Plains Art Museum Blog
Moorhead Power Plant Meeting Wrapup
On July 21, representatives of the Museum, representatives of the City of Moorhead, and interested citizens gathered along with artists Kevin Johnson and Rob Fischer to go over ideas for artistic improvements at the site of the Moorhead Power Plant which will be decommissioned next year. This project, still in its infancy, is part of the Museum’s Defiant Gardens initiative, which advocates for the creation of artistically-inspired green spaces in the FM community.
The evening began with a short introduction by Museum Director Colleen Sheehy. Johnson and Fischer gave a short presentation to introduce their work and to the audience. Both artists are native to Minnesota and both currently reside in Brooklyn, N.Y. They focus their work on spaces and use environmental sculpture, native grasses, and pieces that are inspired by natural phenomena in order to give a space greater significance. Johnson, for instance, has been an artist-in-residence for the health care industry and has created and installed healing gardens, outdoor areas that provide patients and family members respite from the more intimidating areas of a hospital. Fischer alters large found objects that are, as he puts it, “informed by history,” becoming new objects that evoke old forms.
Sheehy discusses the concept of a Defiant Garden while Johnson and Fischer look on.
Afterward, meeting moved the over to the power plant itself. Audience members were able to inspect the grounds and, ultimately, go inside for a peek. Here are some photos:
Johnson discusses the power plant site with a member of the Woodlawn neighborhood.
Outside the plant, with some interesting concrete features visible.
Inside the plant.
The plant currently houses a backup generator and is also used for storage.
For more photos, please visit our Flickr page.
The meeting then moved to a concrete slab outside the power plant. Moderated by Moorhead Public Service General Manager Bill Schwandt, roughly two dozen interested residents weighed ideas on the best purposes for the space outside the plant and ranged from the broad (creating a “sanctuary”) to the specific (creating a berry garden). Some in the group advocated for creating an element to the location that would bring in revenue (like a bistro or a community center), while others proposed improvements to the space that would simply make it a nice place to sit. The conversation was lively and all involved seemed excited to have input into this process.
The next phase of this project? Johnson and Fischer plan to revisit the area in October and will present a proposal to Moorhead officials to implement. We’ll keep you posted on any developments and, if you have any ideas for the site and were unable to attend the meeting, please leave comments.
Moorhead Power Plant Meeting Set for Wednesday Evening
Gin Templeton, "Moorhead Power Plant"
Calling all Moorhead residents, artists, master gardeners, and anyone interested in art, landscape design, and the future of the Moorhead Power Plant site: we want your input! Meet the two artists who will be designing a garden for the Power Plant site and help shape your community!
- When: Wednesday, July 21, 6:30 p.m.
- Where: City Council Chambers, Moorhead City Hall in the Moorhead Center Mall building at 500 Center Ave. (6:30 – 7:15 p.m.) and the site of the Moorhead Power Plant (7:30 – 8:30 p.m.).
- Who: Meet the artists, Rob Fischer and Kevin Johnson, and representatives of Plains Art Museum and the City of Moorhead, who are partnering on this art project.
- What: Hear about the plans and provide input and feedback, ask questions, brainstorm ideas.
If you can’t make it to the meeting, please leave your ideas in the comments and we will take them with us.
The concept of a “defiant garden” grew out of a two-day public symposium held by Plains Art Museum in September 2009 titled, “Defiant Gardens for Fargo-Moorhead.” The idea is based on a book by landscape historian Kenneth Helphand (University of Oregon), called Defiant Gardens. In this context, “defiant” means resilient, able to overcome obstacles, provide sustenance and well-being against the odds. The symposium brought together a dozen artists from the local region and the national level to discuss how the idea of a defiant garden could be adapted to help us improve our cities.
Rob Fischer and Kevin Johnson are sculptors who were invited to present at the symposium. They work with the landscape and also with industrial buildings and building materials, often using cast-off remnants of old buildings. They think the Moorhead Power Plant is a beautiful edifice in a beautiful location with good proximity to parks, parkways, and neighborhoods.
At this point, they are thinking that they would develop a garden that uses native plants, perhaps some kind of rain garden that is low maintenance. They would like the garden to be a social space where people could gather for activities or just to enjoy the setting and the Power Plant building. A more fully developed idea will emerge from this planning trip.
Rob Fischer and Kevin Johnson are working as a team on the Defiant Garden for the Moorhead Power Plant. Originally from Minnesota, the two artists now live in Brooklyn, New York, and work nationwide on art exhibitions and public art. Fischer has a Bachelor’s of Fine Art (BFA) degree in sculpture and environmental design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Kevin Johnson has a BFA from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Fisher’s sculptures have been in solo and group exhibitions at The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum in New York City, and the Walker Art Center. Kevin Johnson has been awarded public art commissions for gardens and plazas in Washington state and the Twin Cities.
This Defiant Garden project is supported by Plains Art Museum and the City of Moorhead and by a generous grant from the Lake Regions Art Council, with contributions from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Earlier support for “Defiant Gardens for Fargo-Moorhead” was provided by the Graham Foundation for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts and Community Projects Grant from North Dakota State University.
Image: Gin Templeton, Moorhead Power Plant, 2010, oil on canvas, 9 x 9″, loaned by the artist.
Modern Man and the Farmers Market
The week that was
Last weekend, Hip Hop Don’t Stop overcame a last-minute venue change to host yet another blockbuster weekend of aerosol mural painting and hip hop culture. We’re working on some photos and/or video and we’ll share those as soon as we can. Once again, we’d like to thank our co-presenter, Idehaus, and the artists who made the trip to give us another awesome mural in town. Kudos also go to our sponsors: Richard Preston of 7th Avenue Auto Salvage, State Bank & Trust, Dawson Insurance, The High Plains Reader and the Hotel Donaldson.
It was a bit of a scrape, but the Plain Food Farmers Market is off and running once again this year. Each Thursday afternoon from 4 – 7 p.m., drop by to browse fresh produce, herbs, artisanal goods, and much more. We’d like to thank Mara Trygstad of It’s About Thyme for all of her help getting the farmers market off the ground this year; we had planned on shelving it due to a lack of personnel, but Mara filled in our gaps and took it upon herself to organize the event herself. When you stop by, be sure to give her a pat on the back for her hard work and take a jar of her pickled garlic home while you’re at it. That stuff works wonders.
The Downtown Street Fair is currently going on in downtown Fargo, which prompted this week’s Theme Photo Thursday (our weekly photo submission project) theme of “Fairs.” Click on over to our Facebook page to check them out. Unfortunately, no photos of foods on a stick were submitted … yet.
Last night, we hosted a delightful tribute to Modern Man, Fargo’s favorite “comeapartist” whose works have encompassed an astonishing amount of media (potato chips, glow-in-the-dark paints, objects, plus his own … ahem … fluids) and have been piquing our curiosity for decades. In addition to his talents and idiosyncratic style, Modern is also a funny, gracious and humble soul. His presentation, a 15-minute slideshow that served as my “Modern 101,” also showed why such a gifted artist found his way into the heart of our artistic community. Video of the tribute, featuring some shared memories from some of Modern’s good friends, is on its way within the next few days. However, you can see a few shared photos at our Facebook page.
The week that will be
Next Wednesday, world/jazz/folk duo Patchouli will play for July’s Rush Hour Music Series as a breezy antidote to our mid-summer heat. The tunes fire up at 5:30 in the p.m.
Also next Wednesday, the City of Moorhead will host a community meeting to discuss the installation of a garden at the site of the old Moorhead Power Plant in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The project is a partnership between the Museum (as part of our Defiant Gardens initiative) and the City of Moorhead. Two artists, Rob Fischer and Kevin Johnson, will be on hand to discuss their plans as well as hear suggestions and ideas from artists and the community at large. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Moorhead City Council chambers at 500 Center Ave. and will move to the power plant site later on. If you’re interested this addition to the neighborhood, please plan on joining us.
Lastly, our good friends at the Fargo Theatre will host a two-Beatles film series on Wednesday the 21st and Thursday the 22nd. “A Hard Day’s Night” will show at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 7 p.m. on Thursday, while “Yellow Submarine” will show at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and 5 p.m. on Thursday. Admission for any show is $5 – totally worth it to see these gems on the big screen.
Have a great weekend and, remember, admission is free every Thursday through Labor Day!
Hip Hop Don’t Stop … and Neither Does Street Art
This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Hip Hop Don’t Stop will present another weekend of aerosol mural painting, hip hop music and dancing. For the full slate of activities, check out the event on our website or visit the Hip Hop Don’t Stop Facebook group.
Last year Hip Hop Don’t Stop, a collective of artists specializing in urban culture events (dj’s, hip hop concerts, b-boy dancing contests), created the jaw-dropping mural currently adorning the wall on the west side of the Museum parking lot. Here are a few photos from that weekend:
The obvious parallel to be drawn to this substantial artwork is the act of making graffiti and, in fact, it is graffiti. Graffiti is broadly defined as the images and text scratched, painted or drawn on property, although the term “graffiti” usually carries the connotation that the image created is considered vandalism. “Street art” may be a more applicable term for the Hip Hop Don’t Stop creation and the embrace of spray paint art in hip hop/underground culture.
No matter what it’s called or the reason for it, as long as we have lived in societies we have also lived with public art designed to fulfill goals as diverse as benign beautification, undermining authority, and outright revolt. Perhaps it’s the reaction to the commodification of space through the use of the sign, or maybe it’s simple acknowledgment of the power of shared space. Either way, these art-making methods embody a long, fascinating history and call into question a multitude of issues as old as humanity itself.
To get a bit of a grasp on the world of graffiti and street art, here are a few resources to check out. If you have a few of your own to suggest, please do so in the comments, and leave your opinions about the often-controversial role that graffiti plays in social life, too. Also, be sure to take an hour or two this weekend to stop by and see the goings-on at the Hip Hop Don’t Stop mural at 1101 1st Ave South in Fargo (near Duffy’s). You’ll see talented artists at work that would love to answer your questions about their craft.
- Graffiti and street art on Wikipedia.
- Art crimes, an online compendium of graffiti around the world.
- Worldwide Graffiti, another great graffiti resource.
- Photos of work by Banksy, a popular British graffiti artist, and his website.
- Guerrila marketing – the commercial version of graffiti?
The White Album Reception
On June 16, we had a public kickoff for the exhibition The White Album: The Beatles Meet the Plains. A nice crowd of young and old was on hand to stroll through the gallery and hear the extraordinary singer/songwriter Michael Pink, whose affinity for The Beatles made for an appropriate addition to the evening. Chris Gion, Kaylyn Gerenz and Colleen Sheehy – curators of the White Album show – were also on hand to give a dual gallery talk and White Album listening party.
Below are a few photos from the Michael Pink show courtesy of Britta Trygstad at Milestones Photography – a few more are available at our Flickr page. There are some videos of Michael Pink available to view at our YouTube outpost, too. Enjoy, and be sure to visit the Museum soon to see how music and visual art combine in this exhibition. Remember: every Thursday is free through Labor Day. Current members of the military get in free with their families during the summer, too.
We’re a Best Bet! [Around the Museum]
A big, hearty thank you to all of you who voted for Plains Art Museum in this year’s High Plains Reader Best Bets poll. We were chosen “Best Art Gallery” over some hefty and equally worthwhile competition, including The Rourke, ecce art + yoga, DK Custom Framing, and the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (the Hjemkomst). And for that, we’re honored.
Congratulations to all of the other winners; they represent some of the finest eats, entertainment and services you can find in our community. You can read up on them in the newest issue of the HPR, on stands and online now.
Summer Art Camps Are Under Way
What do Cream of Wheat and fine art have in common? Summer Art Campers are learning this and much more this week at the Wild and Wacky Portraits camp led by art educator Lindsay Palczewski. The campers were inspired by artwork in the Individual to Icon: Portraits of the Famous and Almost Famous from Folk art to Facebook exhibition and created a plethora of self portraits using various media including yarn, clay, and even seeds & beans:
Literary works of art in the form of picture books were also part of the fun. So when the campers learned that Matisse liked to sketch in the art galleries of Paris, the campers decided they wanted to do some gallery sketching as well. “Sometimes I get the best ideas from my students,” Lindsay says. “I like to be flexible and accommodate their suggestions, because when children see their ideas are valued, they are all the more inspired.”
If your child missed Wild and Wacky Portraits, not to worry. Two more art camps are scheduled this summer:
Rock out with Art
July 12-15, 9 am – noon
Camp Leader: Sarah Dotzenrod
For children going into grades 4-6
The focus will be on self-portraits using the magic of photolithography.
See the Music, Hear the Art
Aug. 16-19, 9 am – noon
Camp Leader: Marcia Dronen
For children going into grades 3-5
Campers will explore the White Album: Beatles Meet the Plains exhibition and create a symphony of artwork that can be seen and also heard!
And by the way: What does Cream of Wheat and fine art have in common? I’m not telling! But you can visit the Individual to Icon exhibition and check out the artwork of Lillian Colton to find out for yourselves.
To register or find more information about our Summer Art Camps, click here or call 701.232.3821.
Sandy Ben-Haim is the Director of Education for Plains Art Museum. She can be reached via email at sbenhaim@plainsart.org.
Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson Presents ‘A Western Icelander’ at the Spirit Room
Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Chair of MSUM Film Studies, will present A Western Icelander: Geneographies of Memory and Place, an exhibition in the main gallery of the Spirit Room from June 18 – July 15. The exhibit will include monotype prints, photographs, and her most recent non-fiction film, Sveit, shot in the Skagafjordur region of Iceland. The exhibit will also include photographs by Christopher Nelson (Walking from Hofsos, Gallery II), and a documentary honoring Bill Holm (Windows of Brimnes, Gallery III) with maps of Iceland.
At 5:00 Friday, June 25th, a free public reception will be held, with a brief talk by Kristjansson and a toast of Icelandic Brennivin. Following the reception, the Hotel Donaldson will have Icelandic appetizers and desserts by chef Anders Ericsson at 6:00pm (ticket required, $15). The public reception and Hodo event commence the annual Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival, which features Iceland this year.
Kristjansson’s 30-minute non-fiction film, Sveit, premiered at the Walker Art Center, and also screened at the Athens International Film Festival and the Wisconsin Film Festival. Sveit was funded in part by the Bush Foundation, the Corporation of Yaddo, the Fulbright Association, and Skaftfell Menningarmidstod. Sveit was shot in the rural village of Hofsos on the north coast of Iceland. The filmmaker traces her family’s history and emigration from Iceland to the United States, while unpacking memories and stories of her grandfather’s experience as a New American in North Dakota. Meanwhile Kristjansson negotiates the relationship between landscape, language, mythology and ritual with the help of the local 1st – 4th grade Icelandic children.
The Spirit Room is located at 111 Broadway in downtown Fargo 701.237.0230.
This exhibition is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota State Legislative appropriation.
Bikes, The Beatles and Summer Art Camps
The week that was.
We close another week at Plains Art Museum as heavy showers fall in downtown Fargo. Earlier in the week we also experienced a heavy downpour of seeds from the huge cottonwood tree across the street. This “summer snow” is fun to look at but as I learned from Steve, our facility maintenance coordinator, the seeds also clog up our condensers which then require frequent cleaning. They’re a double-edged sword, I guess.
This past week we began putting final touches on the plans for Bikes, Art and Community Health Week coming up in late August. We are thrilled to be partnering with the FM Community Bike Workshop and Great Northern Bicycle Co. in this week of free events that focus on pedal power and collaborative art, providing a solid lead-in to Fargo-Moorhead’s Streets Alive! celebration. I’m most excited for the people-powered bike-in movie theatre. Volunteers will pedal a five-person bike (named “The Mighty Quinn,” see below), turning a generator which will then power a projector showing the film The Triplets of Bellville. Besides being a spectacle, it will also be an opportunity to enjoy a delightful movie in the open air.
The Mighty Quinn
Also, in case you missed it, The Forum’s John Lamb conducted an interview with Museum Director Colleen Sheehy on the state of the Museum during our downturn economy. It’s a worthwhile read.
The week that will be.
Next week, expect to see some photos and reaction from our first Summer Art Camp of the year. This first of three art camps is designed for children going into grades 1 through 4 and will focus on using mixed media to create self portraits. Open slots are still available by calling 701.232.3821 or by signing up on our Learn page.
Also, we’ll be formally kicking off our White Album exhibition with an opening reception next Wednesday starting at 5:30. In addition to the exhibition, local heavy Michael Pink will bring a Beatles-esque sound to our Rush Hour Music stage. Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available and the exhibition curators will be on hand for a gallery talk as well. We expect a fun-filled evening celebrating this thought-provoking take on where popular culture/music and visual art … ahem … come together.
Until then, have a great weekend and remember that the Museum offers free admission every Thursday through Labor Day, so make plans to visit.
“Landmark” Exhibition Reaches into the FM Community
"In Reflection," Britta Trygstad
This week, we opened an ArtView exhibition entitled Landmark: Views of the Moorhead Power Plant. The exhibition aims to get us to really look at and appreciate the architecture and historical memory that the Moorhead Power Plant, even though it is defunct, can still provide us. Further, the show asks the community to consider the fate of this building as its future is largely uncertain. Viewers can leave their ideas for the building’s possible re-use in the comment book with the exhibition or write your ideas here. The work of seven artists was selected after a call for submissions: Janet Flom, Juliet Hanratty, Ann Arbor Miller, George Pfeifer, Richard Skauge, Gin Templeton, and Britta Trygstad.
The Landmark exhibition is an example of how Plains Art Museum is reaching outside of its walls to bring art and artists to audiences in our public spaces and to consider the aesthetics of our community life. Our Defiant Gardens project is an ongoing effort to create gardens and public sculpture as gathering places that will help to sustain and revive public spaces, and our Plains Inside Out series of programming asks the public to “see the art” in activities like bicycling and aerosol mural painting. Reaching out to the public and asking them to consider new kinds of art making, often with a social component, is the newest direction of public engagement for museums around the country. Being located as we are in a growing and dynamic community, the same holds true for us.
We believe that art provides openings for conversations and socializing, bringing people together to appreciate experience and to reflect on our lives and places. We invite you to join us in these opportunities. Please let us know about your ideas for having Plains Art Museum interact with the community in the comments, or stop on by.
(Image: Britta Trygstad, In Reflection, 2010, digital photo print, 11 x 17″, loaned by the artist.)
