FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 30, 2014

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

 “Furniture” Exhibit At The Cultural Heritage Center To Close After Feb. 9

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota State Historical Society officials have announced that a furniture exhibit at the museum in the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre will be closing after Sunday, Feb. 9.

“Furniture: The Fancy and the Functional” features more than 65 examples of furniture from the museum collection, organized and displayed by its function within the home. 

Following the closure of the furniture exhibit, located in the Hogen Gallery, the gallery will be closed as part of a plan that calls for more exhibits to be featured at the museum in the near future. The closure allows the museum staff time to make improvements to the space in advance of the next exhibition. 

“While we are always sorry to see an exhibit end, we are excited by the next exhibit and for new programming opportunities,” commented Jay Smith, director of the Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society.

“Improvements to the gallery space will give us more creative display options, which will be beneficial to our upcoming exhibits,” said Smith. “Additionally, we have been working closely with Mr. Amiotte through the society’s Research & Publishing program on an accompanying exhibit catalog.”

A new exhibit entitled, “Transformation and Continuity in Lakota Culture:  The Collages of Arthur Amiotte,” featuring the artwork of noted South Dakota Oglala Lakota artist Arthur Amiotte, will open to the public on April 19. 

The new exhibition will feature 31 of Amiotte’s original collages on loan from private collectors and museum collections throughout the United States. To present the full chronology of works begun in 1988, 26 actual-size, singular reproductions will represent originals not available for the exhibition.

“We hope people take advantage of this opportunity to visit the museum in the Cultural Heritage Center to see Furniture:  The Fancy and the Functional before it closes,” said Jay D. Vogt, director of the South Dakota State Historical Society. “It has been a very popular exhibit and we will miss it, but we also look forward to the new exhibit in partnership with Arthur Amiotte.”

For more information, visit www.history.sd.gov or call (605) 773-3458.

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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, 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.