With September in the history books and October hitting its stride, Yankton Area Arts is celebrating fall with a new exhibit mid-month and a reinvigorated program in development! Both the exhibit and the program will showcase the incomparable talent we have not only in our South Dakota artistic community, but also right here in River City! Go Yankton, go Arts!

First, the G.A.R. Gallery will welcome an exceptional exhibit of paintings in mid-October called “Wild Imagination” by Russ Duerksen. Born and raised in small town South Dakota, Duerksen garners inspiration from the wildlife he has grown up observing. “My brothers and I ventured outdoors for entertainment. A typical day was canoeing down the river, exploring a marsh, or walking on the railroad tracks. We watched birds of all types, small and big game animals,” says Duerksen. “This lead me to pencil sketching the wildlife I saw and then to creating full color paintings.” An established competitor in state and national stamp contests, Duerksen has been named a finalist or winning artist in ten stamp competitions over the last 15 years. The exhibit runs from October 14 through November 12 with a First Friday reception for the artist on Friday, November 4, from 5-7 PM at the G.A.R. Gallery.
And secondly, YAA has partnered with the Avera Sacred Heart Cancer Center to begin a new era in our Art of Healing program! From now until the end of November, YAA will be seeking volunteer teaching artists from the community to offer free classes in the Arts to area cancer patients and their caregivers. (Classes begin in January, 2012.) Course offerings are limited really only by imagination, and if you would like to make a positive difference by teaching a class in painting, drawing, jewelry making, poetry, flamenco dancing, or sock puppet karaoke, (et cetera!), please call me at the YAA office…665-9754. We’re open to your artistic ideas! These classes will provide extraordinary experiences for both teaching artists and students alike, and the end result is win-win for every single person involved. Please consider joining our teaching artist brigade!

Finally, a quick reminder that preparations are in full swing for the Crimson Door Holiday Show! The show is opening earlier than ever this year with a VIP party for YAA members on Friday, November 25…the day after Thanksgiving. The general public will be invited to begin purchasing holiday items on Saturday, November 26. Items for sale are unique and handcrafted and will include soaps, jewelry, wool hats and scarves, stained glass, wood sculpture, walking sticks, pottery, and just about anything else you can imagine. Start your holiday shopping list and save the date!

The G.A.R. Hall Gallery and Yankton Area Arts office are located at 508 Douglas Avenue in Yankton. The gallery is open to the public free of charge from 1-5 pm weekdays and from 1-3 pm on Saturdays. For more information, call the YAA office phone at (605) 665-9754 or email Amy at yaa@iw.net.