Art gallery moves to larger space in Brandon

June 5, 2020

Since opening on Cedar Avenue in Brandon around Labor Day of last year, Tally-Ho Art Gallery has provided a space for local artists to showcase their work. Less than a year later, the owners of the gallery have moved it into a larger location on Splitrock Boulevard, the former home of Gypsy Trading Co. 

Lamont Hunt co-owns Tally-Ho with his sister, Heather Taguchi. Hunt, an animator and illustrator, said they decided to move the gallery to increase foot traffic and offer more space.

“We were like, if we’re going to really do this gallery, we should really try to be in a really good place,” Hunt said.

Hunt and Taguchi grew up in Brandon but had lived elsewhere until a couple of years ago when they both decided to move back to the area to be close to their parents. The siblings then lost their father and mother within three months in late 2018 and early 2019. Their father, Roger Hunt, was a lawyer and served 20 years in the South Dakota Legislature, and Hunt said he and his sister wanted to find a way to give back to the community in their own way in his honor. The gallery, in fact, got its name from their dad’s favorite farewell saying.

“When he passed away, so many times we’d run into people and they’d be like: ‘We’re so sorry to hear about your dad. He was my lawyer or helped my parents’ or something like that. And so we wanted to give back to the community in the way we could. And that way was an art gallery.”

The new space is split into the gallery and gift shop sections. While the shop sells Hunt’s work from his studio, DakotaKid Creations, he said the greatest benefit of the new location is that it will allow them to offer workshops and classes that they weren’t able to in the old space.

The siblings originally planned to open the new location in mid-May, but COVID-19 had other plans. Hunt said the pandemic actually gave them a chance to spend more time on planning and renovations than they would have under normal circumstances.

“What COVID did is mess up our exhibition schedule,” he said. “But it worked in our favor that we were able to really be a little bit more prepared than I think if we had to rush to do a transition from one location to the other and still be open.”

Moving forward, Hunt said he hopes Tally-Ho becomes a “different type of gallery” for local artists looking to display their art. The gallery previously hosted a Star Wars exhibit, and Hunt said they’re looking to present more creative exhibits to foster an enriching environment for both artists and guests.

“I want to create another place of activity and entertainment for the community,” he said. “And then also be able to share local artists and artwork, and even allow people to pick up different artists’ prints and originals, and give an opportunity that they maybe wouldn’t (have) in the area.”

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Art gallery moves to larger space in Brandon

An art gallery with a lot of local ties has taken over the former Gypsy Trading Co. space in Brandon.

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