From famous artists to local creators, discover them within an easy road trip of Sioux Falls

This paid piece is sponsored by the South Dakota Department of Tourism.

For decades, South Dakota’s people and culture, open prairies and quiet snowfall landscapes have been the heart of artwork and artists who represent the state.

While South Dakota artists such as Terry Redlin, Oscar Howe and Harvey Dunn are internationally known, you can learn about their work and explore the land that inspired them by driving just hours north of Sioux Falls.

The South Dakota Department of Tourism makes it easy for South Dakotans and visitors alike to learn about such famous artists and other local creators through its “State of Create” mobile passport program, which encourages people to explore and experience hidden gems throughout South Dakota.

If you visit 10 or more of the featured locations, you can earn a range of prizes, including a custom pair of Vans shoes and a chance to win a South Dakota vacation.

Here are some unique stops north of Sioux Falls that are worth even a brief 10- to 30-minute stop and tour to learn about the influence of art within the state:

Find the ‘spirit of South Dakota’ in Brookings

If you’re looking to find the art treasures of South Dakota, look no further than the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.

The museum houses artworks created by South Dakota artists as well as pieces that have significance to the art world in general, said Carolyne Hart, who leads marketing and development at the museum.

The facility holds several permanent collections, including:

• The largest collection of paintings from renowned South Dakota artist Harvey Dunn. Dunn attended college at the Brookings university in the early 1900s. His prairie paintings became the pride of the state soon after.
• An extensive collection of Native American artworks, including its Oscar Howe Collection, traditional Native pieces and works by contemporary and emerging Native artists.
• A collection of original illustrations representing the entire body of work from Paul Goble, a British American who made South Dakota his home in the late 1970s. He wrote and illustrated many children’s books about Native American folk stories and traditions.
• Fine linens produced by Marghab Linen in Madeira, Portugal, from 1932 to 1978. The collection was established by South Dakotan Vera Way Marghab and her husband, Emile.

“Anytime somebody visits, they’ll experience work that exemplifies the spirit of South Dakota through the artwork that’s been created here,” Hart said. “But it also expands the world perspective of visitors to see art from around the world.”

The museum was the first accredited museum in South Dakota and the only art-only accredited museum in the state. It’s also recognized by the American Art Awards as one of the top 20 art museums in the country.

The South Dakota Art Museum was established in 1970, and its work was initiated in 1950 after Harvey Dunn had an exhibition of his work for the first time in South Dakota. The exhibition lasted for 14 weeks because people flocked from all over the region to see his paintings, so he donated them to the people of South Dakota and to be maintained at his alma mater.

The museum displays five to seven exhibitions at a time, with both permanent and traveling exhibits. Next summer, the museum will host “Dakota Modern: The Art of Oscar Howe,” which opened at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City earlier this year.

Howe is one of the most well-known Native American artists in the country’s history. He grew up among the Yanktonai Dakota Sioux and was a member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe.

“He is someone who inspired so many contemporary Native American artists because of his groundbreaking approach to painting,” Hart said. “To have his works come back and be shown in the state, which is really only one of three sites that the exhibition is shown in, is an honor.”

The museum is open daily — except when closed on Sundays from January through March — and includes a store that features art, jewelry and pottery for sale from South Dakota artists. Artist talks, group tours, field trips and free community art days with children’s activities are regularly held at the museum as well.

Step back in time at the Goss Opera House

The 133-year-old Goss Opera House in Watertown is one of the few opera houses still standing in the state. And when you step inside the completely renovated building, you’ll be transported back to when Charles Goss originally built the structure in 1889.

While there were two opera houses already built in Watertown by then, the Goss Opera House is the only one to last the test of time. It still hosts musical and theater events as well as dinners and is available for tours to interested visitors.

Visitors are transported back to the turn of the century during tours, said executive director Jamie Mack, showing the craftsmanship it took to build the facility, what its rooms were used for and telling the story of South Dakotans at the time.

“It’s a snapshot of South Dakota culture in the late 1880s,” Mack said. “Nearly everything in the building is tied to something that was created or sourced from South Dakota, and it’s fun to show it off.”

The building had sat dormant for about 70 years until the community and the Friends of the Goss organization came together to fund a $5.5 million renovation.

“Our building is not only beautiful and historic, but there is something going on all the time, whether that’s tours or events,” Mack said. “If you’re traveling through the state or on your way to somewhere else, chances are that there’s an event going on here you can participate in that people would usually have to drive hours away to experience otherwise.”

The opera house only opened two years ago — and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, no less — but has seen plenty of traffic and interest from the community. The organization’s goal is to create opportunities for cultural and artistic experiences in the community and to get children involved in the arts.

Explore ‘real South Dakota’ at the Redlin Art Center

When Watertown native Terry Redlin was 15 years old, his leg was amputated after a motorcycle accident.

It was 1953 and the teenager, who had hoped to pursue a career involving the outdoors and wildlife, instead chose to pursue a career in art with the help of a scholarship program from the state of South Dakota.

By the late 1980s, Redlin was known as one of the country’s premier wildlife artists.

Now, 168 of Redlin’s 210 original oil paintings hang in the Redlin Art Center, built in 1996 by Redlin’s family.

The 30-acre conservation park and center has remained open year-round and with free admission in its 25-year history as both Redlin’s thank-you to the state for the original scholarship he received and as a gift to the people of South Dakota.

Whether you have 10 minutes or three hours or all day, visitors can make their visit their own, said executive director Julie Ranum, who has been with the center since before it opened in 1997.

“The art center tells a story about life in a simpler time in rural America,” Ranum said. “Every painting captures a memory of Terry Redlin’s, but the magical thing is that it’s our memories too. The warmth of what he captures invites us in and to reminisce.”

Redlin’s art captures South Dakota landscapes and scenes of South Dakotans interacting.

“The Redlin Art Center captures South Dakota and all that is unique and special about this state in a collection of artwork created by an artist who was born and raised here,” Ranum added. “It’s real South Dakota.”

The entire facility operates off sales from its on-site gift shops. The building also features a theater for special events and performances, and children who visit can follow the gallery’s bingo game, inviting them to look carefully at paintings and find hidden items.

The art center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Watch how pottery is made at Dakota Stoneware

David Huebner is the owner, operator and potter — or as he likes to call it: the “lone ranger” — at Dakota Stoneware Pottery in Bushnell, just outside of Brookings.

Huebner, 77, has been crafting pottery and ceramics for most of his adult life. He took a few classes while at South Dakota State University in the ’60s and became more interested in the craft shortly after that while he was stationed in Hawaii in the Army as a topographic engineer.

When he returned to South Dakota in 1972, he opened his store in Brookings and later moved to Bushnell.

“I flunked pottery at South Dakota State in 1966. I’m still looking to get a better grade,” Huebner joked. “I just play in the mud now.”

For those who wander into his pottery store in the small town of 71 people, they’ll find not only a store and gallery but a museum as well. Most of Huebner’s work focuses on recreating Native American or historical artifacts for museums across the country.

Huebner is also a historian and partakes in programs educating about several figures that influenced the area, including Lewis and Clark and Maj. Steven Long.

The gallery includes his reproduced work and replicas of Native American drums, birchbark canoes and artifacts, as well as several hats he wears in his historical programs.

If interested parties call in advance, Huebner can arrange for them to watch while he works in his studio, lending to his central mission of education surrounding South Dakota history and art.

Ready for a trip off the typical tourism path? Explore S.D. Great Finds