Goldstedt exhibit highlights rural Nebraska scenes

CHADRON – A new exhibit at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center showcases the work of self-taught painter John Goldstedt.
Born in Alliance and raised in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Goldstedt, who now lives in rural Hemingford, captures rural scenes in acrylics. The exhibit opens July 21 and runs through Sept. 30. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.
“I’m flattered, proud, and honored,” Goldstedt said, crediting Kelly Overshiner, a friend of his daughter and a custodian at Chadron State College, for organizing the show. “I owe it all to Kelly’s persistence. She loaded the pieces and set it up.”
His interest in painting began in 2016 after inheriting supplies from his mother, who once took a painting class at Chadron State College.
“One of my daughters made a sip-and-paint for me, so I made one for her,” he said. “I got a little better with each painting. It might take me four days to turn out what the experts do in three minutes on a video.”
Goldstedt graduated from Gordon High School in 1977. After serving in the military, he and his wife settled in Colorado, where they raised three daughters and a son. All four children graduated from Hemingford High School. Today, his grandchildren paint with him, and one wall of his home is dedicated to their work.
A retired Burlington Northern conductor, Goldstedt previously worked as a computer engineer for Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Colorado. An avid traveler, he has visited 35 countries, including Antarctica, but still considers the Nebraska Sandhills home.
Category: Campus News