Faulkton to Feature Mural by World-Famous Artist

For a small town, Faulkton, South Dakota has made some big investments in the arts. Its latest public art project will be a distinctive piece by an internationally acclaimed artist that’s sure to draw visitors from throughout the region.

Australian artist Guido van Helten will use the side of a grain 电梯 in Faulkton as his canvas this summer. His aim will be to portray the essence of the town through a photorealistic, larger than life mural.

Van Helten has been commissioned to create public works of art throughout the world, 从白俄罗斯到乌克兰. Public and private funds were raised for this remarkable project, which has broad community support.

福克顿居民大卫·海德说, 他来自澳大利亚, was the impetus behind bringing van Helten to town. One of van Helten’s murals graces a silo in Brim, 维多利亚州的一个小镇, 澳大利亚，靠近Hedt长大的地方.

“Anyone who has ever seen his artwork in real life knows that it’s outstanding,海德说。. “He’s unbelievably talented — we’re very lucky he’s coming here.”

The silo art has drawn a lot of attention to Brim, a town of only 100 people. About 1,000 tourists visit the mural each month, providing a nice boost for the economy.

Hedt hopes the Faulkton mural will be similarly successful, 因为它将成为该地区独一无二的建筑. “He doesn’t want his artwork want to become too common. I doubt there will be another work of his in the state,他说.

The piece will be painted on the Agtegra grain 电梯, which sits on the east edge of Faulkton and can be viewed from miles away. The artist is expected to spend several weeks painting it.

The content of the mural will be derived from research van Helten conducted while visiting during the summer of 2017. 他在这个地区探险了一个月, interviewing people and taking photographs to gain insight into the place and its people for his site-specific work.

“人是一个地方的本质. He really captures the people of the places he visits,海德说。.

Hedt points out that making this mural project a reality has been a tremendous effort on the community’s part. “福克顿有这么好的, strong community spirit with driven people who want to make sure it succeeds,海德说。.

作为一个恰当的例子, Mayor Slade Roseland invited van Helten to his farm for a few days last July and spent time taking him around. He wanted to ensure the artist got an authentic impression of the town and its people. Roseland is impressed with van Helten’s work and thrilled that Faulkton will be home to one of his murals.

“It’s extremely important to the community because the sky is the limit for the tourism boost — not only for people coming to see the finished project but also to come and watch as he’s painting it,他说. “在更广泛的范围内, it also gives us a chance to showcase the other great aspects of our town and all that Faulkton has to offer.”

The public is encouraged to follow the artist’s progress on the mural over the next few weeks. 参观 FAEDC网站 or 脸谱网页面 用于更新和实时feed.

Please note: Agtegra is an operating business. The Faulkton Retail Center, Faulkton Airport and the corner of Court Street and 8th Ave. South are good public parking and viewing locations.  

As a part of van Helten’s residency in Faukton, he taught a youth art class and is meeting with members of the media and the public. Tentative details on the media day are below.

媒体日及公众问&A

7月13日，星期五，在社区中心

• 1-4 p.m. -与媒体举行澳门十大电子游艺平台发布会.
• 6:30 p.m. - Q & A与公众. Van Helten will give a presentation and talk about his background as well as the other artwork he’s created around the world. Drinks and snacks will be served (free will donations accepted).

Donations are needed to help construct public viewing areas for the mural. 联系澳大利亚戴夫faulktonrc@gmail.Com获取更多信息。.

A version of this article was originally published by 南达科他州草原门户, which is a portal for economic development information in Eastern Rural Communities of South Dakota.