by Katy Beem
Photo: Aaron Packard
Photo: Aaron Packard
This month, Dakota Life showcases just a taste of the art blossoming out of southeast South Dakota. Connected by the southern-most leg of I-29 and boundless creativity, artists in Sioux Falls and Vermillion are demonstrating canvases are to be found not just in bronze and brick, but in coffee cups and community.
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Learn. Dream. Grow.
Near the banks of the Vermillion and Missouri rivers, Vermillion’s quaint, vibrant downtown bespeaks a community blessed by the creative milieu of a university town. Home to a sculpture walk and prodigious murals by artists Dick Termes and Rick Johns, two new public paintings have recently emerged on the walls of the Coyote Twin Theater. Eúŋkičhetupi, meaning “Come Back to Life” in Lakota, was born of community meetings held by lead artists Reyna Hernandez, Inkpa Mani, and Liz Skye and assisted by Jenae Porter and University of South Dakota professor Amber Hansen. The issues and ideas that emerged in public conversations inspired lead artists to incorporate images and themes that address identity, motherhood, landscape, and water,
