BROOKINGS The South Dakota State University School of Design is hosting a new alumni gallery exhibit, NowandThen, in the Ritz Gallery in Grove Hall on the SDSU campus.
The solo exhibition features the work of art educator Michael Aasness, who is the grades 6-12 art instructor at Sioux Valley School District in Volga.
Artwork will be on display from Dec. 9 through Jan. 17.
The solo exhibition features a wide range of artworks, including paintings, mixed media, sculptures, potteryand a gallery process wall. The Ritz Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Aasness is a 2017 SDSU graduate with a bachelor of science in art education anda painting certificate. He has been the 6-12 art instructor for Sioux Valley School District since 2017andis currently in his eighth year of teaching.
In the 2020-21 school year, Aasness was named “Teacher of the Year” for Sioux Valley School Districtandwas nominated for South Dakota Art Educator of the Year.
As an artist, Aasness continues to exhibit his artwork professionally throughout the Midwest. This includes a number of soloandgroup exhibitions throughout his career. The alumni exhibition Nowand Then follows his most recent show TEACH, held this past fall at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in New York Mills, Minnesota, which featured the work of art educators AasnessandPeder Butenhoff, with a nod to Jim Borgreen.
“I am honoredandthankful to share my artwork in an alumni solo exhibition at my alma mater, SDSU. Throughout my teaching career, I have continued to create artworkandexhibit my work professionally, always continuing to learnandgrow in my craft. The artworks displayed in the exhibition Nowand Then features artwork created throughout my teaching careerandreflects various imagery around me including memories, objects, landscapesanddifferent perspectives.
The gallery is closed on weekends, state holidaysand during SDSU’s winter break: Dec. 19-Jan 12. Weekday gallery hours resume with the start of the spring semester on Jan. 13.
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