At last night’s opening of Dick Termes’  ”Termespheres” there was a good crowd and lots of up-beat “wows”.  50 pieces, hung at eye level from small chains, most of which were motorized from the ceiling and slowly turning in space.  It was strange navigating through the room with your vision blocked by various spheres and being captivated by one or more at the same time.  They gave Dick the mike and he explained some of them which greatly added to their attraction.  He has always haunted me throughout my career making “atmospheres” , clay spheres and spheroids thrown on the wheel with the sky glazed on them. http://www.youtube.com/Pthalo2I would go to an event with my work and people would invariably ask me if I had seen his work.At last, now I can say that I have both seen the work and met the artist.  I suggest you do the same and go to the Dahl and be amazed.   Don Jones 

We must be born with it.  A gene, or some mental wiring that says that art is some pretty imitation of nature scenes, flower arrangements, quaint villages,  and/or portraits.  Overcoming this wiring is usually the job of education or having a son or daughter who wants to become an “artist”  I spent my first year here subbing in the Middle and High Schools in art classes.  I can say that the art teachers here in Rapid do a wonderful job in teaching basic skills and ways of looking at historical and contemporary art.  So the problem is not in education.  For a long time, part of the problem was not having a proper venue to showcase challenging artworks for the general public.  Now that we have the new and expanded Dahl Art Center the problem of exposure should be solved.  Now we have to get folks in the door and actually looking at stuff they are not used to looking at.   The light paintings of Stephen Knapp may be a middle ground of sorts for those who like beautiful things and aren’t bothered by abstract shapes.  The work of Ross Rudel is another matter and maybe some explanation or more time spent pondering is in order.   Both artists can be seen at the new Dahl and they are worth the trip. Come out of your “comfort zone” a little and see some work that will get you thinking about what is art and what is beautiful.  Don Jones 

The last information I have regarding the amount the state spends on the arts is .08% of the total budget.  I sympathize with Governor Rounds in having to “tighten belts” or whatever the phrase is these days.  However, I don’t think he or most of the legislators know how much the arts contribute to the State of South Dakota.  The most obvious reason being that the very symbol of the state; appearing on the license plate and bringing in millions of tourist dollars is in fact a work of art itself.  Ask any schoolchild (or anyone from out of state) what is special about South Dakota, and the first thing (or maybe the only thing) they say is: Mount Rushmore National Memorial.  The fact that this monument was sculpted by an artist seems a given by most people.  Artists such as Mr Borglum need to be trained and schooled if any more such works are to be accomplished in South Dakota and the potential here in the Black Hills is enormous.  I have only been here 3 years and I continue to be impressed with the quality and commitment of the painters, sculptors, craftspeople, musicians and writers who live here in the Black Hills area.  These artists spend money and create wealth through sales, equipment, supplies, and use of venues for their work.  Any money spent on them will return 10 fold in my opinion.  Don Jones

South Dakota is a beautiful place, especially here in the Black Hills area.  I have seen many good artists with sculpture, paintings and crafts exhibiting in local area galleries.  I wonder how many of them are doing it full time?  Do they have to show in a larger market like Chicago or Minneapolis or Denver?  Can you make it here?Don Jones