Event Link: https://plainsart.org

FEE: Free and open to the public.

Plains Art Museum is pleased
to announce the opening of Floating Beauty: Women in the Art of Ukiyo-e. The exhibition will be on view from June 7 to September 28, 2025, in The Museum’s Jane L. Stern Gallery.

Floating Beauty examines historical
perspectives on women and their depiction
in art in Edo Period Japan (1603 – 1867).
Made up entirely of woodblock prints created
in the ukiyo-e style, this exhibition highlights
female characters in literature, kabuki theatre,
and poetry; the courtesans and geisha of the
Yoshiwara district; and wives and mothers from
different social classes performing the duties
of their station, in order to gain some insight
into the lives of women in pre-modern Japan.
Through a Washitsu display, and the Usuki
Family objects, you will learn about historical Japan and gain insight into the lives of women during this period.

In the tradition of ukiyo-e, women are most commonly represented in the bijinga (“pictures of beautiful women”) genre. Featured in these prints are beautifully depicted courtesans with elaborate hairstyles, heavy make-up, and highly decorative clothing. These beauties were considered the ‘ideal woman,’ and aside from their physical radiance, they were passive, attentive, and well trained in the entertainment of their male companions.

Looking beyond the bijinga, this exhibition shows that women in Edo society were hard working and industrious individuals. Society scorned idleness in women of all ages, and even high-ranking females were required to perform a litany of tasks. Women were expected to be subservient but not weak; weakness would not run a demanding household or manage business affairs. For those outside of a traditional household role such as the courtesans
and geisha of the Yoshiwara, life was even more harsh. Similarly, female literary characters were well-defined and robust, but often did not fare well, eventually falling victim to the devices of men.

Over fifty woodblock prints will be featured in the exhibition, including works by ukiyo-e masters Suzuki Harunobu, Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai (The Great Wave off the Coast of Kanagawa), Utagawa Kunisada, Kikugawa Eizan, and Utagawa Hiroshige. The entire exhibition is taken from the permanent collection of the Reading Public Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania, who organized the exhibition.

Event Link: https://www.reddoorgallerywahpeton.com/call-for-worksartists.html

Fee: Free

Dates of Exhibition: September 30 – October 25, 2025

Deadline for Submissions: September 19, 2025

Deadline for Arrival of Art: September 27, 2025

Artists’ Reception: TBD, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

We invite artists to submit works with light horror or fantasy themes. The horror is not grotesque, but

subtle—a lingering unease, a flicker in the corner of the eye, a sense that something is just slightly off.

Forms of work include but are not limited to painting, drawing, sculptural work, photography, printmaking, mixed media, wood carvings, jewelry, and textiles.

This is an open call for all artists who: Currently reside in North Dakota, Minnesota, or South Dakota, or those who call Wahpeton ND or Breckenridge MN their hometown or have a local connection.

• Artists must submit an Artist’s Biography along with works if this is an artist’s first time exhibiting.

• All works must include the following information: Title, Year Completed, Brief Description, Media Used, Dimensions, and Price.

• The maximum each artist can bring is 3 – 5 pieces of artwork or 10 feet of wall space worth of artwork.

• All works must be for sale, and priced with the understanding that the Red Door Art Gallery does take a 30% commission on all works. The commission must be included in your price. Include a detailed and clear inventory of all works for our records.

• The Gallery does reserve the right to exclude any artwork that does not meet the standards set by the

Gallery’s Collections and Exhibitions Committee.

• All works that go on a wall must have a hanger on the back. All work must be equipped with a saw tooth hanger or wire.

• All artists exhibiting in this show must be members of the Red Door Art Gallery. Feel free to contact RDAG if you are unsure of your membership status.

• RDAG requests all artwork be able to stay in gallery throughout the entirety of the exhibit, except for in the event of a sale.

• RDAG reserves the curatorial discretion for all placement, lighting, display, and all other aspects of the exhibition of works

• Preference will be given to works that have not been previously exhibited at Red Door Art Gallery.

• Artist consignment agreement must be signed and/or previously on file before art can be accepted or

exhibited.

To Submit:

Please send images and descriptions of work to: director@reddoorgallerywahpeton.com

Images submitted to Red Door Art Gallery may be considered to be used in promotion of the exhibit. Artists are responsible for the delivery and/or shipping costs to and from the Red Door. If work is shipped, a reusable container must be used. RDAG is not responsible for damage during the shipment for any reason. Return shipment will be sent C.O.D. to the artist. No post office boxes will be accepted for return shipments.

For more information contact the Gallery at (701) 591-1010 or email at director@reddoorgallerywahpeton.com