Student art to be featured in Washington Pavilion

Alix Suckstorf has enjoyed art since early on in life, and believes art is a perfect fit for her in every aspect of her life.

“I started drawing at a young age and just decided that’s what I wanted for an education and a career,” she said.

Ultimately deciding to pursue something in graphic design, she knew she made the right decision obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of South Dakota.

“Graphic art is more available to the masses than other forms of art,” said Suckstorf, a second-year graduate student.

Her hard work and dedication to art and graphic design has landed her a spot in the upcoming University Invitational art show at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls.

The biennial show is designed to display the work of college students and is open to all students in South Dakota.

Students submit three pieces of artwork at the end of the spring semester the year before the show, and a panel of judges from the Washington Pavilion chooses which pieces will be displayed.

The art department faculty help the students choose which pieces to submit, said Cory Knedler, chair of the art department.

“We ask students to submit three images to the department of art,” Knedler said. “The faculty gets to choose which pieces are submitted to the Pavilion, who ultimately makes the final decision.”

From USD, 23 students were chosen from the different divisions the art department offers. The 14 graduate students and nine undergraduate students specialize in different divisions of art including ceramics, graphic design/multimedia, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture.

In total, the University Invitational features 49 students from around the state.

Suckstorf’s piece, “Suite Harvest,” was inspired by her research of both childhood obesity and the difficulty of gardening. The piece, which has four kits to represent each season, is designed to show that gardening does not have to be as difficult as people think.

A self-growing kit for every season, a person can be inspired to grow the plant and eat healthier, Suckstorf said. ​

USD is the only school in South Dakota to offer a Master of Fine Arts degree, and the University Invitational highlights the graduate students, including Suckstorf, Knedler said.

Suckstorf will be the second graduate student to earn this degree.

“We choose students based on quality of work and quality of craftsmanship, and when we saw her work, it certainly stood out,” Knedler said.

Another student highlighted in the exhibit is senior David Langner, who is specializing in printmaking. His piece, “4272335,” is a reflection of the type of art he enjoys creating.

“I want to keep doing figures and abstracts,” he said. “I like the psychological play you get from viewing these pieces.”

The exhibit opens Oct. 24 and goes through Feb. 27 and is sponsored by the South Dakota Arts Council. It is open to anyone for a general admission fee.

(Photo: Senior art major David Langner holds up “4272335,” a piece of his artwork which will be on display at the University Invitational art show at the Washington Pavillion in Sioux Falls, S.D. Langner said it took him between 8-12 hours to complete “4272335.”)