Faulkton Mural being Celebrated as an Act of Excellence

Faulkton-South-Dakota-Elevator-Art

Celebrating Acts of Excellence, One Act at a Time

The Acts of Excellence program connects us with individuals and organizations who are building a culture of excellence in South Dakota, one act at a time.Please join us and area inductees to celebrate this Act of Excellence on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, from 4:00 to 5:30 pm at the Isaac Lincoln Gallery on the Northern State University campus in Aberdeen, South Dakota. See all of the event details here.

Turning a Grain Elevator into Artwork

In rural South Dakota, soaring grain elevators are some of the most recognizable structures on the landscape. The community of Faulkton invited an Australian artist to use local grain elevator as a giant canvas to showcase artwork that will be visible for miles around. Guido van Helten, who has created public works of art throughout the world, has been working in Faulkton during the summer of 2018 to create the artwork. His goal is to “portray the essence of the town through a photorealistic, larger-than-life mural,’’ according to an article on the Faulkton Area Economic Development Corporation’s website.A Faulkton resident, David Hedt, is a native of Australia who was instrumental in bringing van Helten to the community. The artist created a mural on a farm silo in Brim, a small Australian town near where Hedt grew up. “Anyone who has ever seen his artwork in real life knows that it is outstanding,’’ Hedt said. “He’s unbelievably talented. We’re very lucky he’s coming here.’’ The artist is using a grain elevator on the east edge of Faulkton as his canvas. Community leaders hope the finished product will draw visitors to the area to view the unique piece of art. Hedt says van Helten doesn’t want his elevator art to become commonplace, so it’s unlikely there will be another of his works in South Dakota.Van Helten visited the area in 2017, spending several weeks exploring the community, interviewing residents and taking photographs to prepare for his project. One town official says “the sky is the limit for the tourism boost’’ the massive mural could provide. It’s an example of a small community thinking big and encouraging the arts, and it’s quite an Act of Excellence.More information can be found at http://www.faulktonsd.com/

Submit your own Act of Excellence here