Rapid City Journal - October 21, 2001 (Rapid City, South Dakota)

"Art in the Aftermath"
By Diane Rietman, Journal Staff Writer

A South African teenager living in South Dakota with her family has seen the destruction and terror that faces a country under attack from within. It's one of the reasons family members applied for visas to come to the United States.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 so moved 14-year-old Ramona Kurten that she decided to use her artistic talent to show her concern for her adopted home.
"I can't just draw and not do something with it." Ramona said. "I thought about President Bush and his plan for orphan children and somehow wanted to help."
Using photographs from magazines and newspapers as a guideline, she started out with the portrait of President George W. Bush - a man she said she'd come to admire because of the way he has dealt with the attack and its aftermath.
"I admire him and have a special place for him in my heart. He's someone I look up to," Ramona said. "Every time he's on television, I say, "There's my president."
A second drawing depicts firemen and scenes from the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As she is able to gather photographs, she hopes to put together a series of drawings.
With the help of Dallerie Davis, an artist's representative in Rapid City, Ramona hopes to make prints of the drawings which could be sold to raise funds for charities.
Ramona said she'd like to see the money go to the foundation set up by President Bush to help the children who lost parents in the World Trade Center and Pentagon crashes, and America's Fund for Afghan Children, which would assist the orphans in Afghanistan.
She'd also like to present he original drawing of the president to Bush in person.
Her artwork first gained some recognition as a display at the senior citizens center in Philip. That work was then sent to Wall, where it was judged in a contest of local artists. Ramona received three first-place awards for her portraits.
Eventually, sculptor John Lopez, who is involved in the City of Presidents project in Rapid City, saw Ramona's work on display at the Central States Fair this summer. He suggested Davis try to promote Ramona's work and her effort to use drawings as a fundraiser for relief and charity programs
But why would a family from the Port Elizabeth area of South Africa feel such a connection to the United States. The roots of Ramona's American patriotism go back to South Africa.
Ramona's family lived on a farm and was one of the few white families in the community. Her father, Raymond, was an administrator with a local factory. Her mother, Mena, home-schooled children who essentially were left as orphans by their parents. Previously, Ramona's parents were Christian missionaries in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The combination of few jobs for whites, the lack of opportunities for college graduates and the fear for the safety of his family because his job meant he was away from home at night led Raymond to look for an alternative for his family.
"People are murdered, and I just thought it irresponsible to continue living and working in a situation that would put my family in danger," Raymond said. "We were targets because of our skin color and it's easy for my family to be a target because people knew I would be at the plant at night."
In South Africa, jobs go first to blacks, then "coloreds" (those of combined black and Caucasian backgrounds), then white, he said. There was no future for the family there, he said. His daughter's art also would have no place in South Africa.
Last fall, his twin brother, Ben, landed a job working on a farm in Philip. The Kurten family looked at their options, prayed for direction from God and eventually were able to follow family members to Philip.
Raymond has worked at the Pitchfork Ranch owed by Terry Bucharest since March but the seasonal job won't last much longer.
The visa for him and his family expires at the end of November. They've applied for an extension, but he needs to find a permanent job to remain in this country.
"We're amazed by the freedoms you have as Americans. It's something we never felt in South Africa," Raymond said. "We know about attacks in South Africa but didn't think of seeing something like that happening here. When we first heard about the September 11th attack, we were shocked. Then, we listened to the comments of President Bush and Gov. Janklow and cried. We haven't a flag or the leadership in government you have here. We see in President Bush a leader who cares for people."
Ramona has had an interest in art since she was a child. The Kurtens see her recent work as a heartfelt sense of gratitude she has with the United States since moving her in March.
"Ramona feels a special connection to this and wants to help in whatever way we can. We don't have money, but she has her (artistic) ability, " Mena said. "We felt it has been a privilege to be in America and want to thank you for that."