Susie Szeto Price ’92 can trace her foray into photography and the arts to a cinema class she took with Professor Scott MacDonald at Hamilton.

“Reading films critically really spoke to me. I wanted to be involved in film, or media studies, as a career because of it,” she says.

After graduation, Price earned her master’s degree at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts before becoming an assistant for Richard Greenberg and Bruce Schluter, two prominent creative directors who designed titles and marketing graphics for movie trailers. As a production and visual effects coordinator, she honed her skills in storytelling, dynamic shot compositions, and CGI effects.

“Interestingly, what I learned on the job was compatible with the theoretical film concepts I first learned from Scott,” she says. In fact, she found that even her family snapshots reflected those same professional and academic standards.

Eventually, Price took a hiatus from full-time office work to raise her family. Her husband, a photographer and CG animation artist, suggested that she submit her photos to Getty Images, where she still works as a freelance photographer creating stock imagery “telling everyday stories of family, children, and multiracial diversity in America.”

Price had found the perfect balance of spending time with her children, dabbling in real estate, and pursuing creative interests until 2015, when her husband died of multiple myeloma at age 47.

“It was one of the most devastating moments of my life. It was also the ultimate wake-up call to confront what I wanted my life to be about,” she says. “Unsurprisingly, my art and creativity went through the roof. I took chances. This creative energy was a way for me to communicate my love for my late husband.”

Price also uses that creative energy to inspire others through her work on the Hamilton Career Network’s Arts & Entertainment Committee. “I love sharing the possibilities of working in visual effects, animation, and other artistic fields through a liberal arts education. I’m a living example, and I have no regrets.”

RAPID CITY, SD – The Rapid City Arts Council presents First Friday Downtown Art Walk on Friday, July 7 from 5–8 PM. This recurring community event is being held throughout Downtown Rapid City on the first Fridays, June through September. Following dates include August 4 and September 1.

Downtown Art Walks bring people and art together. In this self-guided experience, participants explore interactive artistic activities at each of the destinations they stop at along the way. From live music and poetry readings to workshops and painting – it’s an event locals and visitors will not want to miss.

There are 18 participating businesses, galleries and cultural venues on this year’s Art Walk. They include: Aby’s, Alex Johnson Mercantile, Art Alley, Art House, Black Hills Vinyl, Canvas 2 Paint, Celtic Connection, Dahl Arts Center, Dakota Drum Co., Dandelion Bouquet, Elements of South Dakota, Melissa Wood Art Gallery, Prairie Edge, Pure Fox, Suzie Cappa Art Center, Tusweca Gallery, Ugly Graffiti, and Garbage Tale Vintage.

The schedule for the Art Walk on July 7 features many unique activities including:

• Art Alley – Community mural painting with Rapid City Arts Council and “Ignitor” reception with muralist Mike Willcuts
• Black Hills Vinyl – “Come Play Deejay” booth; disc art with Black Hills Disc Golf
• Dahl Arts Center Galleries – Exhibition and meet and greet with artist Dan Tackett 5-8 pm, still life photography demonstration at 5:30 pm
• Dahl Arts Center Education Complex – Rushmore Music Festival student performance, 7-8 pm
• Dakota Drum – Exhibit featuring resident artist Sonya Holy Eagle
• Elements of South Dakota – Performance by Skyline Strings Band
• Garbage Tale Vintage – Freestyle and hip-hop performance by Prima School of Dancing
• Melissa Wood Art Gallery – Live watercolor painting
• Suzie Cappa Art Center – Live demonstration with Mark Zimmerman, BOGO art sale
• Ugly Graffiti – Popup art with The Art Closet
• Aby’s – “After Art Walk” avant-garde jazz and performance art starting at 8 pm
• And much more!

The Art Walk map is available online or at participating destinations. Information about interactive activities scheduled for each event is also available on Facebook.

First Friday Downtown Art Walks is a recurring community event presented by the Rapid City Arts Council and is proudly sponsored by Print Mark-et, Black Hills Vinyl, and Canvas 2 Paint.

For more information or to participate as an artist or destination, please visit the website or contact the Rapid City Arts Council at marketing@thedahl.org.

If you head to downtown Stamford, you might notice some new residents. That’s because Stamford Downtown’s annual outdoor sculpture exhibit is underway. And this time around, you could say the organizers really have their ducks in a row.

The installation is called “Duck, Duck, Goose!” and included 24 fiberglass ducks and one goose that have migrated to the downtown area for the summer. Local artists painted each one, with some of the themes a little “quacky.”

The clever and often humorous works include PeKING duck, who wears a crown; Release the Quacken, an ode to the legendary sea monster; Robber Ducky, who’s clad in black and white stripes with stolen loot; and a Doodle Duck covered in drawings,

People can download the Otocast app to get a free audio guide with a digital map of where each duck is, plus artist commentary. Call it a bird’s-eye view into their creative process.

Every summer, Stamford Downtown comes up with a different exhibit to line the sidewalks. Recent years include “The Piano Project” and “HedgeFun.”

“Art in public places makes art accessible to everybody. You don’t have to go into a museum. You don’t have to pay a fee. It’s out there in the public,” explained Lynne Colatrella, senior VP of events and marketing for Stamford Downtown.

Colatrella told News 12 her great nephews and nieces inspired the idea. “I think duck, duck, goose was something we were playing, and I said, ‘Well, that could be a really cute exhibit.’”

And don’t worry about ruffling anyone’s feathers by touching the ducks. They’re meant to be interactive.

“They’re about 3 feet tall, which I think has been great for the little kids in town. Anywhere you look, you’re going to see kids climbing all over the ducks, and people are just loving them,” Colatrella said.

The goose, named Lucy Goosey, is covered in mirrored pieces like a disco ball and hidden downtown with the spot changed every two weeks. You can go the app or social media for a clue. Colatrella shared the latest one with News 12.

“The steps are regal. The clock stands tall. Can you find the goose behind this great hall?” Colatrella read.

Care to take a gander where the goose may be? You have until July 6 when it’s moved to a new location. The exhibit runs through September, and then all the ducks and the goose will be auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds going to the Stamford Museum and Nature Center.

After about a year of suffering through plummeting values, the office market in Downtown Los Angeles has received a bit of good news with the University of California, Los Angeles announcing its purchase of the historically designated The Trust Building.

The school will use the building at 433 South Spring Street in Downtown’s Historic Core as a site for satellite classes.

UCLA declined to state how much it paid for the 300,000-square-foot, 11-story, Art Deco building. But people familiar with the deal placed the transaction under $40 million, less than half of the building’s assessed value of about $88 million, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story. 

The sellers, Rising Realty Partners and its financial partner Lionstone Investments, bought the building in 2016 for $80.4 million. Rising Realty also financed a $40 million revamp of the building which included restoring original Art Deco features and bringing it up to modern earthquake safety standards. Star chef José Andrés is expected to open a restaurant and bar on The Trust Building’s rooftop later this year.

Rising Realty struggled to find renters and buyers for The Trust Building. In 2021, a $1 million bonus was offered to brokers who could close a deal for a tenant who would lease 100,000 square feet on the premises.

Despite the price discount, UCLA’s purchase indicates that Downtown Los Angeles’ days as an office hub are not over, according to Mike Condon Jr. of Cushman & Wakefield, who represented the seller in the transaction.

“After several years of nothing but negative news surrounding Downtown Los Angeles, the UCLA acquisition of the Trust appears to be one of the first green shoots towards recovery,” Condon said.
– Andrew Asch