EVENT LINK: https://lrac4.org/exhibit-schedule

FEE: Free and Open to the Public

LRAC EXHIBITION:
Tranquility & Turmoil

Lake Region Arts Council Main Gallery Opens New Exhibition
Tranquility & Turmoil

Opening: Monday, January 12, 2026
Closes: Thursday, March 12th, 2026
Location: Lake Region Arts Council Main Gallery
Joint Artist Reception: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 5:00–6:30PM
Artist Talks Begin: 5:30 PM
Reception held jointly with Solo Exhibition – Jammie Niemeyer

The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) Main Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Tranquility & Turmoil, a new group exhibition opening Monday, January 12, 2026. The exhibition explores the dynamic tension between calm and disruption, revealing how growth, insight, and transformation often emerge from uncertainty as much as from intention.

Through ceramic sculpture, suspended installation, and painting, Tranquility & Turmoil brings together the work of Blayze Buseth, Desiree Logan, Sam Busko, and Kiley Busko—artists who examine fragility, pressure, and imbalance within both natural and emotional landscapes.

Blayze Buseth’s ceramic practice embraces experimentation and imperfection, pushing clay to the edge of cracking, remixing materials, and allowing flaws to become integral to the final form. His sculptural vessels take on organic, elemental qualities reminiscent of wood grain, tree bark, eroded earth, and landscapes shaped by time and pressure—embodying turmoil as a necessary force in creation.

Desiree Logan contributes sculptural elements that reflect human presence within imagined environments. Drawing visual parallels to traditional shan shui landscape painting, her forms suggest emotional terrains that bridge inner human experience with contemplative, otherworldly spaces.

In dialogue with these works, Sam Busko presents a suspended flock of ceramic birds that embody freedom, movement, and wildness. Some birds are partially or fully coated in a dark, toxic-appearing substance that weighs each form down differently. As the coating increases, the birds become distorted and unrecognizable, prompting the question: if a bird loses the ability to fly, can it still be considered free?

Kiley Busko’s watercolor paintings extend this conversation by exploring tranquility alongside vulnerability in the natural world. Her vivid depictions of birds capture moments of stillness and grace, inviting quiet observation. This serenity is unsettled by more confronting works—portraits of injured or deceased wildlife rendered through expressive inks and gestural washes—exposing loss, fragility, and environmental consequence.

Together, the works form a shared landscape where beauty and disturbance coexist rather than cancel one another out. Across ceramic vessels, sculptural forms, and painted imagery, Tranquility & Turmoil invites viewers to reflect on how imbalance, pressure, and fragility shape both the natural world and human experience.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
(Please call or email in advance to ensure the gallery is open on the day of your visit.)

About the Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC):
The Lake Region Arts Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging the vitality of the arts in west central Minnesota. LRAC provides grant opportunities, workshops, technical assistance, and publishes a monthly ArtsNews newsletter for artists and arts organizations in the counties of Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin.

EVENT LINK: https://lrac4.org/exhibit-schedule

FEE: Free and Open to the Public

LRAC EXHIBITION:
Solo Exhibition by Jammie Niemeyer

Lake Region Arts Council Office Gallery Presents
Solo Exhibition by Jammie Niemeyer

Exhibition Dates: January 12 – March 12, 2026
Location: Lake Region Arts Council Office Gallery
Opening Reception: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 PM
Joint Reception with: Tranquility & Turmoil (LRAC Main Gallery)

The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) Office Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by artist Jammie Niemeyer, on view from January 12 through March 12, 2026. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, in conjunction with the Main Gallery exhibition Tranquility & Turmoil. The reception is free and open to the public.

Jammie Niemeyer’s art practice is deeply rooted in lived experience. A self-taught artist, Niemeyer has been drawing since childhood, often using art as a means of focus, expression, and understanding. Later in life, discovering they are full-spectrum dyslexic further affirmed the importance of art and music as essential tools for learning, processing, and communication.

Niemeyer’s creative journey began with small painted scenes on blown eggs and hobby-based artwork, gradually expanding into murals in churches and private homes, including a large-scale doodle mural along the Riverwalk in Granite Falls, Minnesota. Their work has also included a doodle silhouette series honoring influential Black Americans, larger sculptural works such as Lake Goddess, and recent explorations in copper sculpture. Over the past three years, wood-burning and leather burning have become central to Niemeyer’s practice, alongside ongoing teaching in both doodling and wood-burning.

Stylistically, Niemeyer’s work balances freedom and precision. Doodling provides a spontaneous, expressive outlet, while woodburning and leather burning offer a meditative, disciplined process grounded in focus on pressure, pace, and patience. Together, these methods reflect both the energetic and contemplative dimensions of their creative voice.

In addition to visual art, Niemeyer engages in public speaking as a form of storytelling and social reflection. Drawing from experiences of growing up in an all-white community and family, they share narratives that address both joy and harm, offering space for honesty, understanding, and connection. Through art and words, Niemeyer gives voice to perspectives that are often left unheard.

For Niemeyer, art is not simply a practice—it is a way of life.

Gallery Hours:
Monday – Thursday | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Closed Friday – Sunday
(Please call or email in advance to ensure the gallery is open on the day of your visit.)

About the Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC):
The Lake Region Arts Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging the vitality of the arts in west central Minnesota. LRAC provides grant opportunities, workshops, technical assistance, and publishes a monthly ArtsNews newsletter for artists and arts organizations in the counties of Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin.

EVENT LINK: https://www.minnesota.edu/news/two-winter-art-exhibits-opening-soon-fergus-falls-campus

FEE: Free and open to the public

The Process of Satiation – Emily Williams-Wheeler

Exhibition

Dates: January 14 – March 20, 2026
Location: Charles Beck Gallery, M State, Fergus Falls
Admission: Free and open to the public during regular campus hours

Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls presents The Process of Satiation, an exhibition of paintings by regional artist Emily Williams-Wheeler. Known for bold color, expressive linework, and large-scale public murals, Williams-Wheeler’s work explores visual intensity and emotional resonance.

A joint reception with “The Eclectic Collection – Cathrin & Laura Von Bank” will be held Wednesday, February 12, from 4:00–6:00 p.m.

EVENT LINK: https://www.minnesota.edu/news/two-winter-art-exhibits-opening-soon-fergus-falls-campus

FEE: Free and open to the public

The Eclectic Collection – Cathrin & Laura Von Bank

Exhibition

Dates: January 21 – May 16, 2026
Location: Waage Gallery, M State Fergus Falls
Admission: Free and open to the public during regular campus hours

The Eclectic Collection brings together work by sisters Cathrin and Laura Von Bank in a dynamic, multi-media exhibition. Featuring linocut prints, portraiture, fiber art, and mixed media, the show reflects the artists’ shared roots and distinct practices, drawing inspiration from nature, rural life, textiles, and the human figure.

A joint reception with “The Process of Satiation – Emily Williams-Wheeler” will be held Wednesday, February 12, from 4:00–6:00 p.m