BROOKINGS Catherine Jones, a bachelor of fine arts candidate at South Dakota State University, is introducing herself and her work beginning today. Its a homecoming of sorts and a return to the love of her life: art, as seen and practiced by a non-traditional student pushing 50.
The South Dakota native was born in Rapid City. Following her parents divorce she was raised through high school by an aunt. She graduated from Deubrook High School in White.
I was an art student in the 1990s, but I was on an ROTC scholarship so I had to change my major to something that was more useful to the military, Jones explained. So I switched that, graduated, went to law school and became a lawyer for the Army from 2002 to 2009. Then I got out and started my own practice.
She practiced in Florida, where she had attended Florida State University (Tallahasee) and earned her pre-law and juris doctorate degrees before her Army service, for about 15 more years. But the wish, the dream to be an artist was still there. I wrote poetry and I just always fantasized about getting back into the arts.
Laughing a bit, Jones describes leaving South Dakota: I just left. I didnt really have a support system. I was just kind of doing it on my own. I came back to South Dakota to be close to family and kind of reset. I hadnt committed yet to going back to college. I was working for the VA (Veterans Administration) for the Board of Appeals. But Jones felt she needed a change from practicing law. So she made her move.
One day I thought, Why dont I just back in? So I submitted an application; I got accepted pretty quickly. I had all the prerequisites. This is my third year. Ive been fortunate enough to take almost exclusively art and art history classes.
By the time I finish next year, I will have basically majored in painting, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture. Im definitely a mixed-media (artist). That will be reflected in the works that are presented. Theyre all across the board.
Theyll have a link to nature. Then theres that scientific aspect to it. Its all experimentation. And most of the works she will have on display are three-dimensional.
Jones calls her exhibition The Art of Curiosity, noting that it explores the intersection of science and intuition. She connects people to science without making it feel like a lecture.
The show is open from Oct. 24 to Dec. 18 at Lincoln Hall gallery on the SDSU campus, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. An opening reception will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 24.
Contact John Kubal at [email protected].
Leave a Reply