Although Joan Zephier has no formal education in art, art has had a lifelong influence on her. For 10 years, she and another artist owned and operated an artist studio where her concentration was free-form, hand-built Raku sculpture.

After her own battle with addiction and road to recovery, Joan pursued her dream of creating and participating in The Recovery Art Show to raise awareness and help erase the stigma of addiction, and to tell the story of recovery.

Joan was the recipient of the 2016 Mayor’s Award for Individual Excellence in Visual Arts for her work with area high school students, assisting them in using art to tell their own stories of addiction and recovery.

Joan’s body of work focuses on the emotional stories of addiction, recovery, family and spirituality, and how it looks in her own life. She works in many mediums to express her life, always seeking to communicate a spiritual and human connection in her art.

Her philosophy is that every single person has a story, and every single person has an artist spirit.

"Our unique story told in a visual way has the ability to connect with someone else in ways that our words cannot."

Joan's exhibit will run through August and September at the Sioux Falls Arts Council office, 326 E. 8th Street, open Monday-Friday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, First Fridays 5:00 - 7:00 pm, and by appointment.

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