DE SMET — The 16th annual Plein Air "Paint Out" in De Smet was a resounding success, with great weather, an impressive art show, and 48 artists registered from four states, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and 21 South Dakota communities, with many family members and volunteers joining the festivities.

Karen Kinder, well-known artist from Brookings, was honored as she received the prestigious Harvey Dunn Award.

Kinder, who grew up on the prairies of South Dakota, received this esteemed recognition, given in memory of the renowned area native prairie artist, Harvey Dunn, by the Harvey Dunn Society. It is presented annually to an artist who embodies the spirit and mission of the Harvey Dunn Society, is passionate about plein air painting and actively encourages others in their artistic endeavors.

Mary Boylan, a new participant from Madison, Minnesota, swept the honors at the annual art show and sale by receiving both the People’s Choice and the Artist’s Choice Awards. Boylan’s winning artwork, Barnum and Dave, was an oil painting of a team of draft horses used for pulling covered wagons at the Ingalls Homestead. American Bank & Trust and De Smet Farm Mutual Insurance sponsored the prize money of $250 for each award. The Youth Artist Award was presented to Eloise Hart from Akron, Iowa.

The event included a first-time Quick Draw event on De Smet’s Main Street. At the sound of an air horn, 17 artists began capturing scenes on or near Calumet Avenue, using their preferred mediums with a two-hour time limit. Visitors to the Art Show and Sale voted Christine May of Burke as the winner of the Quick Draw competition for her piece titled “Conservation Flowers.”

Saturday saw a strong turnout of 22 enthusiastic young artists for a youth workshop led by Kinder. Another popular session on Saturday featured models dressed in pioneer attire at the Ingalls Homestead, offering artists a unique opportunity to incorporate historical themes and people into their work. The day concluded with an evening of entertainment, as Dan Sheldon and Judith Oliver charmed attendees with their fiddling during the annual dinner on the Ingalls Homestead porch.

Kinder also participated in a new happening on the De Smet Event Center stage Friday evening with a presentation by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant Society, honoring Harvey Dunn in a Readers Theatre performance and a review of Dunn’s artistic work. Attendees were excited with Ellen Halter’s presence who was a childhood neighbor of Harvey Dunn and is one of the children in Dunn’s famous The Prairie is My Garden painting.

This annual event is one of the most prestigious and the longest running plein air events in South Dakota, with the Harvey Dunn Society sponsoring it each year. The SD Art Museum, Brookings, is also involved.