Past Exhibitions

Protectors, a screenprint installation by artist John Hitchcock, uses multiple screenprinted images of bison skulls mounted on a background of Naugahyde pelts. The pelt forms suggest landmasses, and each element connects to the environment through form, placement, and symbol.

Every year, Plains Art Museum hosts one of the region’s finest art auctions in conjunction with our Spring Gala. The auction is not only a great exhibition of contemporary art, but is your chance to build a collection, support the livelihoods of artists, and support your art museum.

Flatlander: Belonging to The Land is a series by artist John Hitchcock that views and comments on the Great Plains as the epicenter for Plains tribal culture. In the series, Hitchcock utilizes drawing and printmaking processes to convey and layer thoughts about removal, displacement, and belonging.

How Great I Am will feature a series of recent trompe l’oeil  (deceive the eye) ceramic works by artist in residence Tim Kowalczyk.

This is Not a Still Life explores the multiple dimensions of Moorhead (MN)-based artist Mike Marth’s artwork and its remarkable evolution. Exhibiting a mastery of materials, Marth’s work is often formal in nature, emphasizing its inherent qualities of form, style, symbolism, and texture.

This exhibition celebrates the vision, ingenuity, and talent of North Dakota teen artists.

This annual exhibition celebrates the vision, ingenuity, and talent of North Dakota teen artists. Starting in 2014, the Red River Valley Writing Project and the Plains Art Museum partnered to serve as the state affiliate for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

This year’s College Print Exchange includes the seven regional universities that have historically participated in this annual exchange: Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, Concordia College, University of Manitoba, Minot State University, and Valley City State University.

Plains School of Abstract Painting Annual Exhibition includes recent works of art produced by this group, and reveals the results of this extraordinary ongoing process of creativity and teaching.

Art of Indigenous Resistance is produced by Honor the Earth. A unique national Native initiative, Honor the Earth has worked to raise public awareness of grassroots Native environmental groups for 31 years.

40 Greatest Hits is a wonderfully eclectic display that marks milestone acquisitions and artworks representing the collection’s strengths and rarities.

Plains Art Museum is one of the few art museums in the U.S. to have a prominent and dynamic print studio. This exhibition highlights the experimentation that has happened in Hannaher’s, Inc. Print Studio from October 2016 to present.

Artist in Residence: Truman Lowe
Thursday and Friday, February 9 – 10, 2 – 4 PM
Meet preeminent Ho-Chunk sculptor Truman Lowe, who will be available for drop-in critiques and open discussion from 2 – 4 PM each day. Contact Laura Youngbird, Director of Native American Programs, to schedule an appointment: lyoungbird@plainsart.org.

School Spirit: Celebrating Youth Art Month, now in its 15th year, showcases the talents of regional K-12 art students from over 40 area schools in a variety of media. This exhibition celebrates our region’s emerging artists and promotes awareness of the vital work done by art educators.

A deep connection with the artistic process unifies Bradley’s narrative and abstract paintings, multimedia works, and sculptures. His all-over attention to the surface, in which each area of the composition is given equal attention and significance, resists focal points, inviting viewers to wander the canvas from top to bottom following lines, shapes, colors, and concepts.