The curtain is being drawn at the Northern Fort Playhouse at Fort Sisseton Historic State Park again starting this weekend. In addition to the fine performances that will appear on stage throughout the month, other forms of fine arts will also be shared this year. Each of the next three weekends, a different area artist will also be featured in conjunction with the Playhouse at the Friday night receptions.
This new creative endeavor will start this Friday when Libby Hendricks shares several pieces of art. Hendricks lives at Roy Lake, having moved with her family when her dad Shawn was named the new District Park Supervisor.
Hendricks has been drawn to art her entire life. Over the years, according to her family, she has taken to all types of artistic expression. She has worked with pencil sketching, bead work, coloring, watercolors, and craft paints.
Hendricks enjoys varying the mediums or types of art she creates. Currently she has been into painting rocks and various other natural items like animal bones and driftwood. She has done quite a bit on canvas as well. As her focus, she usually gravitates toward nature and scenic views.
The young artist is excited about the prospect of sharing her art with others this Friday at Fort Sisseton. She will be bringing a good selection of rocks, bones, and canvas works that she has completed. Hendricks will also be working on new items while being at the event and will be present to visit with guests. Hendricks loves her art and is happy to share that with everyone.
The next featured artist at the Northern Fort Playhouse will be Meghan Ward. Though she is not a native to the area (she is most recently from Nebraska), Ward is spending her third summer working at Fort Sisseton. There, she is the Museum Director intern and recently graduated from Kansas State University. She will soon be starting a master’s degree. She has worked in museums for nearly ten years and enjoys fostering historic preservation and assisting the public in learning stories of the past.
On July 19 at the Fort, Ward will be sharing a different sort of skill- her musical talents. She is a classically trained pianist with over 15 years of experience.
“I began playing piano at a very young age,” explained Ward. “My parents will sometimes talk about how I used to play on a little toy piano when I was a toddler, but I really began playing in earnest around the age of six or seven - that’s when I can remember actually starting piano lessons.”
Ward's musical journey began with piano contests and recitals under different teachers, sparking her appreciation for music's opportunities. She played for youth groups, church services and her school’s jazz band. Her musical interests even crossed over into the museum world when she organized performances at a museum she worked for.
Though school and work have kept her busy, music is still a part of her life and she looks forward to sharing that at the Fort as a featured artist in a couple of weeks.
“The fort has become like a second home to me over the past three years, so having the chance to put a different kind of energy into it as a way to give back is very special to me,” emphasized Ward. “Music is sort of its own language - everyone can speak it so it can bring anyone from any background or walk of life together, which is why I love to play for events whenever I can.”
At the Northern Fort Playhouse, she plans to share a few classical pieces. She loves composers like Schubert, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Beethoven. She adds that people will have to journey out to the playhouse on July 19 to hear her specific selections.
Northern Fort Playhouse performances start July 12 and run for three weekends in the South Barracks of Fort Sisseton. The featured artists will also be set up in the Barracks on their respective Fridays. Visit northern.edu/northern-fort-playhouse for more information.
Check out the Journal in the upcoming weeks for a story about Emily Jensen, the last featured artist.
