunlap, Ben Van Moer and Michelle McIntyre.
Mary Cogswell, chair of the new Arts Advocacy Cohort, believes a focus on arts education is vital for all South Dakotans.
VERMILLION ARTIST WINS $20,000 GRANT
Klaire Lockheart was teaching modern art at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, when she created a lecture on the works of Lee Krasner, a noted abstract expressionist painter. “I learned about the Pollocak-Krasner Foundation grants, and told my students they should apply. Then I thought, maybe I should apply for this.”
One year later Lockheart found that she was the first South Dakotan to ever win the grant. She hopes she’s not the last. “One of the exciting things about the grant is that I have friends ask how they can apply. I hope since we have had one person from South Dakota accepted, it will increase and raise our profile.”
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation gave 97 artists $3,066,000 during the 2023-2024 grant cycle. Lockheart received $20,000. Other grantees are from such far-flung locations as Spain, India and New York.
Lockheart’s application included an explanation of her project, a timeframe, the size of the paintings and where she would display the art.
A research component took her to New York City last
summer. She toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art with curator Laura Corey and focused on researching 19th century figurative artwork. “I specialize in academic old fashioned style figure painting and I’m purposely painting in a style popular in the mid-1800s in Europe. That’s a time when women weren’t allowed to go to art academies and overall in the United States and Europe, women weren’t allowed to take figure drawing classes until about 100 years ago.”
Lockheart hopes to make up for lost time. “Museums are full of artwork by men featuring women,” she says. “I started researching, getting to see these old European paintings, and that is specifically of European men featuring the female form.” Lockheart developed her project on what she calls Brodalisque, a play on the word odalisque, a French term referring to nude, lounging women.
“I love working with a parody,” she says. Her sketches show men in the poses of the 19th century women. “Most will think it’s funny but I’m using the same positions and techniques.”
Lockheart’s sense of humor shines in her project showing men in poses similar to those of 19th century women.
Aaron Packard
SARAH LARSON: SEW BEAUTIFUL
Each year Sioux Falls Stage & Gallery celebrates the excellence of artists and creatives in the performing arts community. This year Sarah Larson collected the Best Costume Design award for her work on Sweeney Todd with the Good Night Theatre Collective. Larson is Communications Coordinator for Arts South Dakota and holds a BA in studio art from the University of Iowa. Along with her service to Arts South Dakota, Larson is an active member of the Sioux Falls creative scene. Larson’s inspirations as a visual creator include theater, vintage designs and color. “I love to sew,” Larson says. “I love layers, texture, ruffles and creating sculptural beauty through fabric. As a self-taught designer, I have learned so much through the years. It was as if all these years of sewing came to life on that stage costuming for this show.”
Larson spent many years working in California before moving her family back to South Dakota. She had her doubts about the transition, but found
community in the Sioux Falls theatrical arts. “The Good Night Theatre Collective has created such a beautiful, inclusive welcoming space for all of us to create,” Larson says. “To be encouraged, trusted and supported to share from your heart fills my heart to the brim.” Larson credits the support of her family, especially her husband and daughter, for her sewing successes.
Sarah Larson accepts the award for Best Costume, Hair or Makeup Design, alongside daughter Harlow, for her work on the Good Night Theatre Collective’s Sweeney Todd.
MEET AMANDA LEVESQUE!
Amanda Levesque is the new Director for Development Services for Arts South Dakota. She grew up in South Dakota before hanging her hat in Colorado, New York and Oregon. After receiving her degree in photography at the Art
Institute, Levesque pursued art, color and adventure. She says she is interested in magnifying the voices and stories of those who use art to express themselves. Welcome to Arts South Dakota, Amanda! We’re excited you are here!
Highmore Celebrates Sunflowers
Blooming with art and music
Story and photos by Chad Coppess
LONG A FAVORITE SUBJECT of painters and photographers, sunflowers are now celebrated in a full-fledged gala. Highmore’s first-ever Sunflower Festival was held August 10, hosted by the Highmore Area Council of the Arts.
Tours led attendees to area sunflower fields, artists sold their work at the Festival in the Park, a children’s talent show, musical entertainment, hayrides and a triathlon were included. “People aren’t only seeing fields of beautiful sunflowers, but lots of art as well,” said organizer Beth Simonson.
Artists of all skill levels were invited to participate in a Rummage Sale Rescue. Teams purchased items at a citywide rummage sale in July and then had roughly a month to create an art piece with the items. An auction of the resulting art during the Sunflower Festival created funding for the Highmore Area Council of the Arts.
Highmore Sunflower Festival talent show coordinator Emily Munger (left) helps a youngster read some fun sunflower facts. The festival also offered sunset tours of sunflower fields.
Horse-drawn hay rides through Highmore (top) gave festival-goers a look at the community. Organizer Beth Simonson helped attendees find driving routes to sunflower fields (above). Local accordionist Frankie Rinehart added toe-tapping tunes to the talent show.
In 2023 an “Art of the Harvest” photography workshop served as a testing ground for the festival. Photographers from across the region captured sunflower fields in the Highmore area, rustic barns, a crop duster and pioneer reenactors.
Whether they attended the workshop or not, photographers seem to be impressed with the abundance of sunflowers around the Highmore area. Simonson said a Colorado photographer who worked in the region in 2023 came back for this year’s festival and brought along another photographer. “He said he’d been all around the world, but this was his favorite place to photograph.”
She also heard from a painter who would like to work in the middle of a sunflower field.
Follow the Highmore Area Council of the Arts on Facebook for more information about the event.
Supporters
For this issue of Arts Alive , we graciously recognize and honor our arts supporters across South Dakota. While you can still find our donor recognition list by gift level on ArtsSouthDakota.org, we want to recognize how the vibrant arts communities support each other statewide. These individuals and organizations believe in a strong collective voice for the arts, and demonstrate that by their membership gifts to Arts South Dakota. Their donations lead the way in advocating for a creative state, and we can’t do this important work without you all!
Donors supporting the Arts South Dakota Annual Fund with a sustaining gift from July 2022 to August 1, 2024 are listed below.
Major Gifts
A special thank you to the following supporters for their significant gifts to Arts South Dakota. Their belief in a creative South Dakota, and accompanying financial support, will help drive this important work forward!
* Rod & Sandy Garnett, Spearfish
* Deonne Kahler, Rapid City
Deanna and Dave Knudson, Sioux Falls
* Jim and Kara Mathis, Sioux Falls
* Michael Pangburn, Pierre
South Dakota Individual & Organizational Donors by City
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Area Arts Council
Dacotah Prairie Museum
Hardly Working Promotions, LLC
* Stacy and LeRoy Braun
Kay Bosanko
Dan Van Dover
Laurel Foster
Roxanne Hinze
Dawn Menning
Cassandra Mraz
Melissa Nguyen
Betty Sheldon
Kathleen Webb
Alexandria Dellaine Kleinsasser
Beresford
* Larry and Marilyn Rohrer
Brookings
South Dakota Art Museum
Tim and Monica Campbell
Mary and Kurt Cogswell
Margaret Denton
Van and Barbara Fishback
Tom Fishback
Marilyn Foerster
Bette Gerberding
Linda Hoffelt
Dennis Hopfinger and Carolyn Clague
James and Ardis Johnson
Karen and Keith Kinder
Jim McKinney
Doug and Mary Miller
David Reynolds
John Rychtarik
Linda Stuerman-Purrington
* Lynn Verschoor
Merritt and Pamela Warren
Chamberlain
David and Naomi Colberg
Chancellor
Kay Cimpl Wagner
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation
Custer
Custer Area Arts Council
Nancy Anne Barker
Mary Jo Marcy
De Smet
De Smet Area Arts Council
Amy Kruse
Deadwood
Green Ink Gallery & Studios
Mark and Rose Speirs
Mary and Mark Zimmerman
Dell Rapids
Allen and Gloria Brown
Joan C. Rasmusson
Eagle Butte
Julie Garreau
Faulkton
Faulkton Area Arts Council
Linda J. Bartholomew
Sarah Davidson
Beth Deiter
Jody and Jim Moritz
Fort Pierre
Dave and Linda Bonde
William V. Fischer
Gloria Hanson and Ron Schreiner
Patricia Miller
Daniel and Rebecca Schenk
Lonnie Schumacher
Barbara Wood
Sandy Zinter
Fulton
Con Brio Studio
Glenham
Debby Walker
Herreid
Andrew and Sheila Van Kuren
Highmore
Highmore Area Council of the Arts
Hill City Artforms
Black Hills Film Festival
Hill City Area Arts Council
Warrior’s Work & Ben West Gallery
Roger and Merlene Broer
Jon and Gail Crane
Cheryl Whetham and Jukka Huhtiniemi
Lesta and Mike Turchen
Hot Springs
Chautauqua Craftsmen & Artisans of the Black Hills
Brad Richardson
Jan Speirs
Houghton
Herseth Ranch
Humboldt
Brenda Sosa
Huron
Beth Brenner
LaBolt
Ron and Linda Anderson
Lake Norden
Kathy Antonen
Lead
Historic Deadwood Lead Arts Council
Historic Homestake Opera House Society
Joe and Shari Kosel
Johns & Kosel Law, LLC
Jacqualyn Fuller
Dan and Dot O’Connor
Steve Rice
Madison
Madison Area Arts Council
Mary Gales Askren
Dr. Larry Green
Donna Hazelwood
Terry and Mary Ryan
Supporters
Martin
Rosemary Buchmann
Dr. Craig Howe
Miller Collin and Katie Otteson
Mitchell
Area Community Theatre in Mitchell
April Geist
Dusty and Jacquelyn Johnson
Marica Shannon
* Kristine Wollman
Okaton
Cristen J. Roghair
Onida
Rodney and Marla Mosiman
Parker
Rolf Olson and Anne E. Waltner
Pickstown
Larry and Debera Lucas
Pierre
Pierre Players
Short Grass Arts Council
Waterfront Gallery for the Arts
Monte Amende and Michelle DeyoAmende
Amanda Bachmann
Nancy and Mike Baker
Patrick and Jennifer Baker
Kay Decker
Karen A. Gerdes
Jeff Hallem
Arline Hammer
Steve and Monica Harding
Helen Harryman
Deborah Holland
Larry and Mary Jo Johnson
Diane Kehrwald
Ellen and Tom Lee
Dorothy Liegl
Larry and Gail Lyngstad
Jay and Beverly Mickelson
Mike and Kathi Mueller
Sandra Nelson
Laura Norton
* Michael Pangburn
Ken and Lavonne Pickering
Eric and Ruth Raveling
Randall Royer
Chuck and Bonny Schroyer
Tami Steffensen
Jim and Sandy Szana
Tom and Molly Valentine
Kate and Andy Vandel
Roberta Williams
Ron and Glenda Woodburn
Pine Ridge
Ashley Pourier
Plankinton
Verna L. Edinger
Rapid City
Black Hills Symphony Orchestra Society
Black Hills Works
Dahl Fine Arts Center & Rapid City
Arts Council
Dakota Artists Guild
Mt. Rushmore Chapter of SPEBSQSA, Inc. Shrine of Democracy Chorus
Shoemaker Visual Art Studio
The Black Hills Playhouse
* Patricia Acevedo Fuentes
Stanford and Lynda Adelstein
Carol Bailey
John and Anne Barlow
Bonnie and Tim Bjork
Jim and Glenna Books
Mark and Katie Bray
John E. Brockelsby
Susan W. Callahan
Ann and Tim Deckert
Tony Diem
* Jacqui Dietrich
Don and Mary Downs
Christina Emrick
Masha Fehr
Michael and Marnie Gould
Annie F. Hatch
Stephanie Higdon
Susan Hines
Janet M. Kahler
* Deonne Kahler
Christine Leichtnam
Deanna B. Lien
Nick Lucas
Joy McCracken
Mark and Kristol McKie
Deborah Mitchell
Sandra Newman
Tamara Pier
* Kenny and Linnea Putnam
Patrick Roseland
Carol Schwarzenberg
Marty Seim
Virginia Sneve
Clayton and Anella Southwick
James W. Speirs
Yoko Sugawara
Anna Marie Thatcher
Jeffrey L. Viken
Milo Winter
Steven Zellmer and Kitty Kinsman
Roslyn
* Lawrence Diggs
Monte & Fran Rougemont
Salem
LeEtta Bennett
Scotland
Frank Kloucek
Sioux Falls
* Augustana University School of Music
Avera Cancer Institute - Arts & Healing Program
Badger Clark Foundation
Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc.
Great Plains Watercolor Society
Levitt at the Falls
Sanford Arts at Sanford USD Medical Center
SculptureWalk Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls Mariachi Inc
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra
The Center for Western Studies, Augustana University
The South Dakota Friends of Traditional Music
Washington Pavilion Management
Wolf Bronze
Nan Baker
Phil and Jill Baker
Dar Berkenpas and Boyd Bristow
Melanie and Norman Bliss
Brian and Kaija Bonde
Bill and Cathy Britton
Janet Brown
Dick Brown
Susan Burgard
Lynne and Bill Byrne
Linda Clement
Paul and Mary Ellen Connelly
Mike and Judy Connor
Claudia Dail
Kris and Steve Egger
Lyle Ehlers
Adam Emerson and Dohui Kim
Paul Everson
Carla Fauske and Peter Lieberman
Nancy Giere
Doris Graeber
Andra Guzzo
Dirk and Constanze Hagmaier
Bruce and Nancy Halverson
Peter J. Hauff
Phil and Kiki Hegg
Connie Herring
Heather Hitterdal
Josh and Rose Ann Hofland
Dody and Boyd Hopkins
Jon Hovland
Richard A. Johnson
Lori Johnson
Corliss and Anne Johnson
Tim and Barbara Johnson
Scott and Marianne Johnson
Lynne Jones
Rob Joyce
Phil and Diana Kappen
Anita Kealey and John Brannian
Dan and Arlene Kirby
Deanna and Dave Knudson
Cheryl Koch
Dick and Cindy Koch
John J. Kolb
Mark Law
Katrina Lehr-McKinney
Brenda Lewis
Amanda Levesque
* Jim and Kara Mathis
* Patrick and Bobbi McGowan
John R. McIntyre
David Medema
* Senator Reynold Nesiba
Janice (Hummel) Nicolay
Nancy Olive
Judith Payne
Dr. Boyd and Jessica Perkins
Byron Petersen
Sheri Peterson
Kris Carmody Reaves
Andrew and Rosanne Reinartz
Kay Reinartz
Betsy Rice
Thea and Tim Ryan
Kristi Saxlund
Jeff and Katie Scherschligt
Greg Schmitz
Kirby Schultz
Miles and Vickie Schumacher
Jim Speirs
Jack Stengel
Shelley Stingley
Stephen and Catherine Thurman
Rose Marie Tornow
Serge van Neck
Karyn Veenis
Nan Venhuizen
Lori Walsh
Darwin Wolf
Sisseton
Sisseton Arts Council
Rosemarie Hanssen
Terry and Sandi Jaspers
Cindy Marohl
Estelle Reierson Pearson
John and Jane Rasmussen
* Representative Tamara St. John
Spearfish
The Matthews Opera House and Arts Center
Kathy Block
Oliver Burgoyne
Elizabeth Freer and Michael Headley
Rodney Garnett
Lonnie and Leesa Haugland
Jim and Katie Hood
Edith Lien
Paula Manley and Jim Knutson
Kent and Zindie Meyers
Tim Peterson
Ellen and Richard Plocek
Mary Ann Sheldon
Gary and Nan Steinley
Spencer
Lori Long
Springfield
Cheryl Peterson Halsey
Sturgis
Sturgis Area Arts Council
Anne Bodman and Andrew Hollander
Richard and Ginger Carstensen
DeVee and Kevin Dietz
Bill Feterl
Barry W. Furze
Susan Rae Helgeland
* Dale Lamphere and Jane Murphy
Denise LaRue
Tea
Paul Struck
Vermillion
Dalesburg Heritage
National Music Museum
South Dakota Shakespeare Festival
Vermillion Area Arts Council
Vermillion Cultural Association
Ariadne Albright
John Banasiak
Margaret Downie Banks
Don and Janet Beeman
Chaya and Ryan Bland
Carol Cook Geu
Susan Gray
Bruce and Carol Kelley
Michele Mechling
Phyllis Packard
Susanne Skyrm
Norma and Jerry Wilson
Wall
Wounded Knee Museum
Rick and Patt Hustead
Watertown
Northern Prairie Arts
Redlin Art Center
Doris Symens Armstrong
Stanley N. Jacobson
Ramona Voegele
Ralph Wamsher
ArtsSouthDakota.org
Webster
Darlene Dulitz
Connie Gisi
Wessington Springs
Springs Area Council of the Arts
Winner
Tami Comp
Yankton
Yankton Area Arts Association
Marsha Bertsch
Bill J. and Jane Bobzin
Kathie and Rudy Gerstner
Paul Harens
Bernie and Myrna Hunhoff
Katie Hunhoff
Marilyn Kratz
Kevin and Amber Moe
Larry and Diane Ness
James and Marilyn Nyberg
Marcia and Marvin Olnes
Margaret Rahn
Roger and Mary Jo Renner
Lea Ann Schramm
Norman and Kathleen West
Out of State or Unknown
Community Donors
Karsh Hagan
Seven Council Fires Native Art
Diane Barnhart
Annie Bechtold
Greg Boris and Joan Reddy
Ray Brooks
J. Carol Carlsen
Jamie Church
Judith Cronin
Kay Diehl
Zachariah Fournier
Judy Gates
Mark Green
KE Grosz
Alana Hastings
Brian Jone
Tom Jones
Alan and Kari LaFave
Mary E. Manthei
Cristina Mathis
Joseph and Norma McFadden
Janet Meyer
David Nixon
Sandra Jassmann Polster
Edward D. Pullen
Mark Smither
Carol Stewart
Craig Volk
Candy Welch
Sponsors
ADwërks
Architecture Incorporated
Bank West
CO-OP Architecture
CorTrust Bank
Delta Dental of South Dakota
First Bank & Trust
First PREMIER Bank
Koch Hazard Architects
In-Kind Donors
Fresh Produce
Media One, Inc.
South Dakota Magazine
*Denotes an Arts South Dakota Board Member
Arts South Dakota is in part supported through the generous grant support of the South Dakota Arts Council and the Bush Foundation.
REFLECTIONS ON 2024 ARTS CONFERENCE
The Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls hosted the 2024 Arts Conference. Champions for the arts from communities across the state were reminded how important they are as frontline advocates for the arts. Randy Cohen, vice president of research for Americans for the Arts, shared the economic impact of the arts in South Dakota. Special events included music at Levitt at the Falls and a reading by state poet laureate Bruce Roseland.
Email: info@ArtsSouthDakota.org
Arts South Dakota, a nonpartisan and nonprofit service organization, advances the arts for South Dakotans and our visitors by connecting, advocating and educating.
Your donation to Arts South Dakota will enable us to continue our work to strengthen the arts in our state.
Please join Arts South Dakota today.
Give securely online at ArtsSouthDakota.org
West from Chamberlain, by Lisa Shoemaker of Rapid City, was chosen for Arts South Dakota’s “Home is Where the Art Is” billboard campaign.
