The Aberdeen Area Arts Council biennially recognizes outstanding arts supporters at its Friends of the Arts Awards. This event will be held April 17, 2007 at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel & Convention Center. A reception is from 6-7 p.m., including complimentary hors d’ouerves and a cash bar. The awards presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Each honoree will receive an original piece of artwork that is being created by Nathen Cantwell. The Friends of the Arts Awards is free and open to the public. We request that you make reservations by calling the Aberdeen Area Arts Council office at 226-1557.

The 2007 Friends of the Arts Awards Recipients include:

Student ~ Maire Rigg
    Maire Rigg is a junior at Roncalli Junior/Senior High School. She has performed in every drama production at Roncalli since she has been eligible in eighth grade

    Maire has also performed in all one-act plays Roncalli has produced since she was a freshman. She earned a superior acting rating in the 2006 region competition. Katie King-Peterson, Roncalli spring play director, says that Maire “is very responsible and mature for her age. She always jumps at the chance to do fine arts.”
    In other activities, she independently took up the violin and has performed during school masses. Maire also regularly sings at Roncalli school masses. She studies ballet, Pointe, and jazz through the ARCC dance program

Arts Educator ~ Joell Rachel
    Joell Rachel is a music specialist with the Aberdeen Public Schools, teaching elementary music at OM Tiffany and May Overby. Currently, she is in her 28th year of teaching in the Aberdeen Public Schools, teaching one year in Carson, ND, before coming to Aberdeen. She graduated from Wing (ND) High School, received her B.A. from Jamestown College and her M.A. from Northern State University.

    Joell promotes the success of all students by facilitating educational fine arts experiences that are relevant, purposeful, and exciting to students. Dr. Melissa Wheelock, O.M. Tiffany Principal says, “Joell works very hard in her teaching position, and her level of service far exceeds minimum expectations at our school and in the Aberdeen community.”

Arts Advocate ~ Thomas E. Black
    Tom Black is the definitive “arts advocate.” He is very community-minded and fills many different roles, including creator, supporter, and promoter of the arts.

    Tom moved to Aberdeen from Pierre in the fall of 1988 to begin college at NSU. Under the direction of Richard Norquist and Larry Wild, he was consumed with the drama department. His efforts at Northern led him to Jim Walker and the Aberdeen Community Theatre. After nearly 20 years, Tom continues to volunteer for the Aberdeen community Theatre. He has appeared onstage many times, and is an integral part of the “behind the scenes” doing everything from lighting, to sound, set construction and even prop creation.

    Tom is the co-creator of the Fischgaard Short Film Project, and has been the producer of The 48 Hour Film Project. Tom has also been assisting Jim Walker and the Aberdeen Community Theatre to bring film back into the Capitol Theater.

Creative Achievement ~ Sherri Treeby and Lee Leuning
    Sculptors Lee Leuning and Sherri Treeby formed the art studio Bad River Artworks, Inc. after cooperating on several sculpture projects while attending Northern State University in the late 80’s. Initially, they primarily worked high relief sculptures of wildlife and gained a national following through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Ducks Unlimited where their works were sold to promote wildlife conservation. Their works were also sold extensively to aid local charities and wildlife groups. Sherri and Lee were elected as one of four of the ‘City of Presidents’ Foundation’s artists in 1999. To date they have completed five of ten of our nation’s presidents as life size bronze statutes. In 2001, they were selected from a large field of artists to create this nation’s first state World War II monument.

    Sherri is a native of Ohio who moved to SD in the early 80’s and attended Northern State University. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in art education and a Master’s Degree in art history graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1990. She accepted a teaching position at Aberdeen Central and currently teaches at the high school level. She also is a professor of art at Presentation College in Aberdeen, teaching art history, drawing, painting, and design. She has also donated many thousands of dollars of art supplies from her company to the art students of Aberdeen Central and Presentation College. She was VFW Teacher of the Year for South Dakota.

    Lee Leuning, a South Dakota native, attended South Dakota State University and received a degree in Wildlife Biology in 1974. He worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service before becoming a Wildlife Officer in Tennessee. He was selected as the Wildlife Officer of the Year in 1982 and as Regional Officer of the Year six times. He took assignment in Aberdeen, SD as a Wildlife Officer in the late 1980s. He attended evening art classes at Northern State University for 3 years and discovered a talent for sculpture. In 1990, Leuning transferred to Pierre SD as the Wildlife Officer in Hughes County. Leuning took his retirement in 2002 to work full time as a bronze sculptor.

Business or Organization ~ Scott Sauer, Pauer Sound and Music
    Scott Sauer is a huge supporter of the arts in Aberdeen. He is generous to a fault, which is most likely why he is so popular with non-profit arts organizations in the Aberdeen area.

    He has always been willing to give of his time and resources in so many different avenues: from his time and expertise to his equipment, often sold or rented at a discounted price, sometimes for no charge at all. In events where he actually provides sound engineering, his dogged pursuit of perfection, excellence and fastidious attention to detail (qualities he also instills in his employees) makes him the most sought-after local expert in the region.

    The scope of his involvement knows no bounds. He has enhanced some of the community’s stalwart organizations and events; including, but certainly not limited to: Aberdeen Area Arts Council, Aberdeen Community Theatre; Aberdeen Parks, Recreation & Forestry, Centennial Homes Summer Jam; Downtown Pig-Out; Heartland Men of Integrity and the Living Christmas Tree.

    Pauer Sound & Music was recognized in 1998 as Aberdeen Community Theatre’s Business of the Year.

Creator of the Awards ~ Nathen Cantwell
    Nathen Cantwell recently graduated from the Northern State University with a double major in fine art and advertising design. He is the marketing coordinator and a member of the ArtWorks Cooperative as well a council member of the Aberdeen Area Arts Council. Nationally know for his art, Nathen’s work has been recognized by the National Wild Turkey Federation as well as Easter Seals.

    Nathen shares this about the artwork he is creating:
    “Taking into consideration each category of award being presented, I decided to create each award so that it has a strong relation to its title. Each award focuses on the idea of supporting the arts individually; however, once all the pieces are shown together a strong relationship to each work is created representing the strength of the arts and arts advocacy in our community. The works themselves focus on the idea of nature as art. Each work contains a song bird or element representing a bird, the bird represents each category. For example, for the student category, a nest with unhatched eggs was painted to represent the newness of an artist starting their career in the arts.”

    Each work created is a 10”x10” oil painting on masonite. Combined, the works create one large work that measures 60”x10”.

    The following are sponsors for each of the five awards: Bantz, Gosch and Cremer, LLC; the Dentist - Joseph F. Rigg, D.D.S.; Interior Design Concepts, Inc; Taco John’s; and the Ward Plaza. We thank these sponsors for their support in recognizing the talent that abounds in Aberdeen and the region.

 
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