Dakota Wesleyan University producing documentary on public art in South Dakota

Erik Kaufman, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Updated ·4 min read

Jan. 17—MITCHELL — A grant from the South Dakota Community Foundation is the latest boost to a Dakota Wesleyan University project aiming to increase awareness about public art installations in South Dakota.

The grant, which comes in the amount of $11,801, will go toward the production of "Power of Possibility: A Documentary on Public Art in South Dakota," a film that will feature public art installations from around the state and their impact on the communities they grace and the state as a whole.

Anna Marie Thatcher, managing editor of Periaktos Productions and a member of the Dakota Wesleyan University Class of 1970, said the film is a great chance to expand the public's general knowledge on the subject while highlighting the contributions of art to the cultural landscape of communities around South Dakota, especially smaller ones.

"The goals of (the film) are to make citizens aware of the rich and vast array of public art in our state and facilitate discussion about its impact in the smaller communities in South Dakota," Thatcher said in a statement. "By investing in the arts and humanities, we at Dakota Wesleyan University not only want to enrich higher education, but also help to cultivate a community that values public expression. Through initiatives like the Power of Possibility documentary, our support encourages and amplifies the impact of public art and how it contributes to the cultural landscape of our entire state."

The idea for the film began with the installation of the sculpture titled "The Power of Possibility," a clear blue resin sculpture in front of the School of Business, Leadership and Innovation on the Dakota Wesleyan campus. The sculpture was created by Joan Benefiel of Brooklyn-based Figuration Studio in New York City and dedicated on campus in 2022. The sculpture honors the Women of Wesleyan from past to present and encourages the university's women into the future.

Kitty Allen, vice president for institutional advancement at Dakota Wesleyan University, said the sculpture served a purpose even beyond its original intent and helped inspire the documentary project.

"The process of commissioning and choosing an artist and funding and actually installing that piece of public art was quite a learning process for everyone on the committee," Allen told the Mitchell Republic. "One of our committee members, Anna Marie Thatcher, thought it was an opportunity to tell the story of public art and how it affects a community in South Dakota.

Allen did not have an exact cost for producing the film, but noted that in addition to the South Dakota Community Foundation grant, funds from the South Dakota Humanities Council in the amount of approximately $19,000 along with donations from alumni and in-kind donations are being used to complete the project.

Allen said filming for the documentary began late last spring and has already wrapped up, with editing the film the next step for the filmmakers to complete. The film crew made stops across South Dakota documenting public art installations, including sessions in Mitchell, Pierre, Lemmon and Watertown.

The Power of Possibility sculpture at Dakota Wesleyan served as the inspiration for the documentary, but the filmmakers are taking a broad approach to art subjects to feature.

"(The Power of Possibility sculpture) was the linchpin, and what launched the documentary, but this will be a little more broad," Allen said.

With filming complete and editing now underway, Allen said the documentary is scheduled for a premiere on campus at Dakota Wesleyan University on May 21 in an event that will be open to the public. There will also be a premiere held West River, though the time and location for that event has not yet been set.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting has also shown interest in showing the documentary, Allen said.

Dakota Wesleyan University had traditionally embraced art on its campus, Allen said. Along with the Power of Possibility, a statue of George and Eleanor McGovern by artist Dale Lamphere graces the entrance of the McGovern Library on the school campus, along with other pieces scattered about the school.

Allen said the work to bring the Power of Possibility to campus and arranging for the documentary has been a learning experience for her and other members of the committee. It's one she hopes the public finds as enriching as she did.

"I feel, personally, privileged to be a part of this," Allen said. "I have learned a tremendous amount about doing an art installation like this, and it's been a privilege and an honor to learn alongside these women and to be a witness to their passion for art and what that art represents."