Community Calendar

National Music Museum Celebrates 50th Anniversary Year with Special Exhibition

The National Music Museum (NMM) is celebrating 50 years in the making with a special exhibition “As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years (1973–2023).”

Since its official inception in 1973, the NMM has collected musical instruments and related materials spanning five centuries. That is 500 years of history, tradition, innovation, and music-making! “As Good as Gold” features some of the treasured instruments that shaped the NMM during its first 50 years of history, and explores how the museum’s holdings have evolved from the founding collection to recent acquisitions.

Five exhibit themes highlight collection periods in the history of the NMM:

1. “Filling the Gaps” describes the instruments obtained just after the donation of the founding Arne B. Larson collection. Several early woodwind instruments and a harpsichord collected during this time shows the NMM’s intention to fill in the gaps in the European collection, particularly in the areas of 16th- to early 19th-century instruments. Included in this group are a 1793 basset horn from Prague; a ca. 1720 oboe from Amsterdam; an original Adolphe Sax tenor saxophone; and a 1659 Flemish harpsichord from Antwerp.

2. “Once In A Lifetime” is the phrase used when the famed Witten Collection of early Italian stringed instruments became available in 1984, and NMM Director André P. Larson seized the opportunity to secure the collection – and museum’s identity as a major cultural institution. Today known as the Witten-Rawlins Collection, the selection of instruments in this group includes the Amati “King” cello; a Stradivari violin and guitar; and the 1767 Antunes piano.

3. “Crescendo” represents the period of growth between the 1980s and 2000s, as the museum homed in on strategic opportunities to collect. Instruments included from this era include a C. G. Conn saxophone exquisitely engraved by master Stenberg; a natural trumpet from Nuremberg workshop founder Haas; a Grenser clarinet and a Naust transverse flute, among the oldest European woodwinds presently at the NMM.

4. “Utley and Bates” showcases the two major collections acquired at the turn of the century—the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection of Brass Instruments (1999) and the Alan G. Bates Harmonica Collection (2000).

5. “Fine-Tuning” represents the philosophy of sustainable collecting that the NMM adopted in the new century. The selection of instruments in this final group include one of the last well-documented Amati violins; a rare 16th-century English viola da gamba, and an even rarer 16th-century Italian polygonal virginal, both with well documented provenance history; and finally, a Native American rattle and drum from contemporary Indigenous artists.

Beginning on January 20, 2023, “As Good as Gold: The First 50 Years” will be open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays from Noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The exhibit will remain open through October 2023.

In addition to the special exhibition, the NMM museum store and NMM Live! concert series will also be in full swing this spring and summer. More information can be found on our Facebook page, or online at nmmusd.org.

Join other tiny tots for an hour of unstructured play time, in the library! Snacks and refreshments will be served.

Pose | Repose gathers artworks from the South Dakota Art Museum Collections that depict human faces and figures. Featured portraits depict subjects posed intentionally with direct gazes, symbolic objects, and telling wardrobes. Other works reveal subjects in repose or in motion, underlining moments of our universal connectedness through posture.

Primarily gleaned from the Museum’s Collections, these artworks reveal the human form as depicted by many of South Dakota’s most important artists, including Ada Caldwell, Milton Kudlacek, Robert Lee Penn, Melvin Spinar, and Martin Wanserski. A significant number of pieces on display are by two of South Dakota’s most renowned artists, illustrator Harvey Dunn and Yanktonai artist Oscar Howe, including two loaned works: Dunn’s Dakota Woman from the Dakota Wesleyan University collection and Howe’s Woman Scalp Dancer from a private collector.

Further, works like Stephen Briggs’ Central American photograph of a sleeping figure and Bryan Holland’s portrait of a European courtesan supersede the geographical and cultural constraints of the Midwest region. Others, such as pieces by Alice Neel and Alex Katz, reflect more modern practices and contemporary sensibilities while demonstrating broader representation within the Museum’s Collections.

Explore works by 69 artists from across South Dakota! Learn more and view the exhibition catalog for a glimpse at the exceptional quality and variety of works in the 10th Biennial South Dakota Governor's Art Exhibition.

The South Dakota Governor’s Biennial Art Exhibition was established in 2003 to recognize and encourage South Dakota artists, to promote the artistic identity of South Dakota, to celebrate the cultural heritage and future of South Dakota, and to encourage a larger sense of community and connection across separate artistic communities within the state.

The South Dakota Art Museum is proud to serve as the opening venue for this 10th biennial. After its display here the show will travel to the John A. Day Gallery at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion (Jun 19—Aug 4, 2023), the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science, Sioux Falls (Aug 25—Nov 12, 2023), and the Dahl Arts Center at the Rapid City Arts Council, Rapid City (Dec 8, 2023—Mar 30, 2024).

This exhibition features photographs from the Eugene Buechel Photography Collection and objects from the Rev. and Mrs. Frank Thorburn Tribal Arts Collection. Most of the works on display date to the 1920s – 1940s, when Eugene Buechel, the Jesuit priest and scholar, served at the St. Francis and Holy Rosary Missions on the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservation respectively, and Rev. and Abigail Thorburn served the Episcopal Church on the Standing Rock and Pine Ridge Reservations. Both collections are unique in their immediacy. Buechel’s photographs depict primarily one-on-one interactions with his sitters. The Thorburn Collection consists primarily of objects that were given directly to the donors by the artists.

HAPPY HOUR Monday - Thursday from 3 - 6 p.m. get $5 pints on select beers at Miner Brewing Company, BOGO glasses of wine at Prairie Berry Winery, and $2 off Artisan Plates. 

Learn how to make cake pops! Once you make your own cake pops at the library, the delicious recipe is yours to use as you wish. Have a party coming up, or do you simply want to wow your friends with your baking skills? This cake pop recipe is perfect for any occasion!
When: March 31st
Time: 5:00PM-6:00PM
PreRegistration required through March 20th at aberdeen.sd.us/library

The Kiwanis Club of Lead Deadwood will be hosting a Lenten Fish Fry on Friday, March 31, 2023 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Christian Ministry Center at 7 So. Main in Lead. Several different types of fish will be served in addition to appetizers, salads, desserts and drinks (chicken will also be available for the non-fish eater). Advance tickets can be purchased from any Kiwanis Club member at $10 for adults, $8 seniors/children, under 5 free (no advance tickets sold after March 24). Tickets at the door will be $12 for adults, $10 seniors/children, under 5 free. All funds will be used to support the Kiwanis Club mission which is "serving the children of the world." Kiwanis Club supports the Boys & Girls Club, Meals on Wheels, LD School Key Club & Builders Club, Dental Bus, etc. For more information, please call 605-641-6254.

Miss Art World South Dakota Klaire Lockheart invites everyone to honor the end of Women’s History Month on Final Friday, March 31st at No. 7 Center Gallery, 7 Center Street, Vermillion, SD. The celebration includes the opening reception of the Thunderdomesticity: Damsels vs. Distress exhibition. The art reception, hosted by the Packard Group, LLC, lasts from 5:00-7:00 pm, and it’s free and open to the public. Thunderdomesticity: Damsels vs. Distress was juried by Klaire Lockheart, and prints of the selected artworks will be displayed outside on the north wall of No. 7 Center Gallery. This is the second annual Thunderdomesticity party, and guests are encouraged to dress up in post-apocalyptic costumes!

Thunderdomesticity: Damsels vs. Distress is a national juried art show designed to celebrate the strength of all women. The current political climate can feel like the end of the world, but 50 amazing artists from across the United States offer encouragement through their artwork. This exhibition celebrates the heroic characteristics of women, which counterbalances traditional post-apocalyptic narratives that frequently exclude or mistreat women. The artwork is feminist, dystopian, and everything in between! There are over 100 works of art that include photography, paintings, mixed-media, henna, digital art, assemblage, fiber art, drawings, and ceramics. The range of art, from abstract to figurative, from traditional techniques to innovative uses of media, is exciting! These awesome artists know how to create powerful narratives through visual compositions.

​The outdoor print exhibition of Thunderdomesticity: Damsels vs. Distress will be on display on the north wall facing City Hall from March 31st through May 19th, 2023 at No. 7 Center Gallery, 7 Center Street, Vermillion, SD. The prints were created by Aaron C. Packard from the Packard Group. Due to the ephemeral nature of the wheat-paste installation, the prints are exposed to the elements and public. Over time, the prints will change, and they will be destroyed in the removal process after the show ends.

The Fool’s 48 Short Film Project is one of VCA’s featured community events. Local teams have 48 hours to write, film, and edit a 4–7 minute film. This foolish undertaking is held over April Fool’s weekend. To add a challenge, each team draws a genre from a hat at the Friday evening kickoff event, and all teams must incorporate the same line of dialogue, prop, and location. Monday night we host the Fool’s 48 Film Showcase at the Coyote Twin Theater. It’s always a blockbuster event! Keep up with 2023 updates and notices at Fool’s 48 on Facebook.

Fool’s 48 was inspired by the Fischgaard 48-Hours Filmmaking Competition from Aberdeen, South Dakota.

AND THE SIEVERS GOES TO . . .
Each year, a panel of judges selects a Best Picture recipient and the audience votes for People’s Choice. Starting in 2023, we will be adding Best Picture by USD student team. Winners receive a cash prize and keepsake golden VHS tape. In 2022, we dubbed our golden VHS tapes “the Sievers,” in honor of a dear friend and enthusiastic annual Fool’s 48 participant, Melissa Hamersma-Sievers, who passed away in 2021.

The event kickoff will be Friday, March 31 at 5:30pm in the Coyote Gallery at 12 E. Main. At least one representative from each participating team will need to attend to receive the assigned genres and the required film elements. Teams then have only 48 hours to write, shoot, and edit a short 4–7 minute film. Films must submitted to the Fool’s 48 Google Drive folder by 6:00pm Sunday, April 2. Only films by teams that meet the deadline will be screened in the showcase.

The showcase will be held at the Coyote Twin Theater on Monday, April 3, at 7:00pm. Admission is $5 per person and tickets will be for sale starting Friday, March 31.

The VCA is exceptionally thankful to Ebsen House Productions for annual technical assistance.