Sculptors and Sculpture in South Dakota

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• Sculptors
  
  
• JoAnne Bird-Artist Showcase, Colorado Indian Market & Western Art Showcase "A member of the Dakota (Sioux) tribe, JoAnne was raised on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian Reservation in eastern South Dakota and received art training at Dakota State University, Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota, and the Santa Fe Institute of Indian Arts. After working as a commercial artist for 3M Company for several years, Bird decided to leave commercial art in 1968 and devote herself to a full-time professional art career. Her work can now be found in major private and museum collections nationally and internationally.  Bird is also an accomplished sculptor working in bronze. Her sculptures, many larger than life, can be found throughout the United States and Europe. Bird's sculpture commissions include the bronze "Shakopee" located in the Minnesota State Capital Building. JoAnne was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as the 1992 "Artist of the Year".
  
  
• Sandra Brue - Success Is Cast In Stone -- Nov. 21, 1997 "If I do a wild animal, I try to go behind the scenes," Sandra Brue said. This may mean she goes to the Zoo or Wild Animal Park, or perhaps South Dakota or Alaska, if that's where her sculpting takes her. When Brue wants to sculpt North American wildlife, she goes to Bear Country USA in South Dakota. There she has observed wolves, bison, grizzlies and moose."
  
  
• Articles "Black Hills Pioneer, 1996 The Spearfish and Black Hills community can proudly boast about is very own nationally known western artist, Tony Chytka. Born and raised in South Dakota, Chytka's work truly reflects his background. Chytka specializes in three dimensional bronze images reflecting experiences of our western lifestyle and events during this century. The Artist's Gallery
  
  
• Edward Hlavka - Biography -  One of the country's most prolific sculptors, Hlavka's work includes, figurative bronze depicting; Wildlife, Western, Southwestern, Jazz, Children, Religious, and Ethnic themes. He is available for Commissions, including Monuments, Custom Bronze Fountains, and Portraits.  Born in Sturgis, South Dakota, Ed began pinching clay and developing an interest in sculpture at a young age. His unique ability to portray characterizations delight the many people across the country who view and collect his art. Exactness of detail, whimsy and grace of figurative design are hallmarks of Hlavka's work.  See: Gallery,  Current Projects, Commissions. Contact: Hlavka Sculpture at hlavkabronze@infowest.com, Studio at bohemia@infowest.com or 435-674-5876 in St. George Utah USA.
  
  
• John Houser - A Brief Biography  "John Houser, sculptor and painter, is outstanding among contemporary artists for his versatility, the thoroughness of his training and the depth of his artistic sensibility. He was born in Rapid City, South Dakota where his native talent was honed from infancy in the studio of his father, the sculptor Ivan Houser, who was First Assistant to Gutzon Borglum in the early years of carving Mount Rushmore."
  
  
• The Sculptor-a brief biography of John Houser, creator of the monuments - John Sherrill Houser was born in South Dakota, where his father, Ivan Houser, was First Sculptor to Gutzon Borglum in the granite carving of the four presidents on Mount Rushmore National Monument.  XII Travelers Historical Monuments  The XII Travelers Memorial of the Southwest is the first regional memorial of its kind in the United States. This memorial consists of 12 heroic bronze monuments celebrating the multicultural contributions of both men and women to the development of the Southwest
  
  
• About Dennis Jones "Dennis Jones has a lifestyle most people can only dream of -- he has combined a lifelong hobby and a love of nature into an exciting occupation. Having grown up in rural South Dakota, Dennis studied art in Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon graduating, he spent years painting and drawing wildlife. At the suggestion of an artist friend, Denis tried his hand at sculpting. His first attempt surpassed both his friend's work and Dennis' own expectations. He knew then the direction his life would take." Dennis Jones Gallery
  
  
• Huron South Dakota - Spirit of Dakota "Huron is unique in owning the Spirit of Dakota Sculpture created by Dale Lamphere and because of this ownership, it presents the unprecedented opportunity to welcome and host South Dakota nominated recipients of the award along with their family and friends. The Spirit of Dakota award is given to an outstanding South Dakota woman who has been successful and admired in her community or state. A woman with roots deep in South Dakota whose courage and strength of character have helped develop her family and community."
  
  
• Loren Means I was born in LeMars, Iowa in 1942, and spent my childhood in Yankton, South Dakota. None of my family were artists, but my father and his family played musical instruments as children... My next venture will be to pursue the implications of painted film into the realm of sculpture, within which light will project the images residing within the three-dimensional forms."
  
  
• Tony Merrithew sculptures presented by Fox International, Inc. Fine Art "Tony Merrithew Sculpture: Poised on a rocky outcropping in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this proud Lakota Chief prepares to do battle against those who would destroy his people's land and legends. The Black Hills, known as Paha Sapa to the Sioux, were their holy mountains, the center of their world and their gods. Ignoring the treaty of 1868, which granted Indians the Black Hills "forever", miners swarmed by the thousands to the sacred Black Hills in search of gold. Along the way miners desecrated sacred ground and threatened to destroy the native way of life. It is "Preserving the Legends" that compels this warrior to sound his battle cry."
  
  
• artist "Ken Ottinger also taught figure drawing at The Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and later, in 1975, he was invited to be "Artist-Instructor in Residence" at the University of South Dakota at Vermilion. In late 1981, Ken was invited to the Texas Cowboy Artist Gold Medal Invitational in San Angelo, Texas. In late 1982, he was invited to the First Annual Western Heritage Classic in Billings, Montana and received the Sculpture Award from Ginger Renner."
  
  
• Robert L Refvem Biography "Robert Refvem's natural talents create movement as the real subject in his cast bronzes, capturing the grace and fluid motion of birds and figures - diverse subjects chosen for their artistic form and universal appeal. His art has matured and expanded to encompass monumental sculptures that evoke these same fluid qualities. The result is as pleasing as something audible - a symphony in bronze. Born on Christmas Day in Frankfort, South Dakota, he lived in Washington State before moving to Jackson, Wyoming, in 1973, and finally to Colorado in late 1990. In recent years he has exhibited in shows throughout the United States, including the prestigious Audubon Art Exhibit of Alaska Wildlife and Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum "Birds of Art." He has won accolades from Allied Artists Professional League Grand National Exhibition, Society of Animal Artists Exhibition, and Salmagundi Club Open Sculpture Exhibition in New York. Refvem is a member of Allied Artists of America, American Artists Professional League, Society of Animal Artists, and an associate member of National Sculpture Society. "
  
  
• Native American & Western Gift Show Online "Shawn Schultz, born in the Black Hills of South Dakota, has been a wildlife lover and dedicated equestrian ever since early childhood. Her talent as an artist started emerging in pencil drawings at age five, then through practice and discipline blossomed into Eros® Art. Now recognized throughout the country and around the world as a trendsetter in her medium, Shawn and Eros® Art continue to grow in popularlity."
  
  
• Dick Termes, artist
  
  
• Rick Terry - Sculptor "One project which was truly exciting to work on was the eight foot heroic bronze of Marine Fighter Ace General Joe Foss which was installed in 1995 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the end of WWII. Blaine and I met with General Foss many times over the development of this piece. We used many original WWII period photos for reference, interviewed him and consulted with Foss throughout the project. I was very thrilled to see this piece become a reality and be on hand to witness its dedication at the Airport, Foss Field, in South Dakota."
  
  
• E.W. MetalWorks "Eric Wenger is a gifted sculptor & artist who was born in 1962 along the shores of the Mississippi river in Minnesota and relocated to Bushnell, South Dakota in the mid 1990's. He began metalwork at an early age under the influences of his grandfather & uncle. Soon he developed an appreciation for blacksmithing and metalwork and demonstrated his abilities in other mediums, while he attended high school. Wenger started blacksmithing, but while attending the University of Wisconsin his training sparked an interest in working in the field of sculpture. As a result of his combined interests in blacksmithing and his love for sculpture Wenger has established himself in a unique field of metal sculpture. His work is unique not only due to his technique but also due to the subject matter. That subject matter is three dimensional Arabic calligraphy." Contact: ericwenger@hotmail.com 
  
  
• The Shakespeare Garden "The Shakespeare Garden at the University of South Dakota The Shakespeare Garden, located in front of the Pardee Laboratories Building, features every flower, herb, and shrub mentioned in Shakespeare's works . . . . everything from columbine to wormwood. The sculpture of William Shakespeare (shown in the picture) was created by Martin Wanserski, a USD artist. The USD Emeritus Club dedicated the Shakespeare Garden on April 23 (Shakespeare's observed birthday), 1988."
  
  
• Wermers Stone Sculpture "Roger Wermers is a gifted artist who was born in 1941 and was raised near Parkston, South Dakota. He began drawing at an early age under the influences of his artist mother and grandfather. Soon he developed an appreciation for nature and humanity and demonstrated his abilities in other mediums. Roger started carving in wood, but a vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota sparked interest in working with the alabaster stone which originates in that area. As a result of that trip, his medium of choice today is stone, particularly alabaster or marble." 
  
  
• Lakota Visions Jewelry "Lakota Visions Jewelry came into being in 1983 as a result of a personal vision by Mitchell Zephier to create employment, share Lakota culture and traditions and to perpetuate our heritage. This visionary quality of Mitchell's creations beautifully expresses the values, culture and history of his people, the Lower Brule Sichangu --one of the seven Council Fires and a division of the Lakota (Sioux) Nation. He is recognized as being an innovative artist/craftsman and for the rebirth of this exciting art among his people. He defines this exciting style of Native Jewelry as a "new tradition".
  
  
• Fighting Stallions Memorial "Fighting Stallions" is enlarged in bronze from the 1935 mahogany carving by South Dakota sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. The sculpture was selected because it symolically represents South Dakota's struggle to overcome adversity, desire for achievement and courage to believe in the future. It is a tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. "
  
  
• WORLD magazine- June 1997 @ nationalgeographic.com "The biggest sculpture in the world is taking shape in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It honors Crazy Horse, a fearless Lakota Indian chief who fought for Native Americans in the mid-1800s. The sculpture shows the chief atop his horse, pointing to the Lakotas’ sacred mountains. At 563 feet (172 meters), the sculpture is taller than the Washington Monument. The outstretched arm has standing room for 4,000 people. A man named Korczak Ziolkowski (KOR-chok jewel-CUFF-ski) started carving the mountain with dynamite and bulldozers almost 50 years ago. He had been invited to do so by Lakota chief Henry Standing Bear, who said: “My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know the red man had great heroes, too.”
  
  
• Korczak Ziolkowski "Born in Boston of Polish descent, Korczak Ziolkowski was completely self-taught. He never took a lesson in art, sculpture, architecture or engineering. Orphaned at age one, he grew up in a series of foster homes. He began experimenting with woodwork as a teenager, and soon was sculpting in wood and stone.   In 1939 Korczak briefly worked as Gutzon Borglum's assistant on Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the same year as Korczak's marble portrait, "Paderewski: Study of an Immortal," won first place by popular vote at the New York World's Fair. The honor resulted in Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear's invitation to Korczak to carve Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills. The nonprofit educational and cultural project became his life's work and that of his wife, Ruth, and their sons and daughters who today continue the Crazy Horse dream according to Korczak's detailed plans."
  

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• South Dakota Arts Council Recognizing the importance of creativity in the lives of all South Dakotans, the Council makes quality arts accessible throughout the state by providing grants, services and information to artists, arts organizations, schools and the public.
  
  
  • FY 1999 Grants- Grants awarded to South Dakota organizations and artists
    • Fiscal Year 1998 Grants
    • Fiscal Year 1999 & 2000 Grants
  • 1998 Directory of Arts Festivals & Powwows
  • 1998-1999 Artists-In-Schools Directory
    
    
• South Dakota Arts (SDArts.Org)  Board of Directors" South Dakotans for the Arts (SoDA), South Dakota Alliance for Arts Education (AAE), Community Arts Network (CAN) of South Dakota, These three statewide organizations share programs, members, offices and staff. The Partnership, formed in 1990, was initiated by South Dakotans for the Arts which serves as fiscal agent for programs and memberships. This is a national role model for rural states. This partnership is unique and successful in its combination of advocacy, service/community development and arts in K-12 education."
  
  
  • South Dakotans for the Arts (SoDA) is a non-profit, non-partisan corporation whose primary purpose is to advance the arts in South Dakota through service, education and advocacy. We assure that the arts always have a voice by initiating communication and programs between citizens, elected officials and policy-makers. We provide technical assistance to arts organizations, strengthening their administrative skills and abilities to serve as effective partners in their communities. Janet Brown, Executive Director, jbsoda@blackhills.com
    
    
  • South Dakota Alliance for Arts Education (AAE) works with South Dakotans for the Arts and the South Dakota Arts Council to advance arts education opportunities for children and their teachers.
    
    
    • Arts as Basic Curriculum Institute & Program
    • Arts in the Classroom
    • ArtsCorr - to integrate arts programs at the state's juvenile correctional facilities in Plankinton and Custer.
    • Oscar Howe Institute Scholarship
      
      
  • Community Arts Network (CAN) of South Dakota is a statewide assembly to strengthen South Dakota arts development through local arts councils and arts organizations by fostering communication, training, advocacy, and partnerships.
    
    
    • Art Beyond Boundaries Conference
    • Technical Assistance Group
    • South Dakotans for the Arts Day
    • Governor's Awards in the Arts
    • Newsletters & Educational Information
    • Regional Arts Exchange
    • Guide to Nonprofit Arts Management
      
      

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• Calendar of Events, College of Fine Arts
  
  
• CNN Chicago visits Crazy Horse, the mountain sculpture in South Dakota "In 1992, CNN Chicago travelled to the Black Hills of South Dakota to visit the in-progress mountain sculpture Crazy Horse. We broadcast the first live television pictures as workers blasted away tons of rock from the head of this full-mountain sculpture. This May, we'll return for the 50th anniverary of this in-progress monument to the leader of the Sioux. "
  
  
• COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY ART DEPARTMENTS
  
  
• College of Fine Arts "The University of South Dakota (USD) College of Fine Arts is the center for professional arts and mass communication education in the South Dakota system of higher education. The College provides graduate and undergraduate programs in art, mass communication, music, and theatre; promotes excellence in teaching, research, and creative activity; provides opportunities for personal enrichment and the development of creativity and critical thinking for all University students; and serves as a cultural leader for the State of South Dakota and the region. " Martin Wanserski teaches sculpture and drawing in the Department of Art." Michael Hill teaches ceramics in the Department of Art.
  
  
• Courtney's State Facts- South Dakota
  
  
• Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Home Page "Crazy Horse Memorial is a nonprofit cultural and educational humanitarian project dedicated to the Native Americans of North America. The foundation has three major goals: the mountain carving, the Indian Museum of North America, and the University and Medical Training Center for the North American indian."
  
  
• Dahl Fine Arts Center "In addition to the Cyclorama Gallery, the Center includes galleries for temporary exhibitions and sales.   Artists from the area, region and nation are invited to participate in group and solo artist exhibitions.  The schedule also includes national touring exhibitions.   School and visitor tours of the Cyclorama Gallery and the Center are conducted throughout the year by volunteers and staff. The Center is a community arts facility which houses a 150 seat theater, arts organizations offices and classroom spaces. The Rapid City Arts Council, under contract with the city of Rapid City, has administered the Dahl Fine Arts Center since its opening in October, 1974. "
  
  
• Dakota Made
• Dakota Stoneware Pottery
• Dakotaland - Links to sites in North and South Dakota
  
  
• Brookings Summer Arts Festival (BSAF.com) "Welcome to the 1999 Brookings Summer Arts Festival homepage. We hope you will come back here often to see what's new with us, one project we are working on will be the creation of a more interactive website for next year. For all those who can hardly wait for the second week in July 1999, we have pictures from the very successful 1998 festival. Just click on the button below and enjoy!"   July 10-11, 1999 Pioneer Park Highway 14 West Brookings, SD.
  
  
• Lakota Sioux in South Dakota "Black Hills Info Web: Black Hills area including all Black Hills Cities: Black Hawk, Box Elder, Belle Fourche, Custer, Lead, Deadwood, Hot Springs, Piedmont, Rapid City, Sturgis, Spearfish, South Dakota + Ellsworth Air Force Base, & the Lakota Sioux Nation.Introduction to the Lakota Sioux Overview of the Great Sioux Nation NativeAmerican Cultures of South Dakota Crazy Horse Mountain Carving
  
  
• Adams Museum, Deadwood "The Adams Museum is one of the most notable attractions in Deadwood, South Dakota. Pioneer businessman W.E. Adams built the museum in 1930 as a tribute to the Society of Black Hills Pioneers"
  
  
• Argus Leader The Sioux Falls Argus and Sioux Falls Leader were born in the boom days of the 1880s, when Sioux Falls was young and saloons outnumbered churches 32 to 14, and the city's 20 gambling establishments served 10,000 citizens. Today: Total Adults(18+)   190,496.
  
  
• Art and Craft Shows (dot) net - Searchable Database of Arts & Crafts Events
  
  
• Artcom Museum Tour- Friends Of The Middle Border Museum And Case Dakota Art Gallery, Mitchell, SD
  
  
• Mount Rushmore National Monument Monumental heads of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt were sculpted by Gutzon Borgham on the face of a granite mountain. The sculpture was authorized for addition to the National Park Service on March 3, 1925.
  
  
• Fun Facts about Orange County - The Rushmore Estate was built by New York lawyer Charles Rushmore for whom Mount Rushmore is named in South Dakota. Located in Highland Mills, it is now home to The Rushmore Festival. The Rushmore Estate, Highland Mills (914) 928-7094 or (212) 794-4894.
  
  
• Press & Dakotan - Officials- S.D. Set For Good Tourism Year 05-22-98 "A new museum, viewing terrace and other changes at Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and the 50th anniversary of the Crazy Horse mountain sculpture should draw tourists, too, officials said."
  
  
• Recent Conservation "The sculpture, Hoe Down, by Guy Dill was conserved in February, 1998, by McKay Lodge Fine Arts Conservation Laboratory, Inc., Oberlin, Ohio. Installed on July 6, 1979, the sculpture is located on the lawn in front of the Hubert H. Humphrey Federal building in Huron, South Dakota. Since the time of its installation, the paint slowly deteriorated and the wood poles had accumulated dirt. The aged paint layers had chipped off and the sculpture was in need of conservation and cleaning. The photograph shows the sculpture after the completion of conservation treatment."
  
  
• Resources & Opportunities
  
  
• SD State Historical Society "The Sioux Horse Effigy dance stick, ca. 1870, was probably carved to honor a wounded horse, and is considered one of the great equine sculptures in the world. This singular piece of the museum's collection is incorporated into the Society's logo.  The Office of History/South Dakota State Historical Society shall promote, nurture and sustain the historical and cultural heritage of South Dakota by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting evidence of the state's irreplaceable past and making it available for the life-long education and enrichment of present and future generations."
  
  
• Shrine to Music Museum, Vermillion
• Sioux Falls, S.D. - Cultural Activities
• Sioux Site Information
• Siouxland FreeNet Home Page
• Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe
• South Dakota Granite - Sculpture of Sharwan Smith Keeps Memories Alive (2)
• South Dakota Links (RapidNet links to South Dakota)
  
  
  • Madison, South Dakota
  • Pierre, South Dakota
  • Rapid City, South Dakota
  • Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Black Hills State University
  • Dakota State University
  • Northern State University
  • South Dakota State University
    
    
• South Dakota Made Products - Framable Art Made in South Dakota
• South Dakota Magazine
• South Dakota State and Local Government (Library of Congress)
  
  
  • South Dakota Library Network
  • State of South Dakota Gopher
  • State of South Dakota
    
    
• South Dakota Links at Netmation (general South Dakota, few sculpture)
  
  
• The Guild, Database Search Form
  
  
• The Journey Museum "The Journey Museum serves as a forum to preserve and explore the heritage of the cultures of the Black Hills region and the knowledge of its natural environment to understand and value our past, enrich our present, and meet the challenges of the future. "Now Showing in The Sioux Indian Museum Gallery