BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO)– The curators at the SDSU art museum began thinking about the concept of ‘America in Art’ the exhibition, for a while.
But they brought in different perspectives from the public a few months ago.
“We sent out surveys. We didn’t limit it to museum stakeholders. We did it through our social media, but also put ads in papers and things, where people could answer a very simple question: ” What should we display in an exhibition called America in Art?” South Dakota Art Museum Director Donna Merkt said.
The community-informed process helped curators choose art pieces that help showcase 250 years’ worth of American history.
“And so we ended up with three categories or three themes from the exhibition that are based on actually, the Preamble to the Constitution. We the People, of the United States, and to secure the blessings of liberty,” Merkt said.
Showing not only the good but also the not-so-pretty side of the nation’s past and present.
“The land itself that is here, the displacement of native peoples, slavery, incarceration, many of these difficult topics are covered in that section where it talks about how space and power go hand in hand,” Merkt said.
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And if you feel as though a piece of history is missing at the show, take a walk by the exhibit’s engagement space.
“Let’s say that you walk through and there’s this idea that maybe you didn’t feel like was touched upon. This is your space to have that become enmeshed in the narrative of this exhibition. So I think it’s a really critical space for that multitude of histories and experiences,” South Dakota Art Museum curator of education Abigail Ramsbottom-Cuevas said.
Visitors can become a part of the exhibit in different ways.
“The blackboard wall where you can talk about your hopes and dreams for America’s next 250 years. We have a digital touch screen TV, where you can click and learn a little bit more about artists that you might be interested in that you see in the exhibition. And then we also have the We the People wall, where you can present yourself,” Ramsbottom-Cuevas said.
The South Dakota Art Museum has nearly 7,000 pieces of artwork in the permanent collection.
“But like many museums, we have holes in our collection. And it was important for us to tell a very thoughtful story. And in order to make that as complete as possible, we had to search out for key loans from both collectors and artists,” Merkt said.
And for collections intern, Kennedy Voeltz, there’s more to this exhibit than what meets the eye.
“All the paintings are individually lit, and the spotlights, like, come down. And so you have to, like, put them on and take them back off. And each artwork, depending on what the piece is made out of, has to be lit at a certain level. So that it doesn’t harm the artwork,” South Dakota Art Museum collections intern Kennedy Voeltz said.
Outside of lighting, the placement of the pieces challenges visitors to see the bigger picture.
“I suggest looking for the relationships between pieces of art. Whether it’s a piece of art that’s right next to each other or a piece of art that’s in a sightline. Because there are some really interesting overlapping things that are happening in the show to generate thoughts and conversation,” Merkt said.
It’s one of the many ways to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“That part of celebration is being able to gather. And so this is a free museum, and you can have a free tour. You can get together a bunch of your friends, and we can go on a tour together, or you can just bring your family or some loved ones and come and be a part of this exhibit,” Ramsbottom-Cuevas said.
The exhibit will run until Jan. 2. There will also be gatherings at the museum throughout the summer as well.
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