This Weekend: The FMVA Studio Crawl

The FMVA Studio Crawl gets started this Saturday throughout Fargo-Moorhead (see some previous posts about the Crawl, and the preview exhibition currently showing at the Museum, here and here). Glassblower, Studio Crawl organizer, and all-around good guy Jon Offut took some time recently to answer a few quick questions about the Crawl. In addition to the brochures Jon mentions, you can also find Studio Crawl maps at www.fmva.us. Get out and enjoy it!

1. This is the seventh year of the Studio Crawl. How has it grown or changed over that time?

The first Studio Crawl had 27 studios to visit. This year there are 39, with over 50 artists participating. Each year some artists go on sabbatical, some return, and new artists are accepted. So there are always new studios to visit and at all of the studios artists are presenting their newest work. Every year we are adding more and more evening events. This year, as well as the Studio Crawl preview at the Plains, there is a group show at the Spirit Room with a reception Saturday, October 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The FMVA also presented the Big Show at the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (the Hjemkomst).

2. Are there any new artists this year who you are excited about? Is there any new work by established artists that excites you?

This week I visited the studio of landscape artist Robert Crowe and saw some very interesting work utilizing nontraditional applications of pastel.   Eric Syvertson is new to crawl this year,  he creates realistic contemporary drawings using experimental mixtures of techniques and mediums. His first solo show is this fall at the Rourke Gallery in Moorhead.

3. What advice would you give to a first-time Studio Crawler?

Don’t try to see it all! Visit the Plains Art Museum and pick up a brochure, then visit the preview exhibit on display and select the artists that interest you to visit.

4. In addition to showcasing art and artists, how has the Studio Crawl progressed as a social event and get-together?

It has really helped the local arts community come together and start to operate as a group. I also hear stories every year of how our visitors are utilizing the event. Last year a woman introduced herself to me and said she was from Minot and had driven down to meet her sister, who had flown in from Indiana, for a “girls’ weekend.”

5. What value do you see the Studio Crawl bringing to the arts community in Fargo-Moorhead?

As a free “in your neighborhood” event we draw a lot of visitors that don’t normally participate in visual arts events and give them an introduction to the art scene. Much of our publicity is focused on underserved audiences.

The brochure and the preview exhibit at the Plains Art Museum both serve to illustrate the quantity and quality of visual art in the Fargo Morehead region. 25,000 of the brochures are printed, 10,000 of them are direct mailed to the region and many more are sent to former North Dakotans who still maintain ties to the area.