Two faculty selected for biennial art exhibition
February 14, 2023
Angela Behrends and Tom Jones have artwork featured in the South Dakota Governor’s 10th Biennial Art Exhibition.
They are two of 69 artists with selected works for the show. The South Dakota Governor’s 10th Biennial Art Exhibition will travel to four venues around South Dakota. It will be featured in the South Dakota Art Museum of Brookings at South Dakota State University now through May 14, 2023.
Behrends’ is a ceramic work titled “Nobody Flies Alone.” The title is meant to show that we are all connected to each other and to everything. The piece features dots on a grid, drilled into a slab of clay and then filled with colors 1/3 springtime grassland green, and 2/3 sky blue.
“This piece combines my abstract landscape with my beloved birds,” she said. In this work, she loves the idea of the corner bird being caught in mid-flight, glimpsing its support system.
She shared the joy she gets from working with clay.
“Clay is kind of awesome,” she said. “If you listen attentively, it will tell you what it’s willing to do. The cracks in this slab are like negotiations between me and the clay, and as long as our disagreement is not threatening the structural integrity, we agree to let the evidence remain in the finished piece.”
A photograph titled “Float Your Boat” by Thomas Jones is also featured in the exhibition. The photo has been manipulated in the darkroom.
“It is a gelatin silver photograph processed in the darkroom,” he said. “The subject of the photograph is a wooden rowboat on the North Folk of Long Island, NY.”
Jones started with a photograph that fit within a three-dimensional square’s geometry to create the work. He selected a subject that was singled out and could stand alone on top of the box.
“The process involves a mask with windows opening and closing for different exposure times,” he explained. “The mask itself is held down with magnets and tape. This process needs to be precise. No room for errors.”
Jones hopes that people realize there are many methods for people to be creative. “If you are using one method, it doesn’t mean you cannot break the boundaries and create something incredible.”
A reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.
Exhibition schedule:
- South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings: Now – May 14, 2023
- John A. Day Gallery, Vermillion: June 19 – Aug. 4, 2023
- Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls: Aug. 25 – Nov. 12, 2023
- Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City: Dec. 8, 2023 – Mar. 30, 2024