ALTMAN E. STUDENY

The fourth generation to work on his family’s weekly newspaper, Altman Studeny learned early that the history of a community is bound to its present. He discovered that the rugged individualism that gave birth to South Dakota’s hometowns also nurtured the unique characteristics of those communities in their 21st century incarnations. When Studeny attended college at Northern State University, he combined his interest in research with his studies in art history. His series of Tarot paintings began with months of research into the history and symbolism of Tarot, as well as the work of artists who matched that vision. Studeny’s work was showcased in the “Emerging Artist Spotlight” at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City and in his “Less Blue” senior exit review at NSU.

During his residency, students will explore the history of their community through often overlooked conduits for gathering research, including local newspaper archives, old yearbooks, local museums, family photo albums and oral history research with parents and grandparents. The art history component will be shared through pop culture references of the present, from movies to comics to advertising. Students will create works of art centered on a local historical event, whether a devastating drought or an ice cream social. Links between historical events will be traced and the past’s role in the present dramatized in a mixed-media exhibition at the residency’s conclusion.

Grade levels: 7-12
P.O. Box 367
Plankinton, SD 57368
phone: (605) 770-7270
e-mail: altman.studeny@yahoo.com
website: jackaltmanart.mosaicglobe.com