ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State University Art Department hosted the 2025 South Dakota Art Education Association + South Dakota College Art Association State Conference Oct. 9–11 on campus.

The event welcomed around 100 art professionals and educators from across the state. More than 30 lectures and workshops focused on art techniques, concepts and pedagogy.

The keynote presentation was given by Mural On The Wall (OTW), a community-based mural team from Vermillion, South Dakota. The group’s core members, Amber Hansen and Reyna Hernandez, have collaborated since 2019 and have facilitated several mural projects in rural communities. Mural OTW works with community members to create murals that capture the essence of the communities where they are installed. Meetings are open to the public, and participation is encouraged.

Learn more about OTW’s work here.

Visiting Artists

The conference also hosted visiting artists Eli Kessler, Byron Banasiak, and John Banasiak through lectures and exhibitions.

Looking More or Less Like Some Thing is a solo exhibition by Eli Kessler in JFAC Gallery on view through December 15, 2025. The show features new sculptures exploring materials, processes and forms that connect past and contemporary art. Kessler, an associate professor of sculpture and expanded media at Kent State University, earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Below the Sun and Moon: Days and Nights in South Dakota is a collaborative exhibition by Byron Banasiak and John Banasiak in Gallery X in the Johnson Fine Art Center. Byron Banasiak is a travel photographer and documentary filmmaker who serves as chief photographer and videographer for the South Dakota Department of Tourism. His work has been featured in the Governor’s Biennial Art Exhibition and in a solo exhibition at the Washington Pavilion.
John Banasiak studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and teaches photography at the University of South Dakota. His work is held in the collections of the Walker Art Center, the South Dakota Art Museum and others.

Thank you to the NSU Foundation, the SOFA Friends of the Arts, South Dakota Art Education Association, and Dacotah Bank for their support. For more information about this and other art events, contact Northern State University School of Fine Arts at 605-626-2497, or visit northern.edu/artsnsu.

Photo courtesy of Maggie Kruger