Now!Pavilion Winter 2015 by Washington Pavilion

Native American artist Arthur Amiotte Million Dollar Quartet A LEGENDARY JAM SESSION aG dAY 2015 Free Family Fun & Lunch! science fair Sparking Excitement

www.washingtonpavilion.org

Winter 2015

contributors Kerrie Vilhauer is a sales and marketing assistant at Blend Interactive and a four-year veteran of Graham Academy Preschool, where her daughter Sierra (currently second grade) and Isaac (currently in kindergarten) grew both as students and as individuals.

NOW PAVILION The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science

ON THE COVER

Peter and the Starcatcher, March 24 &

Publisher: Michele Wellman

mwellman@washingtonpavilion.org • 605-731-2306

Editor in Chief: David Xenakis

dxenakis@washingtonpavilion.org • 605-610-9391

Managing Editor: ERICA KNIgge

eknigge@washingtonpavilion.org • 605-731-2313

25, 2015

Advertising Sales & Promotions: Nate Hults

nhults@washingtonpavilion.org • 605-367-7397 ext. 2413

Art Direction & Layout: John Myers jmyers@washingtonpavilion.org

Design & Layout: Sonya Heinrich sheinrich@washingtonpavilion.org

COPY EDITOR: SUZANNE TOLL COPY EDITOR: Sarah Schock Now!Pavilion is published by the Washington Pavilion, 301 S. Main Ave. Sioux Falls, SD 57104, 605-367-6000. Now!Pavilion cannot be responsible for unsolicited material, content, photography, artwork, or other items. Materials sent to Now!Pavilion will be returned only when accompanied by self-addressed and postage paid envelope/ packaging. Content within Now!Pavilion does not reflect any of the opinions or viewpoints of the Washington Pavilion, its employees, or supporters. Now!Pavilion attempts to publish accurate information responsibly and cannot be held liable for errors or omissions in content. All content published in Now!Pavilion is protected by U.S. copyright law. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means, in part or whole, including photocopying, internet sharing or illegal upload or download, is strictly prohibited without prior consent and permission of the publisher.

301 S. Main Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104

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LETTER

FROM THE PUBLISHER

BY Michele Wellman

Happy New Year, and welcome to the latest installment of Now!Pavilion. With the daunting temperatures outside, I know this is the time of year you may want to simply hunker down and stay inside. But when you read about all the exciting events going on at the Washington Pavilion this winter, you might find a reason (or two) to brave the cold and join the fun happening within our warm, cozy walls. January is full of world-class art and entertainment at the Pavilion. First, on January 15 and 16, we’re calling “all aboard” for the saucy, seafaring production of ANYTHING GOES. Later, on January 29, KEIGWIN + COMPANY performs an electrifying brand of contemporary dance, which embodies a theatrical sensibility that fuses art with entertainment. For a quiet and introspective moment, come visit the Visual Arts Center to explore the Arthur Amiotte exhibition. Running from January 10 through April 26 in Gallery E, this exhibition features the widely renowned South Dakota artist and scholar Arthur Amiotte, who is known for his signature use of mixed media collage to create a visual cultural biography of the Lakota. If the shows in January aren’t enough to make you wrap on your scarf and pull on your mittens, the performances in February might just give you cause. I’m a hopeless romantic and will be front and center for Shaun Johnson’s Big Band Experience with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, which takes place on Valentine’s Day. Next, on February 22, the Pavilion welcomes the newest installment of the classic Midwest comedy THE CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES, entitled THE LAST POTLUCK SUPPER. I would remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorite musicals, the ridiculously fun SISTER ACT, featuring original music that will have you jamming and rejoicing in your seat. Finally, Pavilion performances in March will not disappoint. On March 10 and 11, MAMMA MIA! uses the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs to propel this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship. Later in the month, on March 24 and 25, join me for a trip to Neverland with PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, a prequel to Peter Pan that explores how Peter Pan became The Boy Who Never Grew Up. While I’m excited for the shows held in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall and the Visual Arts Center this season, I’m equally excited for the upcoming annual events put on by the Kirby Science Discovery Center and the Community Learning Center. Ag Day returns on March 21, the Design Challenge on March 28, and the Science Fair Showcase on May 22. So, whether it’s the performing arts of Broadway, the fine arts of our own South Dakota culture, or the excitement that science brings, there is always something for you to experience at the Pavilion. From age one to 100, the Washington Pavilion continues to be “Yours, Mine, and Ours.” Best to you and yours!

Michele Wellman, Publisher, Now!Pavilion Magazine

NOW PAVILION The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science

Arts and Science Outreach: Bringing It to the Kids

Pavilion Design Challenge Fosters Future Engineers

Transforming a Life: One Girl’s Pavilion Story

Preschool at the Pavilion: A Parent’s Voice

Peter and the Starcatcher

Million Dollar Quartet

Native American artist Arthur Amiotte

Visual Arts Center Highlights

Free Family Fun & Lunch: AG DAY 2015

What’s happening in the kirby science discovery center

Science Fair Showcase 2015

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Transforming a Life: One Girl’s Pavilion Story

ach day, it is amazing to see the impact of your Washington Pavilion on the people of the greater Sioux Falls community. Yes, the Pavilion hosts Broadway shows like Jersey Boys, science exhibits like A T-rex Named Sue, and amazing artwork by famous masters and local artists. But there is so much more to the Pavilion story. Lives are actually being transformed.

Amber’s Story

One of our staff members recently shared the story of Amber, a local child whose life has been changed because of the Pavilion. It moved us so much, we want to share it with you:

Amber was just starting sixth grade at Whittier Middle School. She didn’t like sports, wasn’t really into any clubs, and was having trouble making friends and finding her place. Middle school can be a tough time. Each week the Pavilion reaches more than 500 students at twenty-one Title 1, sioux Falls public schools through our Action Arts and Science Program (AASP) and our Girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative, as well as through outreach to the Juvenile Detention Center, Bowden Youth Center, Multicultural Center, and YMCA after-school programs. Amber is one of those students.

Every week, a member of the Pavilion’s Kirby Science Discovery Center team would come to Amber’s afterschool program and do hands-on science activities with the Girls in STEM program. Amber was hooked— science was her passion, and her Pavilion teachers were her mentors and inspiration. For three years, Amber never missed a day of Girls in STEM or AASP, which each visited her middle school weekly. Jamie, one of Amber’s instructors, says, “I was lucky enough to work with Amber all through middle school, so I was able to see her confidence grow through the lessons and years. Amber was a little quiet and shy when we first met, but as the years have gone on, she has become a confident and outgoing individual who does not struggle talking to new people or working with them on a project.” The Pavilion is responsible for funding the hundreds of programs we run both within our walls and through our extensive outreach. In fact, we reach 33,000 kids like Amber each year and no one is turned away from these programs because of their inability to pay.

Giving Back

Soon Amber became even more involved at the Pavilion. At the encouragement of the Pavilion team, Amber began volunteering at the end of her seventh-grade year in our annual Design Challenge event. This was the first time Amber had tried an independent volunteer experience. Her face lit up as she ran tabulation sheets, encouraging the young volunteers who had made model Mars rovers. When her parents came to pick her up, they asked nervously, “How did she do?”

More than 300 individuals contribute almost 16,000 hours of service every year to the Pavilion’s volunteer program. Many of these volunteers are students learning valuable life lessons in giving back and having fun at the same time. 12 NOW!PAVILION

“Amber was awesome—she’s one of our best students!” was the team’s enthusiastic response. Her parents’ faces relaxed, and there was a hint of a smile. Amber had found a home. This is just one story of how your Washington Pavilion is changing lives. We see it every day, as tens of thousands of children per year pass through our doors and programs. We couldn’t do it without the generosity of donors who recognize the importance of the Pavilion to the wellbeing of our community.

Amber sums it up like this: “I’ve always had a small interest in science. However, it took going to STEM every week for three years to awaken it. And who knows how my life would have been different if I had ignored my science side.” Amber’s mother, Lori, has watched her daughter’s transformation with pride during the last few years. She says she has never had to push her daughter to participate when it comes to Pavilion programs. “Amber always looked forward to attending the STEM program and was encouraged and influenced by her teachers, especially Jamie,” says Lori. “I am proud of her ‘giving back’ to others by volunteering at the Washington Pavilion, and she plans on continuing to volunteer in the future. We need to encourage our youth, as they are our future teachers and leaders.”

The Future Looks Bright

Amber is now in high school, and her grades and confidence have greatly improved. She is actively pursuing every opportunity in science and now has a clear direction for the future. This summer, she was a regular member of the Science Center’s volunteer team, the Stan Squad. If you ask Amber about her future, she’ll tell you that you will see her working in the Science Center once she turns sixteen so that she can save money for college. She wants to major in neuroscience so that she can go on to become, as she says,“a professor, a neuroscientist, and an author.”

The Pavilion is only able to maintain such a diverse array of programs and reach so many current and future artists and scientists because of the generous support of our committed members and donors. Please don’t hesitate to visit us and explore our many amazing shows, exhibits, classes, and more. As Amber discovered, there’s something for everyone here. The Washington Pavilion truly is, as our motto states, “Yours. Mine. Ours.”

If you would like to make a donation to support the great work of the Washington Pavilion and make a difference in the life of a child like Amber, please call

Ann Parker, Director of Development, at 605-367-7397, or go to www.pavgive.com. 13

Preschool at the Pavilion: A Parent’s Voice

By Kerrie Vilhauer

t’s hard for me to remember what was said at my high school commencement. But my children, Sierra and Isaac, have no difficulty remembering what was said at their preschool graduations.

“The best part about going to the Graham Academy Preschool at the Washington Pavilion is that the learning doesn’t stop when you graduate from preschool,” Rose Ann Hofland, director of the Pavilion’s Community Learning Center, said each time as my two kids walked across the stage. “This will always be ‘your Pavilion,’ and you can never get too big or too old—you can come back and learn any time.” That, to me, is what’s special about the Graham Academy Preschool at the Pavilion. Just imagine being three years old and going to school in a

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science center. Your field trip is right down the hall to an art gallery featuring international artists like Norman Rockwell. Not only are you first in line to see the museum’s brand-new Tyrannosaurus rex exhibit, but you even get to step behind the scenes to see the exhibit installed. As a student at the Graham Academy, you take part in weekly music classes. You create art on a blank canvas. You are immersed in a second language. The only thing that can hold you back is your own imagination. Sounds magical, doesn’t it? The connection my family has with the Pavilion has enhanced both my children’s education and my own knowledge. Regular interactive parent nights give parents a true taste of the academic approach within the classroom and offer an opportunity for students to share what they’ve learned. Graham Academy students take part in activities I remember

doing in middle and high school. What better way to learn about owls and what they eat than by dissecting an owl pellet? What better way to learn about the states of matter than by interacting with dry ice? At the Graham Academy, preschool students are introduced to art in a way that allows them to talk about it—to make it their own. They forgo traditional Play-Doh for actual potter’s clay, watching as their masterpieces harden into shiny pieces of art. Their pieces are even sold as part of the Pavilion’s Empty Bowls fundraiser for The Banquet and Feeding South Dakota. Even more exciting is that the students’ artwork is regularly displayed on the second level of the Pavilion in an Off the Fridge exhibit for the whole community to see. How many of us had an artist reception at the tender age of four? Let’s not forget about the time when the actual cast from the Wizard of Oz came into the students’ classroom and taught them a song and dance. Imagine meeting Dorothy, complete with ruby slippers, in your preschool classroom! The Graham Academy has been a part of my family’s life for four years. In that short amount of time, the staff at the Pavilion have become our family. The teachers are amazing and care for our children as if they were their own. The maintenance staff at the Pavilion recognize our children and always give a cheery “hello.” And we walk into a play or performance in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall as if it were in our living room.

attend preschool there too. But then again, it’s almost as if I’m headed to school every time we walk back in to explore the Kirby Science Discovery Center, peruse the Visual Arts Center, or attend a performance in the Mary W. Sommervold Hall. Even though it was our kids who spent their time every day at the Graham Academy, it was all of us who were able to experience “our Pavilion.”

Kerrie Vilhauer is a sales and marketing assistant at Blend Interactive and a four-year veteran of the Graham Academy Preschool, where her daughter Sierra (currently in second grade) and Isaac (currently in kindergarten) grew both as students and as individuals.

Open House: Sat., Jan. 10, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Public registration for the 2015-2016 school year begins Sat., Jan. 10, 2015 To learn more about the Graham Academy Preschool, visit

www.washingtonpavilion.org To arrange a tour or for further information, please contact Rose Ann Hofland, director of the Community Learning Center, at rhofland@washingtonpavilion.org or (605) 731-2350

If there is one thing I regret about our experience at the Graham Academy, it’s that I couldn’t

Arthur Amiotte The exhibition Transformation and Continuity in Lakota Culture: The Collages of Arthur Amiotte 1988-2014 is on display January 10–April 26, 2015 The Washington Pavilion’s Visual Arts Center (VAC) is pleased to collaborate with the Heritage Center of the Red Cloud Indian School to bring the work of renowned Lakota artist and scholar Arthur Amiotte to the VAC’s Everist Gallery. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1942, Amiotte has become one of the nation’s most celebrated Native American artists, with artwork in the Joslyn, Hood, Whitney, and Denver art museums, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the VAC’s own Permanent Collection. Now, from January 10 to April 26, 2015, Pavilion patrons can view a retrospective of Amiotte’s collages in the exhibition Transformation and Continuity in Lakota Culture: The Collages of Arthur Amiotte 1988-2014. “We are delighted and privileged to exhibit the work of one of South Dakota’s most accomplished artists and scholars,” says VAC director Kara Dirkson. “This show includes some of Amiotte’s most striking collages; the opportunity to view them collectively is quite rare.”

Native American artists, found imagery from the Western world (such as advertisements, receipts, ledger books, and magazine articles), and photographs of his family and Pine Ridge. The straightforward presentation of these seemingly incongruous images layered together offers viewers a sense of the cultural confusion the Lakota experienced during the process of assimilation while paying tribute to a collective Lakota culture. Amiotte’s creative method is very process- and researchoriented. He pores over photographs, historical periodicals, and illustrated publications dating from 1870 to 1930 in antique stores, old book shops, and flea markets across the U.S. and Europe. As he studies the images, he strives to make sure they

Amiotte is perhaps best known for his signature use of mixed media collage to create a visual cultural biography of the Lakota that highlights the steps they took toward assimilating to EuropeanAmerican culture. He juxtaposes imagery from traditional Lakota culture with images that represent white culture. For instance, a single collage may include historical drawings from other 24 NOW!PAVILION

Arthur Amiotte, Our Father Told Us

all represent the same historical period. The images are photocopied onto thin paper, sized and arranged into the composition, intricately cut, and laminated to create a hybrid collage composition. The process requires several layers of images, ledger paper, drawings, and handwriting as well as a masterful eye for visual-spacial relationships. The end product is a consistently transparent view of the transformation and continuity of Lakota culture. One image that echoes throughout many of Amiotte’s collages is a photograph of a Matheson Six touring car by John Anderson. Amiotte depicts Lakota men in full ceremonial dress riding in the car. Although it appears somewhat comical, viewers of his work should not take the significance of this image lightly. Amiotte explains that “the automobile is the symbolic vehicle of social and cultural change my people have had to ride in order to survive in a world order driven by change and progress.”

Arthur Amiotte, Protector of the Faith

Amiotte’s background is rife with traditional Lakota artistry that he acquired from his maternal grandmother, Christina Standing Bear, who was skilled in the art of tanning, beadwork, and quilling. Equally significant is the spiritual influence of Lakota shaman and Sun Dance priest Pete Catches. Among Amiotte’s strongest artistic influences is Oscar Howe. In fact, after meeting Howe, Amiotte realized he could develop his artistic voice by incorporating, rather than marginalizing, his Lakota background into contemporary artmaking techniques. Thus, his signature style emerged.

of American Indian Arts. He will be at the Pavilion for a

welcoming reception and gallery talk on January 9 from 5:30-8 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Not only a renowned artist, Amiotte is a sought-after scholar, educator, and speaker on Lakota art and culture. He has served in an advisory role to the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and to the Presidential Council for the Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center. Amiotte has also served as a commissioner of the Department of Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board and member of the Regents Council of the Institute Arthur Amiotte in his studio

26 NOW!PAVILION CONTEMPORARY I

Gallery Highlights from the Washington Pavilion’s

CONTEMPORARY II

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28 THROUGH FEBUARY

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THROUGH MARCH

! COMING SOON

March 24 & 25, 2015