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Annual event hosted by Dacotah Prairie Museum
[ABERDEEN, SD, April 2025] — The 30th annual Dakota Student Art Exhibition was hosted by the Dacotah Prairie Museum (DPM) April 23 and 24 at the Aberdeen Recreation and Cultural Center (ARCC).
Middle and high school students from 17 South Dakota schools showcased their student artwork at the ARCC April 23-24. This annual arts program is held over two days; students attend a gallery session and three art workshops presented by professional artists. In its 20 years it has provided constructive and supportive feedback to young artists while also letting them experience interactive art workshops with a variety of mediums. This year 116 students participated; over 4,000 students have attended since its inception in 1996. The student art show was the vision of John Sieh, an avid supporter of the arts in rural settings. It was created to celebrate young artists and to encourage them to pursue a lifelong interest in the fine arts. His Granary Rural Cultural Center in rural Groton, S.D. hosted the event from 1996 until 2018. The DPM and staff have supported this event since the beginning and continue to promote Sieh’s legacy of providing opportunities to young artists in our region.
This year’s judges, Barb Newman from Aberdeen, SD has been an art educator for 38 years at all levels of education from elementary to the university level, and Michelle Bacon from Aberdeen, SD, who started her career in graphic design, technical drawing and building design while also dabbling in pottery, woodworking, and painting. The judges choose winners in 7 media categories, along with best in show, best team, and middle school honorable mention, winners are as follows:
Best in Show: Ella Perman, Selby Area School for “Don’t Forget to Smile” a drawing portrait.
Best School Team: Northwestern Area High School
Middle School Honorable Mention: Sophia Waldner, Simmons Middle School for “My Sunset” painting.
Lora Schaunaman, former DPM curator of exhibits and professional artist, presented the Rising Star in the Visual Arts Award to Abby Yeadon, Groton High School for “Flashy Friends” a 2D Mixed Media painting.
Media Categories First Place:
Painting, Abigail Holmberg, Northwestern Area School, “Theory of Mind”
Drawing, Ava Meyers, ACSS Roncalli, “Fiercely Feminine”
Printmaking, Payton Grandpre, Northwestern Area, “Landslide”
Digital Media & Photography, Raini LaBrosse, Aberdeen Central High School, “Among Trees”
Fibers, Leather & Beadwork, Dailyn Kiner, Mitchell High School, “Fall of Icarus”
Other 2D Design/2D Mixed Media, Lydia Kost, ACSS Roncalli, “Unspoken Bond”
Other 3D Form/3D Mixed Media, Isabella Grenier, Northwestern Area School, “Out of the Box”
The students each day have an opportunity review and to vote for their top 3 favorite artworks.
Wednesday’s Student Choice First Place:
Dailyn Kiner, Mitchell High School, “Fall of Icarus”, Fibers, Leather & Beadwork
Thursday’s Student Choice First Place:
Shakinah Holsing, Aberdeen Christian School, “Glory into Glory”, Painting
This year’s event was supported by the Dacotah Prairie Museum Foundation.
The Dacotah Prairie Museum celebrates over 50 years as Brown County’s premier history museum. The Museum is housed in the historic Northwestern Bank building built in 1889 on Aberdeen’s Main Street. Gallery & Museum Store Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10am-5pm and Sat. 11am-4pm. Closed Sundays, Mondays, and major holidays. Free admission, donations appreciated. Check out the latest exhibits and events at www.dacotahprairiemuseum.com
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If you would like more information about this topic, please call Patricia Kendall at 605.626.7117, or email patricia.kendall@browncounty.sd.gov.
