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New Exhibit Celebrates Tourist Attraction Art

As people travel across South Dakota, tourist attractions lure them in with such enticing things as petrified wood sculptures, animatronic cowboys,jackelopes and miniature Conestoga wagons. These attractions are sometimes dismissed as “tourist traps,” but Wall Drug, the Corn Palace, Kadoka Petrified Gardens, Reptile Gardens and other places are an iconic part of the South Dakota experience.

A new exhibit at the Fresh Produce Ipso Gallery in Sioux Falls called This Exit, Last Chance features pieces from favorite tourist stops in one place. The guest curator for the show is Altman Studeny, a founding member of South Dakotans for the Inclusive Arts. Studeny wants people to see the state's iconic tourism sites in a brand new light. "We want [the] work to be recognized as the artwork it really is," he says.

Studeny joined Dakota Midday to discuss the show with Ted Heeren, owner of Fresh Produce and host of the Rock Garden Tour.

Karl was born to northeastern South Dakota crouton farmers, but was orphaned as a toddler during the Great Salad War (1966-67). Rescued by a flock of chickadees, he grew up in the woodlands of Sica Hollow. Legends of a bird boy living in the trees attracted the interest of renowned ornithologist and amateur bandoneon repairman Dr. Vogel Gehrke. With a handful of suet, Dr. Gehrke coaxed the timid boy down from the trees. He adopted him, named him Karl and taught him not to molt on the carpet. Dr. Gehrke’s book, The Bird Boy of Sica Hollow, was a best seller and Karl became a minor celebrity and teen idol. He appeared as a guest star on numerous television programs, most notably an awkward role on The Love Boat as the boyfriend of Captain Stubing’s daughter, Vicki. After critics panned his 1980 album, Bird Boy Does Disco, Karl retreated from public life and returned to Sica Hollow. Living in an isolated tree house, Karl achieved a reputation as a mystic. Pilgrims and seekers from around the world came to ask him about the meaning of life and for vinaigrette recipes. Growing tired of answering questions, he climbed down from his tree, shaved his massive white beard and took a job as the host of SDPB Radio’s Dakota Midday where he could ask the questions instead. After three years in that position, he ran out of questions and became host of Jazz Nightly instead. Karl makes his home in Vermillion with his charming wife Kari and three delightful children, Kodey, Kasey and Spatula. His hobbies include reciting the alphabet, combing his hair and doing volunteer work with delinquent songbirds.
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