The SDHSAA State Visual Arts is South Dakota's annual high school art competition and exhibition for grades 7-12. Students showcase their talents in categories like drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and more. Qualified judges award medals, and top entries are displayed in a public gallery. It's a fantastic opportunity for young artists to gain recognition and celebrate their creativity.

Our art room was buzzing in February as we celebrated Black History Month! Through these projects, students explored the Civil Rights Movement and the impact of incredible historical figures:

• K/1st Grade: Explored the trailblazing life of Dr. Mae Jemison, creating portraits with construction paper and tempera sticks.

• 2nd/3rd Grade: Dove into the story of Rosa Parks, capturing her courage through watercolor illustrations.

• 4th/5th Grade: Studied the importance of representation through Barack Obama, recreating Kehinde Wiley’s iconic portrait style using tempera paint.

Three weeks of hard work and messy fun! Our high school art students just wrapped up their 3D mask project.

From the initial planning and design to the hands-on papier-mâché building and final painting, it was quite the journey. It was a blast to see them tap into their childhood nostalgia, with many students bringing their favorite cartoon characters to life. We are so proud of their dedication and creativity!

In honor of Black History Month, our 6th graders studied the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King’s "I Have a Dream" speech. Inspired by these lessons, they created original art pieces depicting their personal vision of a world with true equality among all cultures and races. We are incredibly proud of the meaningful work they produced.

Our 7th graders celebrated Black History Month by diving deep into the powerful legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and the vital contributions of Black leaders. After reflecting on the fight for equality, each student chose an influential figure to research and honor.

The project culminated in a gallery of original art pieces, where students used their creativity to bring the stories of these icons to life. From vibrant portraits to symbolic masterpieces, our students have truly captured the spirit of resilience and achievement!

Our art classroom was filled with vibrant energy as students celebrated the season of friendship and kindness! They had a blast experimenting with a variety of colorful techniques—from layering bold patterns to exploring new textures—to create their unique Valentine’s Day projects.

Inspired by the idea that "All You Need is Love," these pieces show off our students' creativity and heart.

Our 6th and 7th graders have been exploring the vibrant world of Keith Haring! After discussing Haring’s passion for public art and his incredible legacy of donating to social causes, students created their own masterpieces with a personal twist:

• 6th Grade: Designed "12 Things About Me" collages, using Haring’s iconic bold style to share their personal stories.

• 7th Grade: Created "Infinite Doodles," filling their pages with dense, flowing patterns of the things they love—from favorite meals to family and hobbies.

We love seeing our students find their own "line" while honoring an artist who gave so much back to the community!

This January, our K–5 students are diving into the vibrant world of Keith Haring! After exploring his life and iconic "doodle" art, students are using tempera paint, sticks, markers, and construction paper to create their own high-energy masterpieces. We are focusing on Haring’s signature bold lines and bright colors to show that art is for everyone! 

In celebration of the Christmas spirit, our students got creative and used air-dry clay to make beautiful, personalized ornaments! They molded, shaped, and decorated their creations, resulting in a unique collection of festive decorations to take home and enjoy.

Art Club is a welcoming space for middle and high school students to explore their artistic passions. Every Friday from 3:05 to 3:50 PM, students can gather in the art classroom to experiment with various mediums and techniques. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out, Art Club offers a supportive environment to create and grow. 

In honor of Native American Heritage, our 7th & High School art students celebrated the life and work of South Dakota's own Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Dakota). Inspired by his designs for the Mitchell Corn Palace, students created unique mosaics using a palette of agricultural seeds—including corn, sunflower, peas, and wheat—connecting art, agriculture, and local history! 

Our students celebrated Native American Heritage Month with fun, cultural activities!

• K-1st: Read about the Raven trickster and created personalized paper ravens.

• 2nd-3rd: Discussed patterns from "A Powwow Day" and designed beautiful construction paper blankets.

• 4th-5th: Learned about the Corn Palace and artist Oscar Howe, creating art projects using tissue paper inspired by his work!

Our 7th-12th grade art students honored Veterans Day with a special acrylic painting project this week!

• 7th Grade: Created landscapes inspired by the American flag.

• 9th-12th Grade: Painted beautiful, personalized poppy flowers, the symbol of remembrance.

Our 9th-12th grade high school students just finished a lively unit on the Pop Art Movement, specifically studying Romero Britto to celebrate Latin American heritage. They applied key characteristics like repetitions and bold colors to create their own Pop Art paintings, transforming everyday imagery into vibrant artwork. Many students personalized their projects by representing the popular things they love, such as favorite sport teams, music artists, TV shows, and drinks. The resulting art is a dynamic, graphic showcase of contemporary culture as seen through the lens of a classic, joyful art style. 

You won't believe what your kids created for Halloween! Our K-2 students made amazing mummy paintings using a surprising material: coffee! Grades 3-4 explored the history of witches, creating expressive paintings to practice line and color. Finally, Grades 4-5 had a profound discussion about the true monster in Frankenstein before creating incredible collages, proving that learning this week was truly meaningful and fun. Click here to see the art and read all about this incredible week of creative learning! 

In celebration of Latin American Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15), our K-5th grade students learned all about Romero Britto, the famous Brazilian pop artist!

Britto's style—known as the "Happy Art Movement"—is a vibrant mix of Pop Art and Cubism, full of bold patterns, bright colors, and thick black outlines.

Inspired by his joyful, optimistic art, our young creators recreated their own fantastic pieces! Check out the fun!

In celebration of Latin American Heritage Month, our 8th-grade students dove into the vibrant world of artist Romero Britto!

They explored the life and work of the iconic Brazilian neo-pop artist, learning about his signature style that blends elements of cubism and pop art with bold patterns and dazzling color. Then, they put their own creative spin on things and recreated some of his most iconic paintings! Check out their amazing, cheerful, and incredibly colorful work!

Our high school art students are honoring the work of acclaimed contemporary artist Nelson Makamo! Known for his powerful portraits that blend monochromatic figures with vibrant color, students are exploring unique materials to emulate his style.

They're painting with coffee to achieve the rich, earthy tones of charcoal, and adding pops of optimism using intense crayons and color pencils. See how they captured his incredible energy!

K-5 art students are diving into the colorful world of contemporary artist Nelson Makamo! Known for his expressive portraits of children, Makamo's work symbolizes Africa's hope and future.

Students are imitating his mixed-media style using vibrant oil pastels and bold tempera paint.

8th graders deepened their understanding of art history in 'Fragmented Faces.' Through independent research & artistic expression, they connected with the masters and developed their own unique artistic voices. 

Students in our Creative Art class celebrated International Dot Day with a special project on pointillism. Inspired by the children's book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration, encouraging people to "make their mark" on the world. Our 9th-12th graders took this to heart, exploring the unique painting technique pioneered by Georges Seurat. They learned how small, distinct dots of color can blend together to create a complete image, and then applied those skills to create their own modern dot art. Using specialized dot tools, they experimented with color theory and composition, creating incredible texture and depth in their work. 

Our 8th graders are mastering Pointillism! They're using fine-point markers to create amazing art projects, applying thousands of tiny dots to form incredible images. It's a lesson in patience and precision, bringing a classic technique to life. 

Dot Day celebrates creativity and courage, inspired by the book The Dot. Students make art starting with a single dot. This year, it's tied to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, famous for her immersive polka-dot art. Her work shows how a small idea can grow into something immense, a perfect message for students. 

The 2025 Spring Art Show exhibition was a fantastic success! We showcased a diverse range of K-12 student artwork.

Get ready for some sweet art creations! Our 3rd to 5th grade artists have been having a blast getting their hands messy with air dry clay, transforming it into delicious-looking pop tarts and ice cream sundaes. It's been a fun and imaginative way to explore sculpture and bring their favorite treats to life! 

In our Art classroom, we've been celebrating neurodiversity! This month, our students explored the fascinating concept of neurodiversity – the idea that neurological differences like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others are natural variations in the human brain, rather than deficits.

To further understand and express this beautiful spectrum of minds, we delved into Neurographics, an art therapy technique that beautifully blends creativity and mindfulness. This process encourages us to connect with our inner selves through free-flowing lines and the intuitive layering of colors and shapes. It's a wonderful way to quiet the mind, reduce stress, and explore our thoughts and feelings in a visual and non-judgmental way.

The SDHSAA State Visual Arts is South Dakota's annual high school art competition and exhibition for grades 7-12. Students showcase their talents in categories like drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, and more. Qualified judges award medals, and top entries are displayed in a public gallery. It's a fantastic opportunity for young artists to gain recognition and celebrate their creativity.

Our 8th graders had a blast getting creative with clay tic-tac-toe boards! Check out their awesome original designs. 

Celebrating Black History Month with our amazing K-6th grade artists! We dove into the vibrant life and artwork of Alma Thomas, and then had a blast recreating our own versions of her iconic "Space Series." Check out these incredible, colorful creations! 

8th grade Art students study Alma Thomas's life and abstract art, focusing on her unique color and pattern use. Inspired by her style, they create their own artworks, experimenting with color and abstract forms to reflect her innovative approach. 

The 9-12th grade art students have truly outdone themselves with their latest color pencil illustrations! The originality and skill on display are simply stunning. Each piece tells a unique story, showcasing the students' creativity and dedication to their craft. From vibrant landscapes to intricate portraits, their work is a testament to their hard work and talent. 

8th graders deepened their understanding of art history in 'Fragmented Faces.' Through independent research & artistic expression, they connected with the masters and developed their own unique artistic voices. 

Our 8th-12th grade artists unleashed their creativity with a fun and colorful project: tie-dye and screen printing! They dove into the world of color, experimenting with different tie-dye techniques to create unique designs on their shirts. Then, they took their creations to the next level by designing stencils and learning how to screen print. The result? One-of-a-kind t-shirts that showcase their individual styles and artistic talents. So proud of these young artists! 

Our K-6th grade art students explored the life and vibrant art of Claude Monet! They learned about his impressionist style and the beautiful ways he captured light and color. Inspired by Monet's masterpieces, the students dove into their own art projects, creating colorful and expressive pieces that reflected his unique vision. A fun and creative time was had by all as they channeled their inner Monet! 

Chinese New Year is an important holiday in China and many other East Asian countries. It's based on the lunar calendar and marks the beginning of spring.

Students learned about Chinese New Year traditions and created a variety of art projects to celebrate, including representations of fireworks, dragons, and the year of the Snake.

The 2024 Art Show exhibition was a fantastic success! We showcased a diverse range of K-12 student artwork, including:

• Celebrating Heritage: Beautiful pieces honoring Native American and Latin American heritage.

• Holiday Spirit: Festive creations capturing the joy of Christmas.

• Original Masterpieces: Amazing and unique artworks from our incredibly talented students.

We're so proud of all our young artists!

Check out this incredible map created by our talented 10-12th grade art students! They've researched and visually represented Native American Reservations in South Dakota, inspired by the work of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. This project highlights the importance of learning about Indigenous history and traditions. We encourage you to learn more about the diverse cultures of our region.

National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November to recognize the culture, traditions, and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities. To celebrate, 7th and 9th grade Art Class read Lakota and Dakota Animal Stories and created original art pieces inspired by the tales. 

K-5, 7th, and 9th-12th grade art students got creative with gratitude in November! They designed amazing pumpkin art projects that celebrated the things they're thankful for.

Explore the imaginative world of our 9th-12th grade artists. This section showcases a variety of artistic styles and techniques. 

3rd to 5th grade students explored the life and work of the Mexican artist Lourdes Villagómez. Inspired by her work, they created wonderful pieces to celebrate Latin American Heritage, which is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. 

6th grade students explored the life and work of the Mexican artist Lourdes Villagómez. Inspired by her work, they created Alebrijes with construction paper to celebrate Latin American Heritage, which is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th. 

The 9th-12th grade creative art class celebrated Latin American heritage by crafting stunning Alebrije sculptures. Inspired by the Mexican artist Lourdes Villagomez, students used recycled materials and plaster to create these vibrant and imaginative creatures.  

Our 7th grade art class has been inspired by the incredible work of Lourdes Villagomez and created their own unique paper mâché Alebrije sculptures. These fantastical creatures, bursting with color and imagination, are a testament to the students' artistic talent and appreciation for cultural diversity. 

4th and 5th grade art students got into the Halloween spirit with their stunning sunset paintings! They added a magical touch with some glow-in-the-dark paint. Their creativity is truly inspiring!