City unveils new public art installation in gov’t center

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BROOKINGS – The Brookings Public Arts Commission, in partnership with the City of Brookings, has announced the installation of a mosaic by visual artist Carey Dean in the Brookings City & County Government Center. 

The mosaic is an original piece of art made from more than 1,000 hand-cut parallelograms of glass arranged in a repeated pattern to give the impression of a South Dakota sunrise.  

Dean works in other mediums, but her stained-glass mosaics are her most sought-after works and often depict flora, fauna and dramatic landscapes. “My work is inspired by Midwestern landscapes and the dramatic seasonal changes of the region,” Dean said. “As an artist, my work celebrates the beauty of nature and, hopefully, creates a sense of pride in place.” Her work in the city/county building is original and created uniquely for the Brookings community.

Dean received her MFA in 2005 in the United Kingdom and shortly thereafter returned to the United States to teach undergraduate and pre-college art and design courses at the University of Wisconsin Stout and Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Prior to installing the mosaic in the city/county building in Brookings, Dean finished installing several large glass mosaics in the MSP International Airport.

The City of Brookings and Brookings County have long supported the arts, both visual and performing. The City of Brookings also has codified 1% in its budget for the arts program (the only one in South Dakota), and debuted on the 2019 Arts Vibrancy Index as the seventh most arts-vibrant small-sized community in the United States, the only community in South Dakota to make the list. 

Dean’s glass mosaic was selected through a competitive call open to artists in South Dakota and the surrounding states. Members of the Public Arts Commission, as well as representatives from the City and County, served on the jury, which followed the process outlined in the Brookings Public Arts Guidelines.

Dean’s glass mosaic is the most recent addition to the city’s permanent art collection. “Having once been a Sioux Falls resident,” Dean said, “I feel a connection to South Dakota and am honored to have my work displayed in Brookings City and County.”