The Hilltop Painters were featured in the first A Pavilion Holiday exhibition in 2004. Their exhibit was an incredible success and set a high standard for subsequent A Pavilion Holiday special exhibitions.
The newly rechristened Hilltop Artists have graciously agreed to a return appearance at this year’s A Pavilion Holiday.

The Hilltop Artists are a highly informal group of creative people who share a lifelong passion for art. Four women came together in 2001 to form the original Hilltop Painters under the tutorage of Sheila Agee. The artists studied painting and drawing at Agee’s Hilltop Studio in Brandon, South Dakota. The surrounding area affords a variety of viewpoints for observing and painting the scenic rural countryside.

This year’s A Pavilion Holiday exhibit will display art by the group’s newest members, T.J. Reardon, Gayle Reardon and Don Hooper, as well as by founding members Sheila Agee, Kris Egger, Beth Frankman, Anne Hughes, and Maureen Suga.

“Borrowed Views” is a gardener’s term that describes the effect of taking advantage of the neighboring scenery to create an extended vista for gardens that are by themselves quite small. The artworks in this show include views borrowed from backyards as well as imagery captured on vacation travels. The term also references the subliminal influence of the vast and beautiful South Dakota prairie landscape upon the creative imaginations of the artists who form this group.

The Hilltop Artists have generously donated a special collection of small study paintings to the Visual Arts Center. The small study paintings depict details of imagery “borrowed” from paintings by Master artists. The paintings, displayed as a group, will be sold individually to raise funds for this year’s A Pavilion Holiday. Proceeds from their sale will support the Visual Arts Center’s programming.

Artworks purchased from the Hilltop Artists show can be taken home after December 2nd, in plenty of time for holiday season gift giving.

The Visual Arts Center wishes to express its most sincere thanks to Sheila Agee for her kind help in organizing this exhibition, as well as to the Hilltop Artists for making this wonderful exhibition possible.