Four: Works by Emerging Artists is what it sounds like. The exhibition at South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s newly-opened Black Hills Bureau — located on Main Street in downtown Rapid City — brings together four young South Dakota artists.
“All the artists are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, as well as myself,” says curator Ashley Pourier. However, she adds, “their work doesn’t fit the acceptation of what ‘artwork produced by Native Americans’ should look like.”
“Their personal aesthetics and motivations are what draws me to them.”
Pourier is Curator at the The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School. The Heritage Center’s annual Red Cloud Indian Art Show is the longest running annual Native American art exhibition in the nation. In 2018, the show will mark its fiftieth year.
“We’re very honored to have Ashley Pourier come in and curate our inaugural exhibit here at the Black Hills Bureau, and to host such dynamic work by four incredible artists,” says SDPB Arts & Culture correspondent Michael Zimny.
Four features works by Tom Swift Bird (digital photography), Rayna Hernandez (mixed media), Jimi La Pointe (watercolor) and LeRoy Janis (oil on canvas).
Four is the first in an ongoing series of exhibitions at SDPB’s Black Hills Bureau. The idea is to make the Black Hills Bureau a hub where ideas and cultures converge, a place where people come together — in person or via multiple media platforms — to inspire or be inspired.
Four is open to the public November 3 - December 15. Opening reception is Friday, November 3, 6-8pm.
