The Sioux City Art Center, the most prominent art hub in the Iowa-Nebraska corridor, is currently exhibiting the photography of NICC student Katelynne Sherman.

Local artist and Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) student Katelynne Sherman has had a photograph accepted into a competitive juried art show at the Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Herself a Nebraska native, Katelynne has been involved with art since she was in elementary school. Just 21 years old, Katelynne uses multi-modal media in her art that range from drawing and painting to documentaries to black-and-white photography.

Macy Road by Katelynne Sherman of Nebraska Indian Community College

The show that Katelynne’s work was accepted into is called Local Perspectives. As the name suggests, the exhibit is open only to local artists from within 50 miles of Sioux City. Katelynne’s work is one of just 42 pieces on display. The competition at the exhibit was steep—over 130 artists submitted their work, and each artist was allowed to submit up to three pieces. The opening night of the exhibit attracted over 250 people.

Chello Sherman, Katelynne’s mother and a professional artist and art instructor herself, told Katelynne that her art was too good to keep to herself. She explained that although she has spent time teaching her daughter, most of Katelynne’s talent is natural. “Katelynne captured a really special part of Macy with her photograph, a quiet, peaceful part,” Chello said.

Katelynne’s exhibited photograph, titled “Macy Road,” was born from a separate artistic endeavor entirely. She was working on a short documentary about Macy, Nebraska, and the Omaha reservation, and during the process was captivated by the landscape that ended up on display at the Sioux City Art Center. “I can sort of tell what might end up turning out to be a good picture. I knew right away with this one,” Katelynne explained. “The road in the photo feels like it leads to endless possibilities. It could go anywhere.”

Sioux City Art Center curator Christopher Atkins agrees with Chello; the photograph is something special. He noted that the other landscape photography which made it into the show was created by more established artists in the area. “What I really appreciate about Katelynne’s work is the way she handled the grayscale. It’s hard to get black-and-white photos just right, so that you have a good tonal range from light to dark, but Katelynne did just that. The grays, the darkening of the corners, called vignetting, are all very good. It’s not easy to do,” explained Atkins. Katelynne’s piece is on display at the Sioux City Art Center until November 6 along with the rest of the exhibit, which is free and open to the public.