Event Link: https://www.minnesota.edu/fine-arts-events

FEE: FREE and open to the public.

Jan. 16-May 11, Mary Jo Wentz, "The Fusion of Fiber and Nature," Waage Gallery

There is a joint artist reception on February 20 from 2-4 p.m. at M State-Fergus Falls.

Wending Through Watercolor Batik by Ruth Hanson | Charles Beck Gallery

The Fusion of Fiber and Nature by Mary Jo Wentz | Waage Gallery.

Event Link:

FEE: FREE to attend gallery and artist talk.

“Hoofprints” by Sally Pat Williamson

February 3- May 1, 2025

Opening Reception March 23, 2025 3pm-5pm 

Through complementary color contrast and bright pops of deep reds and pinks, “Hoofprints” explores gender tropes as they relate to physical pain. The artist uses humor in the work to process physical trauma from a horse accident in 2011. 

The Spirit Room is pleased to present “Hoofprints”, a colorful exhibition that engages the viewer in ironic humor focused on how gender norms affect the way feminine bodies present pain. Curated by the artist, Sally Pat Williamson, and on view from February 3, 2025 to May 1, 2025, this solo gallery exhibition explores the intersection of humor and pain as they relate to our bodies. The opening reception, which is free to the public, for “Hoofprints” will take place on Sunday, March 23rd from 3:00 to 5:00pm. The Spirit Room Galleries are open weekdays from 1:00 to 5:00pm. 

Consisting of six paintings, the artist depicts horse backsides, personal hospital gifts, and glittering abstractions, all coelesing together to create a sense of irony and humor. 

The exhibition is complemented by being shown in Gallery Two. The intimate space encourages viewers to get personal with the work, something the artist hopes will encourage close inspection and introspection. 

Artist Bio

Sally Pat Williamson (b. 2000, Decatur, Georgia) is an interdisciplinary artist from Athens, Georgia, currently based in Fargo, North Dakota. Sally’s work pulls from notions of playful femininity by using dream-like aesthetics made with unconventional media and traditional oil and acrylic paint renderings. Conceptually, most of Sally’s art revolves around her childhood growing up in the deep South, the intimate relationships she cultivates, and the humorous absurdities of living in a world so enamored with upholding the gender binary. 

Sally received her Bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary art and design from the University of Georgia in December 2022. Since graduating, Sally relocated to Fargo, North Dakota and has been focusing on local public art ventures. Most recently, Sally has become the gallery manager at the Spirit Room in Downtown Fargo.  

IMAGE COMPOSITE: (Top to bottom): Image 1: Sally Williamson, “Shrimp Disassociation”, 10 inch diameter, acrylic and oil on stretched canvas, 2024. Image 2: Sally Williamson, “Kidney Bean”, 8 inch diameter, acrylic and oil on stretched canvas, 2024.

EXHIBITION CREDITS

“Hoofprints” is organized by The Spirit Room and curated by Sally Pat Williamson, Gallery Manager at the Spirit Room. We gratefully acknowledge sustained support for The Spirit Room provided by The North Dakota Council on the Arts and The Arts Partnership of Fargo/Moorhead.

Event Link:

Ceremony Blankets

An Exhibition by Rick Kagigebi
2024 McKnight Fiber Artist Fellowship Exhibition

February 21 – May 21, 2025
Opening Reception: March 18, 2025
Gizhiigin Arts Incubator
701 E Jefferson Ave
Mahnomen, MN 56557

Rick Kagigebi (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe) is a blanket maker whose appliquéd mural blankets are created as ceremonial gifts. Every aspect of his process—from sketching to fabric selection, sewing, and tying—carries deep storytelling significance.

Event Link: https://www.therourke.org/calendar.html

FEE: FREE and open to public to view.

Chris Mortenson: The Air, thin and eager like this.

Fri Apr 11th - Sun Jun 8th

Main-Gallery-Exhibit

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, 521 Main Ave, Moorhead, MN 56560, USA  

Chris Mortenson is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts
and cultural heritage fund.

This activity is made possible by an allocation from The Longspur Prairie Fund at The Rourke.

The Air, thin and eager like this.

My work is driven by the need to understand my own connections to landscape and the relationships between cultural ideals of place and the use of the photographic imagery, which shapes and sustains how Americans think and talk about landscape. The work is rooted in the notion that, at its best, the photograph is a trace of reality, offering half-truths rather than being an authentic representation of what is inside the frame. Photographs tend to be a primary source of understanding about a place, conjuring ideas of the natural and unnatural, whether or not those representations are apt. The work I make questions the duality between our perceived notions of landscape and the realities of those landscapes, as well as the conflict felt within both natural and human-made landscapes.

The Air, thin and eager like this. is a survey of landscape through hunting and is comprised of both large color landscape photographs and portraits made using the palladium process. The practice of hunting is surrounded with emotions both for and against the killing of animals. It is often pointed to as an issue of sustainability and stewardship for the land as well as a positive economic force for rural communities for those who support it and as a bloodthirsty and unnecessary activity to those who oppose it. As a hunter who both enjoys hunting and dislikes the killing, I understand both of these arguments. This work is not an attempt to litigate those positions. It is an attempt to look at hunting as a method for understanding landscape and the conflicts it poses and what happens to the preconceived notions we have if what we are looking at doesn’t align with those ideas.

About the Artist
Chris Mortenson (b. 1979) is an artist and educator based in Moorhead, MN, where he is currently Associate Professor of Art at Concordia College. He has shown work work nationally and internationally at Coop Gallery in Nashville, TN; The Emergeandsee Media Arts Festival, Berlin, Germany; The Exhibition Hall, Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia; The Saarijärvi Museum, Central Finland; 5&J Gallery, Lubbock, TX; The Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR; and at South x Southeast Photogallery, Molena, GA, among others. He holds a BFA from The University of South Dakota and an MA and MFA from The University of Iowa.

Event Link: https://artofthelakes.wildapricot.org/store

FEE: Check link for all the fees and supplies options.

Open Ceramic Studio

 Wednesdays

May 14 - Aug. 27  5-8 pm

Every Wednesday, May 14-August 27, 5-8 pm
Purchase a Punch Card for studio access

Open Ceramic Studio is a series of dedicated sessions for the community and AOTL Members to use the ceramic studio in the Creative Arts Center. Open Ceramic Studio is for artists to work individually on personal ceramic projects. Participants will need prior ceramics background, as no formal instruction will be given. Kristi Everts and other ceramic artists will be available during the Open Ceramic Studio hours, for questions and assistance if needed.​

Equipment: Pottery wheels, bats, project boards are available. Tools are available for purchase or artists may bring their own tools. Limited tools are also available for use.
  
Supplies: 25# of clay are available for purchase for $35 which includes the cost of clay, firing and glaze.  No outside clay can be used unless approved prior to use with documentation of type and cone. We bisque at cone 06 and glaze at cone 6.  

• Commercial glazes are available for use. No outside glazes can be used without approval prior to use with documentation of cone from original container.