Madison woman's artwork purchased for state collection

“Buffaloed” by Angela Behrends -KJAM Radio/AlphaMedia

A Madison woman has had her artwork selected for the state’s public art collection. The South Dakota Arts Council purchased thirteen new pieces for the state’s public art collection through the Art for State Buildings program. One of the pieces is from artist Angela Behrends of Madison. Hers is a mixed media sculpture called “Buffaloed”.

“Buffaloed” is a buffalo head made of steel wire with bison horn caps, and was initially a part of the South Dakota Governor’s 8th Biennial Art Exhibition.

The recent purchases were selected by a five-member advisory committee to the South Dakota Arts Council, which reviewed more than sixty proposals. The committee based its decisions on the quality of the work, the artwork’s relevance to South Dakota environment, history, heritage, or culture; professional experience of the artist; and permanence and safety, as required for public artworks.

The Art for State Buildings program was created for the purpose of showcasing the work of talented South Dakota artists and to build a permanent state art collection for display in publicly accessible areas of state government buildings.

The artwork selected for purchase represents artists from across the state, including:

Mick B. Harrison, Belle Fourche, A Quick Eye And Quicker Gate, oil on canvas, 24”x40”
Amy Lehman, Belvidere, The Sentinel, photography, 17.5”x22.5”
Teri McTighe, Faith, Endurance, colored pencil, 12”x10”
Angela Behrends, Madison, Buffaloed, mixed media sculpture, 32”x48”
Susan Drey, Rapid City, Sturgis Week on St. Joe, watercolor on paper, 16.5”x12”
Rodger Ellingson, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, acrylic, 48”x30”
Laura Jewell, Sioux Falls, Meadowlark Block, watercolor, 8”x8”
Chad Nelson & Lindsay Twa, Sioux Falls, Parable of a Fallen Ash, woodcut on board, 48”x96.5”
Barbara Sparks, Sioux Falls, SD, Echinacea, Watercolor, 48”x36”
Jordan Thornton, Sioux Falls, Pasque Field, linocut, watercolor, 8”x15”
Jesse Nelson, Spearfish, Sleeping Bear, photograph on metal, 40”x20”
J. Desy Schoenewies, Spearfish, Transplant, oil on canvas, 60”x48”
Kat Thompson, Whitewood, Majestic Cottonwood, oil on board, 12”x30”