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South Dakota boasts what may be the largest and most popular public art display in America, if not the world: Mount Rushmore. The Crazy Horse carving and the Dignity statue near Chamberlain are two other well-known pieces of public art in the state.
But there are many more.
A small group of invited guests gathered at the Redlin Art Center Thursday evening for a screening of a documentary film about public art in South Dakota and how it impacts communities.
The documentary was titled “The Power of Possibility – The Impact of Public Art in South Dakota Communities. The guest list included artists, patrons of the arts and other community leaders.
The hour-long film, in which Watertown is prominently featured, was produced by DWU alum Anna Marie Thatcher of Periaktos Productions in Rapid City and the office of Institutional Advancement at Dakota Wesleyan University. It was made possible by grants from the South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota Community Foundation and others.
The documentary was inspired by a sculpture titled “Power of Possibility” that was installed on the DWU campus in 2022. The film includes commentary by artist Joan Benefiel of Brooklyn, N.Y, who created the sculpture, and South Dakota Artist Laureate Dale Lamphere. They talk about how art projects are initiated and completed.
The film includes a tour of public art in several communities throughout the state and interviews with local people who explain the impact and importance of public art in their communities.
Watertown’s segment, which comes in the first half of the film, featured the Redlin Art Center, Jan DeBerg talking about the Watertown Art Walk, and Brad Johnson singing the praises of the Goss Opera House restoration. Both talked about the positive impact on the city of Watertown.
“Research shows that access to the arts can have some pretty meaningful impacts on the community.” Cammie Mengwasser, director of the Watertown Area Community Foundation, told the audience. “It helps boost civic engagement, reduces crime, improves the local economy, enhances academic outcomes for students, strengthens the bonds of a community, preserves our culture, and sparks creativity.
“There’s no better example of these benefits than what we see in Watertown every day. We should be really proud of how the community prioritizes art.”
Other communities featured in the documentary include Mobridge, Eagle Butte, Aberdeen, De Smet, Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City, and Pine Ridge.
The Pierre segment focused mainly on the South Dakota Capitol building, which houses 125 works by 90 different artists. Rapid City’s downtown presidential sculptures were highlighted, as was Sioux Falls’ downtown sculpture walk, one of the largest in the country.
Among the guests at the film’s Redlin Art Museum screening on Thursday was Watertown Mayor Ried Holien.
“I’ve always appreciated art,” he told the Watertown Current, “and if anything, this movie reinforced the appreciation I have, both for what it can do for an individual and for the community.
“It was great to see Watertown featured prominently in the film. It shows a lot of the work done by a lot of individuals in this community over the last 15 years in particular. It also enlivens me to see what we can do in the next 15.”
