University Art Galleries Welcomes Artist Nina Elder as Virtual Resident and Muralist
“The main goal of my visit is to do writing workshops with diverse students. These will focus on the question of ‘What sustains you?’ said Elder. “I will create a series of questions, which will prompt students to consider their environment, culture, education and selfhood.”
The data collected from these 30-minute workshops will become the content for Elder’s “Lists” mural that will be located in the Akeley-Lawrence Science Center. Elder will visit USD’s campus in June 2021 to create the mural.
“We are so fortunate to have this opportunity to work with Nina and for USD to be a location for one of Nina’s ‘Lists’ mural,” said Amy Fill, director of the University Art Galleries. “Public art is valuable to the aesthetic, cultural, economic and the quality of life in our communities, and it stimulates learning and the exchange of ideas. USD students will work directly with Nina to create the content for the mural in Akeley-Lawrence. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage directly in part of the process of a public artwork.”
Elder is an artist and researcher based in New Mexico whose work focuses on changing cultures and ecologies. Elder advocates for collaboration and fostering relationships between institutions, artists, scientists and diverse communities. Her research has been supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Rauschenberg Foundation Award for Arts & Activism, the Pollock Krasner Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
Elder’s virtual residency and mural is a collaborative effort between the University Art Galleries and the USD Department of Sustainability & Environment and is supported by a South Dakota Arts Council grant.
For a link to the artist lecture, email amy.fill@usd.edu or call 605-658-3437.
