About Prairie Dance

We're so excited to be carrying Prairie Dance metal art on sticks.com! We know you Sticks fans are conscious about what you buy and where you purchase your treasures from, so we're here to share a little bit more about their history and process with all of you. Enjoy reading on and learning more!

Terri Schuver graduated from South Dakota State University in 1981 as a Textiles and Clothing major with a business minor. She spent 8 years with a major department store chain before an 11 year stint with a commercial interiors firm. A desire for unique garden accessories in her own landscape then led her down a new path she hadn't planned on, but a wonderful path nonetheless... read on!

While on vacation with her husband and another couple, Terri and her friend were attracted to some metal sculptures fashioned from aged metal. The husbands, not relishing the idea of transporting the art home, responded "Well we can do that."

Terri took the men up on their claim and just to give them a little push, committed to a local arts festival a few months away. True to their word, the husbands were able to help craft the new designs, yet days before the Sidewalk Arts Festival in Sioux Falls, SD, Terri had nothing to sell. The experiments to age the metal had failed.

Then, two days before the festival, tired, hot, and frustrated, Terri applied a solution of vinegar and water to the sculptures lying on the garage floor and walked away. Overnight, a combination of elements imparted a patina more unique than Terri had ever seen. And it turns out others found it appealing, too! The arts festival opened at 9am, by noon she had sold out of several designs and Prairie Dance was on its way!

It took Terri months to figure out just what worked that night, but through trial and error she was able to replicate the process and in 1997 Prairie Dance was born. Today Prairie Dance is produced by Terri and her small but dedicated staff and they ship to over 400 galleries and gift stores across the country - including our own Sticks Gallery in Des Moines, Iowa!

                    

Prairie Dance products are made from brushed or patina steel — perfect for indoor or outdoor use. If you are fortunate enough to enjoy winter, the signature rust-esque patina looks stunning against a fresh snow! 

The signature rust we speak of is created through a simple eco-friendly process that produces unique rusting patterns. Each piece has different characteristics and therefore rusts in its own special way every time. No two pieces will ever be the same - just like Sticks!

We hope you love browsing through their collection of amazing metal artwork and tabletop accessories on our website! The rusted patina artwork will add a beautiful, warm touch to any room and the brushed steel is great for contemporary vibes. Shop the whole collection here!

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