NOW SHOWING

GORDON COONS | Expressions of My Journey

Gordon Coons is a mixed-media artist who will be displaying his woodcut prints, vibrant duct-tape images, and Ojibwa woodland art style paintings. Inspired by Ojibwa petroglyphs, images, and stories from birch bark scrolls, these paintings are sometimes described as x-ray vision. Artists paint their subjects with heavy black outlines and what is felt or perceived to be inside to
represent a kind of spirit or source of power.

CATHY DURSO | SATELLITE

Cathy Durso investigates the circular and cyclical ideas that come to mind through various configurations of painted and stitched circles on canvas. Inspired by circles of all kinds—tiny (seeds, cells, grains of sand), enormous (planets, stars, galaxies), and intangible (the circle of life, the cycle of the seasons, the rhythm of a beating heart)—her work speaks to the interconnection between all things. Her process involves a contrast between loose, energetic painting techniques and slow, meticulous hand-sewing, which keeps her paintings balanced and compelling.

Past Shows

We Are All Criminals challenges society’s perception of what it means to be a criminal by turning the lens from the 1 in 4 people in the U.S. with a criminal record to the other 75% percent – those who have not been burdened with an official reminder of a past mistake.  Participants tell stories of crimes they got away with. The participants are doctors and lawyers, social workers and students, retailers and retirees who consider how very different their lives could have been had they been caught. This exhibit was part of a collection of events taking place in the Grand Rapids area through the month of September 2017 that aimed to inspire empathy and ignite social change. 

The Minnesota Gallery hosted a unique exhibit organized by MacRostie Art Center in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Individuals who are currently incarcerated and have taken art classes through the education program at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud were invited to submit works for exhibition.  

This annual event celebrates variety and rewards excellence among regional artists from Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota in both two- and three-dimensional categories. Marva Harms selected first, second, and third prize awards in the two- and three-dimensional categories and guests at the opening reception voted to select one artwork for the coveted Peoples’ Choice Award.
 

Award Winners

1st place 2D: Tom Page
2nd place 2D: Duane Barnhart
3rd place 2D: Leslie Barlow

1st place 3D: Mary Beth Magyer
2nd place 3D: Jeremy Jones
3rd place 3D: Laurie Borggreve

People's Choice: Becca Mulenburg
Honorary Mention 2D & 3D: Cindy Stitt

Exhibiting artists included: Leslie Barlow, Duane Barnhart, Bradley Benn, Kimberly Benson, Sandra Boreen, Laurie Borggreve, Nancy Stalnaker Bundy, Dawnette Davis, David Dobbs, Constantine Dorn, Anne-Marie Erickson, Tyler Evin, Kristin Grevich, Ralph E. Hanggi Jr., Chelsey Jo Johnson, Jeremy Jones, Kelli Lien, MaryBeth Magyar, Becca Mulenburg, Jennifer Nelson, Aaron Olsen-Reiners, Tom Page, Jenae Porter, Wesley Rabey, Dawn Rossbach, Sandy Schildt, Jeremy Simonson, Stephanie Stevens, Cindy Stitt, Richard Thouin, Christine Tierney, Brittany Trushin, John Ulrich, Liz White

Pictured: Leslie Barlow

Marva Harms is a local artist and art educator who has taught art at in many school districts, art history at the college level and holds workshops in Minnesota, including her Floating Studio Workshops on Swan Lake. She has set out to capture her beloved view of the northeast corner of Swan Lake through 365 miniature paintings - one for each day of the year. So far she has completed 100 paintings. Come see her impressive progress!

"My oil paintings are created from life in the purest method of Impressionism. Color is everything. It is used to model form, dictate temperature and achieve a richness to the big, simple shapes. My work is high-key, bright and expressive."

Pictured: Sunset, Nov 13

This weaving, fiber, basketry and beadwork invitational exhibition highlights the best natural materials and talent our north woods have to offer. Exhibiting artists include:
John Zasada, Emily Derke, Nate Johnson, Cathryn Peters, Leah Yellowbird, Shannon Lucas Westrum, Eve Sumsky, Kristin Majkrzak, Susan Vann, and Dawnette Davis.

MOLLIE OBLINGER

Mollie Oblinger’s beguiling landscapes expose the vulnerability of the waywe undermine our natural environment with imagery plucked from her interest in animal tunnels and cellular anatomy. By exploring unique locations, in this case: the Great Basin, her work reflects a set of discoveries specific to that place.

GORDON COONS | Expressions of My Journey

Gordon Coons is a mixed-media artist who will be displaying his woodcut prints, vibrant duct-tape images, and Ojibwa woodland art style paintings. Inspired by Ojibwa petroglyphs, images, and stories from birch bark scrolls, these paintings are sometimes described as x-ray vision. Artists paint their subjects with heavy black outlines and what is felt or perceived to be inside to
represent a kind of spirit or source of power.