BROOKINGS – The South Dakota Governor’s seventh Biennial Art Exhibition is now on display at the South Dakota Art Museum through April 16.

This juried exhibition, which premiered Aug. 19 at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, showcases the work of artists currently living and working in South Dakota and celebrates the tremendous quality and the unique diversity of artistic creativity within the state.

The traveling biennial exhibition and its catalog serve as historical records, documenting the work of the state’s most important and innovative contemporary artists. South Dakota State University School of Design faculty members Diana Behl, Kevin Benham and Mark Stemwedel are among the featured artists. Benham is an assistant professor in landscape architecture.

Having been previously featured in both the third and fourth editions of the governor’s exhibitions, Stemwedel, a studio arts instructor, is familiar with the honor of being a selected artist. Stemwedel’s “Anywhere But Here” was one of the 51 pieces selected from 363 entries.

“It’s always an honor to be included in any juried exhibition, but as a South Dakota native, this exhibition is especially meaningful,” Stemwedel said.

Stemwedel’s piece is a part of a larger series titled “The Book Cover Series” and was inspired by different experiences.

“When I was in grade school and junior high, I would always illustrate different book reports and stories I would write,” Stemwedel said. “I also taught a drawing class a few years ago and thought it would be fun to use pages from old books for students to draw on. This left me with a number of empty book covers, so I ended up doing some painting on them.”

Behl, also a studio arts instructor, was one of the nine notable South Dakota artists invited to participate in the exhibition. Her piece, “Strips,” explores the language of print media, drawing and collage, acknowledging the literary cut-ups of William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin.

SDSU alumni Ray Tysdal, Klaire Pearson, Amy Lehman, Jeremy Kendall, Seth Harwood and Al Costanzo and Brookings residents John Rychtarik, Andrew Kosten and Jessie Rasche are also in the exhibition.

This being her fourth governor’s show, Jodi Lundgren, coordinator of exhibitions at the South Dakota Art Museum, is more than happy with this year’s content and overall success.

“I think people who are not familiar with artwork by South Dakota artists may have a stereotypical idea of what people are producing here, but it’s actually very in-tune with what’s happening everywhere, in the sense that it is a bit of everything,” she said. “Some pieces will challenge the viewer, where others will be more comforting and familiar. I would say it is the variety of perspectives that make it a really strong show.”

The South Dakota Governor’s Biennial Art Exhibition was established in 2003 to recognize and encourage South Dakota artists and to promote the artistic identity of South Dakota. It celebrates the cultural and artistic heritage as well as the future of South Dakota.

This year’s remaining locations include the John A. Day Gallery at the University of South Dakota from May 8 to July 28 and the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion of Art and Sciences in Sioux Falls from Sept. 30 to Jan. 14, 2018.