Full Disclosure

Selections from the Thomas-Suwall Collection

April 20, 2024 - October 20, 2024

William and Anna Jane Schlossman Gallery

Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall – known online by their moniker, The Icy Gays or @theicygays – acquired their first artwork, Corydon Cowansage’s Stairs #3, seven years ago after discovering it online. To call this purchase life-changing would be an understatement. Becoming “art collectors” was never a goal for the couple, but this painting, with its surreal abstraction of nature, became the point of origin for their committed discovery and support of emerging queer and female artists which would ultimately grow into a landmark collection.

FULL DISCLOSURE marks the first public display of works from the collection of Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall, contemporary art collectors based in Minot, ND. This exhibition is curated by Anne-Laure Lemaitre, a New York based curator, writer, and creative strategist. With +15 years of experience creating global art infused activations, greater than life installations and complex site-specific programs around the world, she strongly believes in the importance of anchoring art in its context to further its impact, trigger new perspectives, and explore new conceptual territories. With FULL DISCLOSURE, The Icy Gays and Lemaitre invite everyone into their world where nature and humanity surreally entwine, and new identities emerge.

left to right: Dominique Fung, Increased Exposure, 2020, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 in., Acquired from Nicodim, Courtesy of Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall, Image courtesy of the artist • Anna Weyant, Dirty Little Secrets, 2019, Oil on panel, 48 x 84 in., Acquired from 56 Henery, Courtesy of Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall, Image courtesy of Matt Grubb • Hein Koh, Weeping Banana, 2018, Acrylic, felt, fiberfill, glitter, metallic spandex, sand, sequence spandex, string, vinyl wire, 16 x 14 x 18 in., Acquired from JDJ, Courtesy of Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall • Molly A Greene, Suture, 2022, Acrylic on canvas, Acquired from Kapp Kapp, Courtesy of Rob and Eric Thomas-Suwall

Listen to an audio tour with Rob and Eric.

Ongoing Exhibitions

Convergence:

Ongoing
Convergence:
Hope, Love, Resilience, Rest, Community

This installation was created specifically for the atrium at Plains Art Museum as part of the exhibition Convergence: Health & Creativity. Inspired by Labovitz’s research on the psychological benefits of art, this piece celebrates the connection between art and well-being.

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S.P.A.C.E. 2024-2026

Ongoing
S.P.A.C.E. 2024-2026

The S.P.A.C.E. (Sculpture Pad Art Collaborative Experiment) project is a public art initiative led by Plains Art Museum in collaboration with NDSU, MSUM, and Concordia College. Sculptures are displayed for two years.

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No Time For Despair

Ongoing
No Time For Despair

To say that right now is the ideal time to make art that speaks directly to the people about social justice is an understatement. Because the very nature of art is to undertake or assume the role of a healer by shading light on the human condition.

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Bee in Flight

Ongoing
Bee in Flight

Community artist and school art teacher MeLissa Kossick, who guides youth classes at the Museum on art, gardens, and pollinators, has created an enchanting mosaic design in the Creativity Pathway in the Serkland Gallery called Bee in Flight.

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Fragile Preservation

Ongoing
Fragile Preservation
A Tallgrass Community

While the Tallgrass Prairie is a community made up of a great diversity of species, Fragile Preservation represents a selection of them.

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