How a global pandemic changed the Sioux Falls Arts Council The warm days of summer have all but disappeared, kids are back in school, and we are all finding our new strides in a post pandemic world. It is hard to look back at the last three years and remember “what we were doing in …
The Importance of Expertise in Creating and Supporting Municipal Cultural Growth
The City of Sioux Falls has provided support for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations for decades. It was instrumental in the development of the Washington Pavilion, and continues to own the facility while leasing it to a nonprofit corporation that operates its performing, visual arts and science center. It owns the Orpheum Theatre, home of …
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An open Letter to Blueprint South Dakota’s Committee
Dear Blueprint South Dakota Committee, I wanted to thank you for approaching the Sioux Falls Arts Council to host the Blueprint South Dakota blog for a second time. Back in October of 2020 we had the opportunity to host the blog and used that time to explore the many intersections between the arts and architecture. …
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Call for Presentations!
Present at Design in the Hills, 2022 AIA SD Annual Convention AIA South Dakota has issued a Call for Presentations for Design in the Hills, planned for July 14-15, 2022, and the AIA South Dakota Annual Convention and Expo, scheduled for Sept. 15-16, 2022.Those who have knowledge and insight that may be of value to …
Industry Patronage
No, not the “wealthy” kind of patron… In my family, the month of November kicks off with the Solemnity of All Saints (for which most folks go out the evening before on All Hallows Eve – which you might know better as Halloween). It is a great lead-in to the end of the liturgical year, …
From Drawing to Sculpture to… Restraint
An “Argument” For Changing How We Think About Buildings. Cover image: 1920s era graduate level work from Harold Spitznagel, illustrating a classical drawing approach to an elevation While not required reading in my own architectural education, I’ve often interfaced, usually in a joking manner, the analysis of Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi of the …
SDSU Chicoine AME Renaming Ceremony
(Cover image courtesy of SDSU) Over the past weekend, South Dakota State University officially celebrated the naming of the Chicoine Architecture, Mathematics & Engineering Hall with a ceremony honoring the 19th President of SDSU. Serving as President from 2007–2016, David Chicoine was instrumental in the founding of the Department of Architecture in 2010 and believed …
Going Metro – Call for Art Proposals
With funding support from the National Endowment for the Arts and South Dakota Community Foundation, the Sioux Falls Design Center (SFDC) is hosting Going Metro, a program series designed to facilitate creative conversations about transportation as the City of Sioux Falls seeks to innovate its transit system. The Sioux Falls Design Center is seeking art …
The Power of Narrative in Design
Prevalent in several university architecture programs these days is an emphasis on the “narrative” in design. No, this doesn’t mean the technical narrative a mechanical engineer puts together (as enticing as engineering narratives might be). I’m talking about approaching design per the definition of a narrative, that is thinking of a building or project as …
Art of Construction Documents
Many designers are capable of truly artful approaches to their design work. Often times this is to gain buy-in from clients, to win competitions, and to inspire communities regarding future development in their neighborhoods. However, an artful approach can also be important regarding the more technical side of architecture – construction documents. In bygone eras …