Art of My Life

Description

ArtCentral Spearfish through The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center, in collaboration with Black Hills State University (BHSU), presents an original theatrical production, “Art of My Life: A Multimedia Celebration of Our Creative Souls.” The production will be performed on two stages in Spearfish. The first shows are at BHSU’s Woodburn Theatre at 7:30 p.m, Thursday and Friday, Oct. 4-5. It concludes at The Matthews theater at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Shows at both locations are free and open to the public. BHSU shows do not require advance reservations for seats. The shows at The Matthews are free, but reserved seats are recommended. Free reserved tickets are available at The Matthews’ art gallery during business hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by phone at 605-642-7973. Reserve seats online anytime at www.matthewsopera.com.

Director Bert Juhrend, BHSU theater professor, and his selected cast of BHSU students devised this original production with the shared theme through ArtCentral Spearfish, “What would life be like if art was taken away?”

The art in this production is from local community members, much of it coming from people that do not consider themselves artists.

The material for this production was gathered from The Matthews and BHSU putting colorful “mailboxes” with blank postcards out in different locations throughout downtown Spearfish. The postcards instructed patrons to create drawings of different subjects, journal thoughts on various life events, or play creative games.

Juhrend also had Ariel Pozorski, an English education major at BHSU, conduct a series of interviews with all different types of people in Spearfish. These edited interviews are to become part of the multimedia production.

Animations are being created to help tell the story. Various people have been sent with cameras throughout Spearfish to take pictures of gardens, flowers, architecture, any other art related subjects. The BHSU photography department is supplying art photos and the BHSU art department is supplying images of the art projects.

“Art is what gets us out of bed every day,” remarks Juhrend. “What is driving the production is how we use art in everyday life and what our lives would be like if art is taken away,” he continues.

About the Show

After a political and then geographical cataclysm, a small group of curious souls discovers artifacts of the late creative world before them. They find projections of forgotten energetic movements, alongside melodies played by unfamiliar instruments, and colorful images of blossoming plants and landscapes that were once soft and green. These artistic memories, with lost journal entries and disregarded interviews, ignite the group’s interest and bolster their desperation to bring back art into the desolation that has now become Earth.

BHSU’s Woodburn Theatre is located on the second floor of Woodburn Hall at 1200 University St., Spearfish, SD. The Matthews’ theater is located on the second floor of 612 N. Main St., Spearfish, SD.

ArtCentral Spearfish is a community collaboration, funded by a 2016 Bush Foundation Community Innovation Grant, to centralize the arts as an integrated asset for inclusivity, economic development, and outreach in Spearfish.

The next event for The Matthews is the screening of the film, “The Rider,” as part of ArtCentral’s Film Festival - Season Two. The film’s showtime is 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 16. This is a free event. For additional information or to learn more about upcoming events, visit www.MatthewsOpera.com.

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