Get artsy at the Community Art Day held at the South Dakota Art Museum, with a project being taught by Eileen Binkley.
Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., everyone is welcome to attend the Community Art Day being held on the lower level of the South Dakota Art Museum on Medary Ave, west of campus.
This is a free event put on by the South Dakota Art Museum, Brookings Art Council, and an independent artist from the region where people of all ages are invited to attend to create a Modern Fall Watercolor piece taught by Eileen Binley of Sioux Falls. All supplies needed for the art project will be provided by the museum and the art council.
Binkley will be teaching a watercolor technique called “wet-into-wet” while painting leaves. She has created stencils for participants to trace before they paint so they can focus on working with the watercolors.
Binkley said, “encouraging everyone to experiment with a fall watercolor palette and maybe some unexpected colors.”
During the session, participants are advised to relax and enjoy the process instead of focusing on the outcome. They are also reminded that any skill requires time and patience to master.
“I often remind my students or new artists I meet to give themselves grace as they create,” Binkley said.
Binkley grew up on a farm where her favorite pastime was going outside to play, paint and draw. She enjoys the process of artmaking, whether it be sketching, painting, weaving, or collaging. Binkley also thinks that everyone should have some kind of creative outlet.
Abigail Ramsbottom is the coordinator/curator of education at the art museum, and she says that they have had a great turnout, with 50-200 people attending the Community Art Days.
The art museum has worked with the Brookings Art Council and artists since 2021. Twelve events have been put on so far, and 14 by the end of this year. The number of events has been upped from four to six per year. Every other month or as schedules allow is when these art day events take place. Facebook posts are made for each of them.
“We meet new people every time and love working with the South Dakota Art Museum to reach a larger audience,” Rachel Funk, the Executive Director of the Brookings Art Council, said. “Meeting and interacting with new featured artists has also been fun.”
Some people are regulars at the museum but have not interacted with the Brookings Art Council and vice versa. There are many casual discussions about what kinds of activities and events the art council and the art museum hold. New faces, college students who need a break from studying, and families with kids are also some of the things the directors look forward to.
One of the challenges the museum and the art council face is that Brookings is a bustling and active community, there is always something going on. Ramsbottom hopes that people get a chance to stop in before the SDSU games.
Following the Nov. 9 event, another Community Art Day will be held on Dec. 7. This event will be led by Sioux Falls artist and teacher Xavier Pastrano, who will teach Zentagle Squares. It will also be held on the lower level of the South Dakota Art Museum.
