Amy Lehman’s photography selected for S.D. Governor’s 6th Biennial Art Exhibition

Amy Lehman, a local rancher and photographer, enjoys hiking on their century-ranch at Cedar Butte and taking in the beauty that the local scenery of the Badland has to offer. She usually has her camera readily available when she goes out to explore. As Amy states in her artistic biography, “Capturing the serenity of our natural surrounding in the primary emphasis of my fine art photography.”

On one such hike, with her camera in hand, Amy came across a creek with a very unique shadow introducing itself over the water. Amy’s photo of “Muddy Water” began on that hike and little did Amy know that day but the “Muddy Water” would put her artistic photography into the South Dakota Governor’s 6th Biennial Art Exhibition.

The exhibition, which began in 2003 and drew only 100 applicants with 36 artists’ work selected, has grown to 156 artists and over 400 slide imprints for the juror to view and select the items for the biennial event. 

This years artistic offering officially began at the artist’s reception and the display exhibition at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings. The museum is host to the 53 items selected to be part of the travelling showcase of the South Dakota artwork until the first part of January 2015.

The travelling showcase will travel throughout the state of South Dakota for the next two years. The closest exhibition tour will be at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, S.D. from January 16 through May 30, 2015.

The 53 items in the exhibition showcase the artistic talent of South Dakotans in the traditional oil and watercolor  to 3-D media on iron, deerhide and fine hand-sewing to tobacco stain. As Christopher Atkins, the juror of exhibition said, “As the South Dakota Governor’s  6th Biennial Art Exhibition will show, South Dakota has many talented artists, working with varied and diverse practices.” 

Amy, who credits her artistic expression to her high school art teacher, Rose West, has used her  photography along with her  family’s love of ranching and nature to express her creative outgrowth as she puts it.  Her photography has taken on a new passion since  her boys have gone off to college and she, along with her husband Blake, can dedicate more time to their hobbies and artistry.

Congratulations, Amy Lehman,  for being part of the artistic landscape and identity of South Dakota as part of the S.D. Governor’s 6th Biennial Art  Exhibition.

Amy is pictured above with her winning  “Muddy Water” artistic photograph.