Terry Redlin Elementary is named after American illustrator/artist Terry Redlin from Watertown, South Dakota! The school was built in 1998 after the Sioux Falls School District decided to combine two neighborhood schools, Bancroft and Franklin Elementary Schools.
(From the Terry Redlin Art Center): Terry often daydreamed about the great outdoors. At school, his teachers nicknamed him “Windows Redlin” for constantly staring out the window. At a young age, he already had his heart set on a career—forest ranger. Then in 1953, at age 15, he lost one of his legs after a motorcycle accident. With his dream job out of sight, he turned to his next passion—art. Through a state-sponsored scholarship program for students with disabilities, Terry was able to continue his education. He enrolled in the St. Paul School of Associated Arts. While illustration was Terry’s main interest, he studied graphic design and layout in hopes of securing a job.
After graduation, Terry’s first job consisted of sketching drawings for the back of playing cards at Brown & Bigelow in St. Paul, Minnesota. During his lunch hour, Terry retreated to an unlocked company storage area where hundreds of paintings for calendar art lived. He studied these works of art with careful observation, including some by the famous illustrator Norman Rockwell.
Then, after two years in the city, Terry longed for nature and decided to go home. On April 25, 1975, Terry revealed his 5-year plan to become a wildlife artist to his family. Then, he got to work. His first phase of the plan included only observation. Every day, before sunrise, he headed to the cornfields to photograph the light. Even during his lunch break, after work, and late into the evening, he studied nature’s wonders.
After much study and preparation, Terry was ready. He built a studio space in the basement of his home in Hastings, Minnesota. Not only did he paint, but he produced prints, crafted mats, and built frames, too.
Today, Terry Redlin Elementary has several of his paintings in our hallways to honor and celebrate him.
Included in "our collection" in the hallways are the following paintings (pictures from the Terry Redlin Art Center):
His First Day:
Puppy Love:
The Sharing Season II:
Autumn Traditions:
Autumn Evening:
Spring Fishing:
Spring Fever:
American the Beautiful - The Series (8 prints):
