FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Friday, May 28, 2010

CONTACT:  Jeff Mammenga, Media Coordinator, (605) 773-6000, Jeff.Mammenga@state.sd.us

Artists’ Road Trip Promoting Capitol  Centennial

PIERRE, S.D. -- Two South Dakota artists are making a road trip the first weekend in June to celebrate the South Dakota Capitol’s 100^th anniversary.

Artists Jon Crane of Hill City and Angela Marie Poches of Rapid City will travel to three South Dakota cities with their artwork of the Capitol. They are the featured artists for the Capitol Centennial Art Show – Capturing South Dakota History and Heritage.

People will have the opportunity to meet Crane and Poches and see the artwork they created of the Capitol at free receptions in Aberdeen, Watertown and Sioux Falls. Limited-edition prints of their artwork will also be available. The receptions will be:

n      Friday, June 4, 7-9 p.m. CDT, at Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen

n      Saturday, June 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. CDT, at Goss Opera House & Gallery in Watertown

n      Sunday, June 6, 1-4 p.m. CDT, at the Sertoma Butterfly House in Sioux Falls

“People from all corners of our state should have the opportunity to celebrate this important anniversary in South Dakota history,” Crane said. “We’re hoping that by interacting with those involved in creating this event, people throughout the state will become enthusiastic about this landmark event in our state’s history, as well as the cause of historic preservation.”

For the art show, sponsored by the South Dakota Heritage Fund, about 25 of South Dakota’s best career artists have captured the Capitol’s history or the state’s history in art. The art will be auctioned in Pierre on June 19. Because the Heritage Fund is the nonprofit fund-raising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society, the money raised by the art auction will help preserve the history of South Dakota.

Crane and Poches will be joined at the receptions by some of the other artists involved in the Capitol Centennial Art Show. Participating artists are: Lee Leuning of Aberdeen; Dale Bandel of Gary; JoAnne Bird and Virginia Coudron of Brookings; Jess Elofson of Brandon; Mark Anderson and Russ Duerksen of Sioux Falls; Nancyjane Huehl of Pierre; Roger Wermers of Estelline; Jenny Braig, Peggy Detmers, Richard DuBois, Allen Eckman, Brian Hagg, Gail Heilmann and Joseph Lowe of Rapid City; Bill Feterl and Dale Lamphere of Sturgis; Brett & Tammy Prang of Kadoka; Mick Harrison of Belle Fourche; and Tim Peterson, Kathy Sigle and Marion Toillion of Spearfish.

Construction of the Capitol began in 1905 and was completed in 1910. Events celebrating the Capitol’s Centennial will take place at the Capitol on June 19. For more information go to capitol.sd.gov

*Poches (POH’-chehs)

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The South Dakota Heritage Fund is a private charitable nonprofit that seeks funding to assist the South Dakota State Historical Society in programming and projects to preserve South Dakota’s history and heritage for future generations.

The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism and State Development and strives to help the state meet the goals of the 2010 Initiative by enhancing history as a tool for economic development and cultural tourism. The society is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.