From local sounds to iconic sculptures, arts attractions are waiting via easy road trips

This paid piece is sponsored by Travel South Dakota.

The arts are alive and well in South Dakota.

Whether you’re interested in paintings, live music, sculptures or just enjoying the last summer days, there’s an arts attraction for you in the state.

Discover them throughout southeast South Dakota through the State of Create passport from Travel South Dakota, which will guide you to destinations you might never have known existed.

Visit, get your free, mobile-exclusive digital “passport” stamped, and earn prizes.

Let’s take a look at what’s out there.

Porter Sculpture Park

45160 257th St., Montrose

Artist Wayne Porter describes it as “the strangest place ever.”

Colorful and looming over the prairie, the sculpture park offers both a sense of place and a place of wonder.

Think giant butterflies, a rocking horse, a dragon and more. All larger than life and all created by Porter, who learned basic blacksmithing from his father when he was 12.

“We did everything by eye, and we had to engineer things to work,” he said.

“When a piece of equipment came in all crumpled up, we would reverse engineer it to straighten it out. So I’ve done enough of that to understand how some engineering works. I’ll look at a piece of steel and try to figure out where the tipping point is.”

That artist brain and engineering mindset have helped create the Porter Sculpture Park along Interstate 90.

If you’ve driven near Montrose, you’ve likely noticed the park, described as “a world of metal marvels” and “a South Dakota treasure.”

The park features more than 60 metal sculptures with accompanying poetry. Visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour or one by Porter himself. The tour is about one-third of a mile, and golf carts are available for use.

Porter describes himself as “arranged to do art. Art is play to an artist.”

His favorite sculpture is the Egyptian longhorn bull, rising tall in the prairie.

“In Hand County, cattle outnumber people. My father was a cowboy. I have cowboy friends. I smushed together neo-Egyptian art with Hand County,” Porter said.

Other works he loves to talk about include the giant horse containing pieces weighing 30 pounds each.

“The horse, I thought, was going to beat me,” Porter said. “The pieces are heavy, and I climb like King Kong. This went on for years. I told everyone the horse would take three years, but it took 10 winters.”

It weighs 25 tons.

Porter said people are surprised by how many sculptures there are.

“The lay of the land hides a lot of it,” he said. “I meet a bunch of people all day long. I have conversations with people from everywhere.”

He tries to impart the feeling of rural South Dakota in his work. “I can’t explain it to anyone who’s not a country boy. I’m trying to explain this feeling the best I can.”

The gallery is open from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. now through Oct. 15. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for age for 13 to 17, and free for those 12 and younger.

Levitt at the Falls

504 N. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls

If you want to be in the heart of Sioux Falls, with blue sky overhead, lush grass at your feet and a few thousand of your closest friends, then  Levitt at the Falls is for you. Throughout the summer and into September, you can listen to live music for free and enjoy downtown views.

Olivia Bertino Clark, marketing manager for the Levitt, describes it as a unique part of the Sioux Falls community.

“There’s a magic energy about being at the Levitt. It’s truly a place where we’re building community through music,” Clark said. “People of all backgrounds come together to experience live music together.”

The Levitt is a family-friendly activity with music, food trucks, plenty of space to run around and a picnic atmosphere.

“Every night, we have a variety of food trucks, concessions and beverages, outdoor games at the top of the lawn and more,” Clark said. “We start the music at 7 p.m. with a local or regional opening act, and the headlining band will take the stage around 7:45 p.m.”

The Levitt books 50 shows a year in 10 genres, meaning there’s something for everyone, Clark said. “Whether you’re looking for a date night, family outing or a chance to meet old and new friends, the Levitt Shell is a welcoming space for everyone.”

Shows continue into September, so find the latest schedule here.

Johnny Swatek Fine Arts

115 N. Main St., Avon

Growing up in Avon, Johnny Swatek filled his free time drawing. He began with normal kid stuff: dragons and bikes and other tween topics. He liked the activity, but it also helped him connect with his dad, who worked a lot.

“The only time I could see him for more than a few minutes was to show him my drawings, and he always made time for that,” Swatek said. “It became a thing for us, and the more I did it, the more I liked doing it.”

Swatek studied art in college in California and works as a graphic designer during the day.

But art is still his first love. He began airbrushing when he was 17. “I don’t think I picked up a hand brush for 20 years,” he said. “Everything I did was airbrushed.”

Now, he uses oil paint and hand brushes, though he sometimes will airbrush the background of his work. “I can use an airbrush with acrylics to lay down a base and then put oil on top of it,” he said of his occasional technique. “If I’m looking for a blurry background, it’s faster and easier to do it that way.”

Swatek takes commissions and does a variety of works – from portraits to wildlife.

“Looking at my studio now, there are four paintings of people, one pheasant, a buffalo and some horses and still lives,” he said. “I go to Pinterest for inspiration, and if I find something really pretty and feel like painting it, I do. I try to make something people will be interested in and will conjure up some memories for them.”

He has shown his work around the state, including at the Center for Western Studies Artists of the Plains show.

To commission a work or purchase one he’s already done, it’s best to reach him through Facebook Messenger on his page here.

“I just want to be a really good painter,” Swatek said.

State of Create

Discover more arts destinations statewide through the State of Create passport from Travel South Dakota.