Fool’s 48 sends March out with a roar (of laughter)

Twelve teams entered the foolish fray of attempting to write, shoot, and edit a 4–7 minute movie in just 48 hours and ten completed the challenge! Monday, March 31, a sold-out celebrated with a showcase of their work on the big screen at the Coyote Twin. The audience was by turns startled, delighted, scared (!), and charmed.

Watch the showcase now for yourself, and support your friends and neighbors again when the whole Fool’s 48 showcase airs on the big screen once more during the second-annual Vortex Film Festival in September.

Wine & Watercolor Painting Session

Join us for a watercolor session with guest artist Phyllis Packard. Registration includes supplies and (of course!) a glass of wine.* All experience levels welcome.

Fiber artist Phyllis Packard is this month's artist on exhibit in the Coyote Gallery. Her landscape-inspired weavings and felted pieces are often based on watercolor sketches. She also pioneered the technique of enhancing and blending weavings with watercolor paints.

Registration includes two sheets of watercolor paper, a set of paints, three brushes, and a glass of wine. Those with their own supplies are welcome to bring them. This session is hosted by Davida Art Company and Vermillion Cultural Association.

*Nonalcoholic beverage may be substituted. 

As painter and weaver whose career spans sixty years, Phyllis Packard is inspired by the land, water, and sky of the prairie and South Dakota, particularly the idyllic view of the Missouri River valley she has out her home workshop windows. Her landscapes are produced through watercolor weaving, traditional tapestry weave, and needle felting.

Packard’s weavings are made from vibrantly dyed wool and silk fibers that blend and bleed into captivating impressions of the Missouri River’s seasons and prairie skies. The fresh 3D tapestries bounce to life, while the wispy needle felts whisk you into a escapist moment. The exhibit is a splash of color perfect for welcoming spring.

My Missouri River Valley will be on display in the Coyote Gallery at 12 E. Main, Vermillion, until April 28.

We did it, friends! Thanks to all your votes, Verm has been named this year's Best Small Town Art Scene! You can check out USA Today’s full top 10 list and then read the Argus Leader’s “How Vermillion Became the Best Small Town Art Scene in the US.” The Volante at USD also printed a piece on the win. And before poll closed this year, Plain Talk helped rally votes with a great article on why Verm is coolest.

Photo by Aaron Packard