“YOUR PEOPLE AND MY PEOPLE”
A Short Essay by Kristin Donnan
South Dakota is full of dichotomies—West versus East River, agriculture versus tourism, locals versus outsiders. My rancher and construction friend John has also explained the nuances of “your people versus my people”—because he assumes that art comes from “Kristin’s people.”
Outsider art might just be one of those things that can bridge the gap. Rod Bode seems to be “our people.”
From the outside, Bode’s day job was raising horses and keeping to himself. But his artwork reflects an entire lifetime of an inner journey, an eighty-year journey that includes exploration of religious and spiritual topics, cross-cultural influences, big ideas—and visions from a mind in the grips of mental illness. He was self-taught, supported only by a library that speaks volumes—Picasso, Cézanne, art history, Native American culture, mysticism and religion.
Outsider art is defined as being artwork that is “created by self-taught individuals who have no intention of conforming to mainstream aesthetics. But what differentiates it from other genres is that it is defined by the artists rather than by the art, and much of its appeal is the life story of the creators themselves.” Although the label of “outsider artist” is not reserved for those mental health challenges, many of these artists “have mental illnesses or intellectual disabilities.” Some of the work can reflect the intense experiences of the artist in daily life; it can be repetitive, obsessive, bizarre, and even vulgar.
Lynn Verschoor, the former director of the South Dakota Art Museum, has looked at a lot of outsider art—and she sees Rod Bode as more than a novelty because of his outsider status. “When I think of outsider art, I think of fantasy or obsessive narratives, often with biblical themes. On the other hand, this collection reveals someone who was really studying art. His attention was to colors and composition and texture. These pieces are real studies that explore design principles. There’s a narrative there that I’m not understanding, but it’s not dark work. It’s wonderful, vibrant, colorful, thoughtful work.”
Perhaps in Bode’s case, some balance was provided by the constancy of his marriage, his love of his livestock, and his freedom to express himself. Still, conservator Jenny Schmidt, his representative from Black Hills Advocate, can see from some of the pieces that Bode was “tortured, conflicted, angry. Rod is a very complex and layered individual.”
What is amazing about Rodney Bode’s story is that South Dakota has embraced him, conflicts and all. Without the usual “artist statement” or media interviews, he will forever remain an enigma. In our neck of the woods, why he’s not signing autographs usually would be none of our business. Except in this case, it has to be. Bode’s own future depends on it, because the collection is being sold to pay for his healthcare expenses. It is his salvation.
So in South Dakota, the big guns are coming out.
“Because the body of work is so extensive, we get a sense of the artist,” sculptor Dale Lamphere says. “Like Van Gogh, this work all stayed together, and you can see a whole career in one place. I see the collection as cathartic. There’s inner angst in some of them and others are just playing. That’s what’s kind of exciting about it, the freedom it shows even in the midst of isolation and mental difficulties.”
Even without dates on all of the work, Lynn Verschoor could identify “some early, rougher, transition pieces,” but overall finds the collection to be “wonderful and celebratory.” She says the portraits reflect real attention to composition, with “faces that are open and postures that are positive”; the still lifes she finds “joyful and lovely, with roots and life in them.” For Verschoor, some of the larger pieces illustrate a “sense of reverence,” and the sculptures are “well balanced, figurative, and referenced.” She says, “He was a very sophisticated thinker on his clear days. He was thinking visually. He wasn’t raging against the world.”
“It’s a remarkable collection of personal vision,” Lamphere concludes. “The visions in his head were pursued into tangible form, and that’s good for the rest of us.”
1. Jonah Queen, “Outsider Art: Madness, Marginalization, and Exploitation,” The Neuroethics Blog. Hosted by the Center for Ethics, Neuroethics Program at Emory University. Posted May 21, 2019; retrieved November 10, 2021, from http://www.theneuroethicsblog.com/2019/05/outsider-art-madness-marginalization.html.
2. Ibid.
Rodney Bode Art Exhibit
October 15 - November 20, 2021
Gallery Six13
613 Main Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
Online BODE Shop: www.gallerysix13.com
To learn more, explore this website and take a few moments to view this documentary film by Randal Iverson:
https://vimeo.com/509121188/638bc6137a