Rapid City Airport Hopes New Art Exhibit Will Take Off
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The Black Hills have plenty of public art shows and galleries, but a few artists have found their most public exhibition yet: at the Rapid City Regional Airport.
The airport’s Art Exhibition Program was unveiled on July 23. The program, which began in 2012 when Rapid City Regional Airport underwent its Terminal Reconstruction Project and designated certain areas for artwork, will feature four to five artists for six months before rotating in new pieces for another six months.
In addition to the rotating exhibit in the terminal, a permanent exhibit of historical South Dakota aviation photographs will be at the airport entrance under the Tri-Wing Aircraft Display, the Rapid City Journal ( ) reported.
“We started looking at getting this off the ground last year, but we went full forward with the intent of having art installed by this summer,” said Toni Broom, public information officer for the Rapid City Regional Airport.
Broom said that the airport was looking for art that would complement the western elegance decor of the terminal, and that it was an opportunity to “reflect the beauty and heritage of western South Dakota.”
This first lineup’s featured artists include Rapid City-based photographer Ray Tysdal, photographer Jerry Rawlings of Spearfish, and father/son photography duo Josef and George Fassbender.
They also include a variety of Native artists from The Heritage Center at the Red Cloud: painters Wade Patton, Angela Babby, Charles HerMany Horses, Nelson Chasing Hawk Sr., Floyd Nez, Nathan Bordeaux and Keith BraveHeart.
Rawlings, a photographer and professor at Black Hills State University, was present at the unveiling, where he talked about his work: seven photographs of last year’s Sturgis motorcycle rally, installed just in time for this year’s festivities.
“When I shoot the rally, I look for characters,” Rawlings said. “To me, it’s not about the motorcycles but the individuals. I try to make street portraits.”
On the flip side of Rawlings’ rally pictures are Tysdal’s photographs of buffalo. Tysdal said that his process was improvisational.
“I look for what interests me and hope it’ll interest somebody else,” Tysdal said. “A lot of it is waiting for them to do something, because it’s boring to just photograph them sitting there and chewing their cud.”
Rawlings spoke of his admiration of Tysdal’s work. “He’s a master printer,” Rawlings said. “He discovers a new way to look at wildlife.”
The Fassbender photographs, meanwhile, are of an older variety. German immigrant Josef Fassbender worked in photography from the 1900s to his death in 1958. His son George continued the photography business until his death in 1998. The photos included in the airport are from before the 1950s, according to Rawlings.
They include vivid photographs of nature, family gatherings, early automobiles and more.
“It’s invaluable to the history of the region,” Rawlings said. “The Fassbender Photographic Collection is digitizing his work, and there’s between 300 and 400 thousand photographs.”
The Native artworks, meanwhile, were a varied bunch, ranging from a painting on glass to gorgeous oil works.
“These artists are all active in the area,” said Mary Maxon, curator for the exhibit and for The Heritage Center at Red Cloud.
“What I like about the other artists at the airport is the understanding they have for the area,” said Tysdal. “They have a real feel for it and like to give their interpretation.”
The artworks will remain in the airport terminal while the search for their successors begins. Submissions for the next exhibit, tentatively planned for January, will end on Oct. 1, after which point artists can submit for consideration for the next period in the summer of 2016.
“We want that to be clear, that the submissions are year-round,” said Ruth Brennan, the former executive director of the Rapid City Arts Council and a selection committee member. “Even if you miss the deadline for the next show, you can submit at any point for future exhibits.”
Submissions are taken online at callforentry.org, where each committee member can view the work individually online before they meet to discuss which artists will be represented in the next exhibit. Artists must live within a 250-mile radius of the airport or be a Native American artist with proof of enrollment in a federally recognized tribe.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a venue where thousands upon thousands will walk through while my work is there,” Rawlings said. “I’m as excited about this as I’ve been about any exhibition I’ve participated in.”
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Information from: Rapid City Journal,
