Archive for the ‘Exhibitions’ Category
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.)
Meet Our Portrait Contest Winner
As mentioned in the last post, we’ve been taking submissions over the last few months for a portrait contest inspired by our exhibition Individual to Icon: Portraits of the Famous and Almost Famous from Folk Art to Facebook. We got a great response from a wide variety of talented photographers, painters and graphic designers, all of whom appeared to take great joy in capturing a good portrait.
The winner, chosen by jury, was submitted by Jamie Hohnadel of Kindred, N.D. Her piece is a perfect marriage of uncluttered imagery and use of color:
Jamie Hohnadel, "Wishful Thinking", 2008, 11 x 17", digital pigment print
We also liked this image because, in a way, it fit with our Spring Gala theme of “Ordinary to Extraordinary.” Jamie’s print will be part of the silent auction at this year’s Gala and, as a prize, Jamie received a ticket. We’re also keeping her image as our Facebook profile photo for the month of April.
Jamie Hohnadel
I had the chance to meet Jamie earlier this week. She is an enthusiastic and energetic high school senior involved in almost every art activity she can get her hands on.
“I love painting, drawing, sculpting, singing, song writing, sewing, fashion design, reading and writing poetry and short stories, and everything involving theater- from acting to set design to hair and makeup,” she said. That’s quite the list. For inspiration, Jamie likes to browse and contribute to the online art community deviantART.com.
Jamie won silver and gold in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and plans on attending Minnesota State University Moorhead in the fall, majoring in graphic design. She has her eye on doing work in the music industry.
“When you look at an album cover and you buy it because of the art and you don’t care what they play – I just love that,” she said.
Jamie said her winning image was the result of experimentation with a new camera. Her friend Nicki, the subject of the photo and an actor, pretended to be “dramatic” and struck a pose in front of a telephone pole. Jamie liked the image but cropped out the pole and added a flower to make the resulting diptych. Such a creation seems like old hat to her, given her bristling creative energy.
“Honestly, I think I was just born to do this. I create something everyday,” she said. “I can’t even comprehend a life without art. I’ve worked very hard to get to the point I am at, and it hasn’t been easy. I worked all summer and did art commissions just to save up to buy the camera I took that picture with. My school doesn’t offer a computer graphics class or a photography class, so I taught myself. But if I hadn’t had the support of my family, friends, and teachers, who knows where I would be now.”
Congratulations again to Jamie. Her print will be in our Gala silent auction preview on April 19 and available at the auction the night of the Gala on May 1.
Portrait Contest Finalists
The last few months of watching entries come in for our Portrait Project contest have been a real thrill. It’s been incredible to not only provide an opportunity for artists to engage in the artistic process with the Plains Art Museum, but to see that opportunity so readily grasped by so many talented people. Further, it’s been a treat to see the art of portraiture conceived in so many ways and lending our Individual to Icon exhibition a wonderful companion project. Big thanks to all who submitted.
I’ll post a bio of our contest winner later today. But first, I’d like to recognize five finalists from the contest. Congratulations to them! If you’d like more information about any of the artists or their work, please email kkerzman@plainsart.org.
Morea Steinhauer, "Handout - San Salvador, El Salvador"
Jescia Hoffman, "Growing Up"
Eric Santwire, "Al"
Yvonne Denault, "My Joy"
Don Kates, "Don't Mess With Me"
Microcosm/Macrocosm: Recent Work by Andrew David Stark
Currently on display in the Ruth & Seymour Landfield Atrium, the exhibition Microcosm/Macrocosm: Recent Work by Andrew David Stark is certainly titled accurately. Stark’s thematic choice of imagery invoking large, cosmic structures and infinitesimal, subatomic structures can be appreciated up close or far away.
Stark said of this recent exhibition:
“The surface and content of these paintings is meant to visually express micro and macro worlds and the dichotomy between observable and unobservable worlds. These paintings both reference and combine the hypnotic optical effects of half-tone patterns, optical art, the vortex of black holes, molecular structures, and ethereal nebulous clouds. This exploration into coexisting micro and macro space attempts to capture the wonder, mystery, and awe humans have experienced for thousands of years when confronted with the immensity and complexity of nature.”
Andrew David Stark exhibition
This painting series will be up in the Atrium from now until June 27. You can learn a bit more about Andrew David Stark here.
(“Telescopics” courtesy of ecce contemporary.)
Architecture for the Birds
An intriguing project is on display through the weekend in our Atrium – Architecture for the Birds: A Design Competition for Beginning Architecture Students. NDSU architecture students have taken the needs of a particular species of bird, then designed a house that fits their needs while calling upon the design philosophy of a well-known architect. Here’s a photo:
This is a home designed for an eastern bluebird designed around the philosophy of Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, designers of the De Young Museum in San Francisco. The designer of the birdhouse writes that “a focus on the strong parallel lines used in the landscape, rooftop and interior spaces inspired my design.”
Another:
This is a home for a kestrel, a type of falcon. It’s designed around the work of modernist architect Richard Meier and based on his design for the Jubilee Church in Rome.
And one more:
This design is for the aptly named house wren inspired by the work of British architect Richard Rogers. As wrens typically build nests in tangles and thickets, Rogers’ functionalist idea that the inner workings of a building be made visible mirrors the needs of the wren.
So far, we’ve seen a sizable turnout of visitors to see the houses and our usual Thursday lunch crowd took a few curious moments to wander among them. Not only are they interesting on their own, but the display itself, overall, is a bit of eye candy:
Again, the birdhouses will only be up through the weekend, so come by and vote for your favorite. The winner of the vote will receive a “people’s choice” award. A professional jury will also award prizes. The Audobon Society will hold an auction of the birdhouses after their display in an effort to support the health and habitat of birds in our region. You can go to www.audobon.org for details.
(All photos by Britta Trygstad, Milestones Photography)
We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do
Visitors of all ages took in the School Spirit reception.
On Sunday, the Museum hosted a reception in observation of Youth Art Month, celebrating the work of hundreds of K-12 student artists from around the region. Over 700 students, parents, and observers attended, browsing some 300 art works representing 731 students. Many pieces were collaborations among large groups of students, while others represented individual selections made by the students’ teachers.
Youth Art Month was founded in 1961 (Wikipedia) by the Arts & Creative Materials Institute, Inc., (ACMI) in cooperation with the National Art Education Association (NAEA), as a way to stress the value of art education in the development of young people, to secure the commitment of the general public to the cause of art education, and to raise awareness of art education issues with government and community leaders. Further, Youth Art Month offers a perfect opportunity to celebrate the efforts of budding artists at the beginning of their artistic lives.
Two attendees watch a performance by the Fargo Moorhead Youth Symphony.
Back in 2003, the Museum began encouraging art educators in Fargo-Moorhead and neighboring communities to select student art for display during Youth Art Month. Since then, participation with the project and attendance at the reception have grown substantially each year; our first year, 150 people came to the reception. Over seven years, it has increased to 700 attendees.
Students and teachers both enjoyed the opportunity to have student work featured in the show. Hannah Juhnke, a 10th grader from Hawley, Minn., gave credit to her teacher, Tara Hager, for finding this outlet for her students.
“There aren’t a lot of art museums around Hawley,” Juhnke said, with a laugh (You can see her graphite drawing “Tender Sympathy”, below). “Mrs. Hager is the one that seeks out different competitions and art museums where our work can be featured.” She plans on pursuing a career in the arts after high school. Paige Davis, a senior from Hawley, doesn’t want to make art for a living but she was still excited to be part of the exhibition.
Paige Davis, "Laugh Out Loud"
“I never thought my cow would make it here,” she said, referencing her print (right). “It’s pretty cool to come here and see everyone’s stuff.”
Hager and fellow teacher Hannah Meyer, a K-6 art teacher from Pelican Rapids, Minn., agreed that the exhibition was an important part of a larger effort to instill artistic skills at a crucial age. Although the decision of which pieces were to be included in the show rested in their hands, Meyer said that selecting the pieces was a good way to acknowledge deserving students.
“I have a school of 450 students and I could only choose four or five pieces,” Meyer said. “It was hard, but it wasn’t. You pick kids that really work hard and deserve it and would appreciate the opportunity to have their work hanging in a show like this.”
Ben-Haim was equally excited for the opportunities the students received as well as the opportunity for families to visit the exhibition together.
“Everybody is so thankful for the attention,” she said. “The students are proud, the parents are proud. It’s really nice.”
Hannah Juhnke, "Tender Sympathy"
The student work will remain on exhibit through March 28 on the 3rd floor of the Museum. If you have any questions about the exhibition or about Youth Art Month, please call Sandy at 701.232.3821 ext. 109.
Alec Soth Talks About ‘Lenny’
Photographer Alec Soth delivered a lecture at the Museum on Thursday, February 25. The sizable crowd was treated to an eye-opening survey of his incredible career and offered a glimpse into the process of a successful and gracious artist.
Prior to the talk, Alec took a few minutes to tell me the story of Lenny, Minneapolis, a print hanging in our Individual to Icon exhibition. Here’s an image:
Alec Soth, "Lenny, Minneapolis, Minnesota," 2002, c-print, loaned by the artist.
I had a narrative about Lenny constructed in my mind prior to asking Alec to explain it to me. I envisioned Lenny as a bruiser with a soft spot for his mother. Turns out I was way off. Click through to hear Alec discuss the real story.
Alec Soth Talks About ‘Lenny’ (YouTube)
Vote for Your Favorite S.P.A.C.E. Sculpture
Each year, Plains Art Museum collaborates with one of three campuses in Fargo-Moorhead to produce a work of art for the outdoor sculpture pad adjoining the building. The project, code named S.P.A.C.E. (Sculpture Pad Art Collaborative Experiment), takes proposals from students, features mock ups of the pieces in our atrium, and asks for the public’s vote in deciding which proposal will be finished and placed on the sculpture pad where it will remain through the summer.
This year’s participants are students at Minnesota State University Moorhead and are under the guidance of professor Chris Walla. Their proposals are currently on display and will be up until March 14. Take a look at all five proposals and vote in one of two ways: you can note your favorite in the comments or you can stop by and vote the old-fashioned analog way with a slip of paper.
Here are the nominees. Click on the image to read a brief artist statement.
-
- Untitled (Artbomb)
-
- Banner Project
-
- Star Monster
-
- Bicycle Rim House
-
- Creatures
Alec Soth: ‘Quintessentially American’
Alec Soth, "Adelyn, Ash Wednesday, New Orleans", 2002, c-print, 16 x 20", loaned by the artist.
On Thursday, February 25, acclaimed documentary photographer Alec Soth will present a gallery talk in Plains Art Museum’s Landfield Atrium. Several of Soth’s prints are included in the Individual to Icon: Portraits of the Famous and Almost Famous from Folk Art to Facebook exhibition on display at the Museum through August 15. His appearance is being sponsored in part by the Minnesota State University-Moorhead Department of Art and Design.
Alec Soth, "Lenny, Minneapolis, Minnesota," 2002, c-print, loaned by the artist.
Soth is a native of Chanhassen, Minn., who received a burst of attention following his inclusion in the 2004 Whitney Biennial, an exhibition of young and lesser-known artists at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art. Also in 2004, he released the series Sleeping by the Mississippi, a project that began with travels up and down the Mississippi River over the course of a few years and ended with a set of portraits that are “elastic, unbound by a rigid conceptual framework, and … quintessentially American in spirit”:
Soth says he is natually attracted to people and places that embody a quiet sensibility. This is reflected in his choice of an 8×10 view camera – each exposure is made on an 8×10 inch negative – to capture his subjects and settings. The slow process involved with using this camera lends itself to the stillness and poetic quietude of his pictures, enhancing the reflective quality of his subjects. This particular camera work requires complicit subjects, making evident the sense of trust that Soth establishes with his subjects. – (From Apsara DiQuinzio’s essay for the 2004 Whitney Biennial Exhibition catalogue. View the rest here.)
Soth’s work, like all good photography, challenges the viewer to consider our social environment as a place that isn’t as clean around the edges as we imagine. In fact, the world through the lens of Alec Soth becomes a place where all of us, at one time or another, are one of these people – believable, but with the twinge of fantasy we all glimpse from time to time.
Click around below to learn more about the photography of Alec Soth. Here’s a link to his gallery talk event on Facebook.
- www.alecsoth.com
- A 2004 interview with mnartists.org
- A 2007 interview with Artkrush.com
- Alec blogs along with a few other authors at Little Brown Mushroom.
