New Framework

Obstacles can offer a number of results for artists. Crumbling under the pressure. Or facing down adversity and delivering something truly great on the other side. And local business Rehfeld’s Art & Framing happens to know a thing or two about resiliency.

Beyond the global pandemic that rocked all sectors and had a particularly devastating impact on arts organizations, Rehfeld’s navigated moving to a new space, renovating and an untimely flood in its space that made for an up-and-down 2020 for the staff.

Submitted Photo

“The community rallied and supported us really well,” owner and artist Jerry Cook said. “In 2021, we’re not quite back to the heyday of Rehfeld’s, but we’re strong and stable. The light is getting brighter.”

Moving from the business’s longtime location in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls to an expanded space in the Falls Center building in uptown Sioux Falls, Rehfeld’s took on a lot of exciting change in 2020, but its management team is confident in the road that lies ahead.

“It’s a phenomenal building—tons of natural light,” Cook said. “The entire team did a lot of work to renovate the space, creating custom tables and half-wall systems. The nicest thing about it all is just the facelift the building got.”

Cultivating a new space that not only serves the gallery side of the business, but also the custom framing operations, is something gallery manager and designer Erin Castle was especially motivated to partake in.

“From an art gallery and framer’s standpoint, living in the old location for such a long time and having the opportunity to recreate the space to fit what it was we were lacking, we were able to make it what we didn’t have before,” she said. “Being able to rebuild the wheel according to what our needs are now was a great advantage we’ve benefited from in this new space.”

Begun in 1983 by Larry Rehfeld, the business has changed hands a few times through the years and most recent owner Cook took the reins in 2019. As 2021 has allowed Rehfeld’s to start to truly make use of its new digs, the gallery plays host to 25 artists, many of whom are new to the organization. But variety has always been a hallmark of what you’ll find in the business’s offerings.

“We’re all over the map,” Cook said. “We have custom, original pottery, sculptures, metal works, traditional painting. We try to, as best we can, showcase a pretty broad range of artists and artistic capabilities to make sure that we’ve got pieces for really anyone who walks in the door.”

“The one commonality is that they’re local and regional,” Castle added. “While we have a variety of styles and looks, they all have that regional root. We want to represent our community and give back to them by elevating their work and putting it on display where it should be.”

The duality of the Rehfeld’s business model allows its team to serve a utilitarian purpose as well—though the art of framing can in and of itself be a rewarding, creative venture as the team members can attest.

“We get to collect stories and have that direct communication with family members that these things mean so much to,” said Castle, who cited heirloom quilts and civil war bayonets among some of the unique preservation requests they’ve received. “Through that process we get to work on their aesthetic, as well as learn what’s important about these things. Those personal relationships are so important to us as well. They’ve given us the trust to preserve and care for these things that are priceless to them.”

The future is laying out a path with great forward momentum. Rehfeld’s is expanding its services in printing and online sales, as well as scouting out more opportunities to collaborate with artists of all disciplines in the near-term.

“As Sioux Falls grows, we’re poised and positioned to continue to be a leader in Sioux Falls and the region,” Cook said. “We have a ton of ideas and goals, and getting over the huge obstacles of the last year is really going to help us focus on that going forward.”

“Collaboration, I think, is one of the most inspiring aspects of being an artist,” Castle said. “I want to be able to connect with artists we haven’t reached yet. I love the idea of this area of town becoming that arts hub—with (Levitt Sioux Falls) across the street and Ipso Gallery right around the corner.

“These are some of the greatest arts minds we have in this area. I want to build on those relationships and be a leader in that way as well.”