South Dakota Heritage Fund

The Capitol Centennial art project sponsored by the South Dakota Heritage Fund got off to a beautiful start on Monday, March 1, with the unveiling of a watercolor by Angela Marie Poches during a reception celebrating the building's 100th anniversary.
The approximately 9 inch by 13 inch image shows a portion of the Capitol's interior. The view is from the Capitol's third-floor balcony and shows the Rotunda's mural of Agriculture, the symbol for the United States, the railings of other balconies, the terrazzo tile of the second floor below and much more.

"It's obvious that Angela Marie put her heart and soul into this painting. The detail is amazing," said Heritage Fund President Patricia Miller. In the photograph above, Miller is standing on the right of the watercolor while Poches is at left.
Poches' watercolor is based on a photograph from the State Archives that was taken of the Capitol in 1910. In the photos below, the 1910 photograph is on the left, while Poches' watercolor is on the right.

The Rapid City artist said, "What I like about this piece is that we all drive past the building and admire the exterior, but we don't go inside. This piece for me really depicts the warmth and welcoming for people to see when they visit the interior."
The Heritage Fund is already taking orders for numbered prints of the watercolor. The prints will be available about mid-April and will sell for $75 each, plus tax and shipping.
The Print will be available at the Heritage Stores at the Cultural Heritage Center and at the Capitol. People may call the Heritage Fund at (605) 773-6346 to order prints or for more information about them.

Those attending the South Dakota State History Society's 2010 History Conference will be able to have Poches sign the print in person. Poches plans to attend the history conference on April 30 and May 1 at the Ramkota RiverCentre in Pierre.
The next event in the Capitol Centennial art project will be an unveiling of Hill City watercolorist Jon Crane's watercolor of the exterior of the Capitol. This is tentatively being planned for May 23 in Rapid City.
Both Poches and Crane and their Capitol artwork will be at an event in Sioux Falls in early June for people in that part of the state to meet the artists and see the artwork.
At least 30 other South Dakota artists are celebrating the Capitol's centennial by creating works of art relating to the statehouse. The artists will be in Pierre on Saturday, June 19. They will have booths inside the Capitol that day, where people can see the piece created specifically for the Capitol's centennial and buy other artwork that the artists will have available. The big event takes place that evening, when the original artwork will be auctioned at the Cultural Heritage Center. This is a great opportunity to buy a piece of history, so please make plans to attend!