James Rosenquist Visits the Museum

Back on October 7, we debuted The North Dakota Mural amid much fanfare at the Museum. Though it was a festive atmosphere with hundreds in attendance, there was still an unfortunate piece missing: the artist who painted the mural, James Rosenquist, who was sidelined thanks to a nasty bout of pneumonia.

Luckily, Jim was able to make it to Fargo and to the Museum for a public event on Wednesday evening. He was witty, colorful and engaging, telling numerous stories about his long career, reminiscing about his childhood spent in North Dakota and Minnesota, and having a great time visiting both the public and members of his family who live nearby. The mural, which had already been formally introduced to our community, got a proper kickoff from the man responsible for painting it and it was a memorable evening all around.

Below are a few photos from the evening courtesy of our friend Dave Arntson at Milestones Photography.

Rosenquist had a brief discussion with Museum Director and CEO Colleen Sheehy.

James Rosenquist autographs a copy of his autobiography, "Painting Under Zero: Note on a Life in Art" for Museum Collections Director Mark Ryan.

James and Colleen under "The North Dakota Mural."