Redlin Center will be recognized at Acts of Excellence event

The Acts of Excellence program, sponsored by Sanford Health, connects us with individuals and organizations who are building a culture of excellence in South Dakota, one act at a time. Please join us and area inductees to celebrate this Act of Excellence on Thursday, April 15th, 2021, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm CT at the Lake Area Tech College, Event Center Level 4, in Watertown South Dakota.

Terry Redlin Center Showcases Artwork, Encourages Aspiring Artists

The Terry Redlin Art Center is a magnificent complex that showcases the South Dakota native’s masterpieces. Terry Redlin’s works of art are well known and admired throughout the country, and his story and legacy are captured in the Art Center. But besides the focus on the art that Redlin created, the Terry Redlin Art Center is a place where the facilities and the programs expose young people to the world of creativity and encourage them to explore their own artistic passion. 

That is worthy of special recognition as an act of excellence. The Art Center includes 30 acres of park and wetlands areas surrounding the center. Redlin himself “designed the contoured hills, waterways, and trees, just as he did each time his paintbrush touched the canvas.’’ The Wildlife Park is called Redlin’s living painting. It includes walking trails with bridges and gazebos, birdhouses, wood duck houses, prairie grasses, and wildflowers. The cover encourages wildlife to make a home in the park, and young people can see pheasants, grouse, perhaps even a wild turkey. They can feed the geese, too, from the center’s corn feeders. 

Besides the park, the center offers a Kid Connection gallery, where young visitors and families can participate in games that encourage a detailed study of the paintings all around them. As the center’s literature says, “Participants receive a Kid Connection game card featuring gallery picture bingo, a gallery crossword puzzle, and other word games. It’s free—and children who complete the games take home a small complimentary souvenir. Truly, Terry Redlin designed his Art Center to not only showcase his creations but also to invite and encourage young people to explore their own creativity, to pursue their own form of excellence.