Student Feature: From the Big Apple to the Big Sioux

Meet Anna Cole. She’s a second year Media Design student with a background on Broadway, a side gig as a DJ and an upcoming immersive art installation set for summer 2025!

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Anna worked as a costume designer, production assistant and background actor on Broadway prior to the COVID-19 epidemic. When non-essential businesses were shut down, she decided to move.

After some time in her hometown, she decided to look for new opportunities. Her dad suggested Sioux Falls, having traveled by motorcycle all over the country. Anna researched on her own and decided to make the move. In fact, a Google search for “Adobe Illustrator class Sioux Falls” landed her at Southeast Technical College!

Let’s get to know Anna!

About Media Design

Q: What drew you to Media Design?

A: Media Design is the perfect balance for a career path that’s both creative and stable, which I felt was important after the way things changed so suddenly in 2020! I also think that with the way technology is changing, keeping up with innovative ways to communicate both online and in print is rewarding. It’s a great way to build on the foundation I have in traditional, hands-on art and have tech skills that are in demand! It will open a lot of doors for me for years to come.

Q: When you graduate, what area of that program do you want to focus on?

1. Design, layout, print and digital media
2. Websites, user interface and experience
3. Animation, video production and audio
4. Photography, signage and installation
5. Ecommerce, textiles, products, labels, storefronts
6. Other

A:  All of the above! At an industry tour I was on for class, some of the graduates of the Media Design program emphasized, “do not pigeon-hole yourself.” Once I graduate and apply for jobs, I’ll have a better picture of what to focus on in the long-term.

Q: As an artist, where do you find your inspiration?

A:  I joke that I “balance high-brow and low-brow” cultural references quite a bit. Sometimes I’ll get ideas from timeless sources of inspiration like nature, classical art and architecture, places I’ve traveled to, and antiques I’ve collected. Other times I’ll get ideas from things like a cartoon I grew up watching or even a funny internet meme or a joke that a friend made.

Q: What’s your favorite class and favorite software?

A: The ones that originally caught my attention: Design Fundamentals and Adobe Illustrator. My one regret regarding software is not learning Illustrator sooner because it’s so useful for things like designing fabrics and wallpapers! I’ve been selling designs on Spoonflower since 2009, but I could have done so much more with that side business if I had known how to work with digital illustrations earlier. Better late than never!

Q: What advice would you give to incoming Media Design students?

A: Don’t put anything off to the last minute because the assignments add up quickly and overlap with each other.

Q: Tell us about a piece of art or a project you created, designed or worked on that made you proud.

A: For almost three years now, I’ve been working on an immersive art installation called “Out of Lockstep,” which has been compared to the Traveling 9/11 Memorial. It’s about how the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns altered the world and individual lives.

In December 2022, I took the sketches and outline for “Out of Lockstep” to the Brownstone Conference to get feedback from the Brownstone scholars. Aaron Kheriaty, MD, the author of “The New Abnormal,” said for many people, it’s overwhelming or even terrifying to talk to family and friends who disagreed with them on various issues regarding the pandemic, but “Out of Lockstep” could help them work past that because art and humor could soften the blow and make the message possible to digest.

The installation was very well-received at the Porcupine Freedom Festival in New Hampshire, and a midwife who visited described walking through it as “a rite of passage.” Another viewer said it was “impossible for anyone to see it without feeling something.” The event organizer listed it as “must-see.”

A few weeks later, artist Rachel Haywire connected with me online and invited me to show the exhibit in New York City. She is currently lining up a warehouse space for it for summer 2025.

Q: What are you most nervous about entering this career field?

A: The thing I’m most nervous about is balancing so many possibilities all at once, and creative fields are very competitive. I also don’t know how things will evolve with “Out of Lockstep” once I do that big opening next summer. There’s so many different possibilities and unknowns after graduation!

About Two Cities

Q: What’s the biggest difference between NYC and Sioux Falls?

A: I like to tell people in NYC that living in Sioux Falls is like “playing life on easy mode.” For example, in NYC, I had to plan about an hour of travel time to get anywhere. In Sioux Falls, everything is about a 15 to 30-minute drive. There’s a lot more personal space, and it is quieter here. I’ve also found that people tend to reach life milestones like marriage and buying a house sooner than they do in NYC.

Q: Do you see any similarities?

A: Downtown Sioux Falls feels surprisingly like the Lower East Side of New York, especially on weekends! When there are outdoor concerts and the Levitt during the summer, that’s similar to NYC’s free outdoor concerts and events. The boutiques, local restaurants, bars, theaters, and clubs have the same quirky, fun vibe as the ones in the Lower East Side.

Q: What’s your favorite restaurant in Sioux Falls? 

A: The Blarney Stone on Philips Avenue! It has a cozy environment and an extensive menu.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is planning a trip to New York?

A: Whatever you do, don’t bring a car into the city, use public transportation like the locals. You’ll save a ton of money and time doing that, and it’s part of the experience.

Just for Fun!

Q: Where can your friends find you on the weekends?

A: During the wedding season, I do a lot of DJing in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. This past season, I especially enjoyed people's enthusiastic reactions to “Hot to Go” and “Pink Pony Club.” It’s like being a rock star when I put those songs on! I also run a photo booth at weddings, proms, and corporate events and get people to let loose and take silly photos together!

Some of my hang-out spots when I’m not DJing are Vinyl Taco, Full Circle Book Coop, Pave, Club David (especially for their goth nights and shows!), Dada Gastropub, the State Theater, Good Earth State Park (for bonfires and hiking during the summer), the Levitt (when they have concerts), and Great Bear Ski Resort (for snow tubing during the winter). When I want to take it easy and stay in, I like to hang out in my apartment building’s pool and hot tub.

Q: What’s playing on your Netflix right now?

A: Cunk on Earth. It’s a hilarious parody of history documentaries where the clueless narrator asks serious professionals absurd questions about different time periods.

Q: What artists do you listen to?

A: My taste in music is all over the place, but the main genres I listen to are Indie, rock, punk, new wave, dance and metal. David Bowie is my favorite musical artist ever because of his various avant-garde musical styles and his influence on the entire music world for decades.

Q: What’s your favorite quote?

A: “Without order, nothing can exist. Without chaos, nothing can evolve.” –Oscar Wilde

Q: If your personality was represented by a font, what would it be and why?

A: Optima, because it’s versatile. It’s in between a serif and sans serif font, and it can be used for a wide range of designs.

Q: What colors are in your personal brand palette?

A: For my personal website, I picked a combination of Millennial pink, sage green and a range of sepia tones. I love that it’s both vintage and modern. It’s a bit of a throwback to the Art Nouveau period and feels both soothing and upscale.

The Lightning Round

Since you said “Millennial,” which of these millennial pastimes to you prefer?

Q: Donkey Kong or Bubble Bobble?

A: Donkey Kong

Q: Kmart or Shopko?

A: Kmart

Q: AOL Messenger or ICQ?

A: AOL

Q: Madonna or Paula Abdul?

A: Madonna

Q: Layered Necklaces or Layered Socks?

A: Layered Necklaces

Q: Sabrina the Teenage Witch or Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

A: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I once played the role of Willow in an off-Broadway revue of the musical episode!)

Q: Fresh Prince of Bell Air or Saved by the Bell?

A: Saved by the Bell