Kaddatz’s new Art Reach program is an outreach program designed to enrich the lives of underserved populations within our community with vibrant arts experiences. Currently, programming serves a youth support group, The Matthew House (a transitional home for men) and Productive Alternatives (an organization serving adults with disabilities). Artwork created through each of these Kaddatz Art Reach programs is included in Art Reach: Exposed.

Relationships between participants, artists and Kaddatz staff have been fostered through recurring classes as well as private gallery tours and artist talks. Creating connections between participants and community members through the arts is at the heart of Art Reach programming. Not only has the program enriched the lives of the participants, it has deeply impacted the lives of the artists and staff involved as well. The exhibit, Art Reach: Exposed, aims to expose the broader community to the incredible individuals and organizations served through this program, raise awareness about the existence, impact and need for these organizations and services and foster connections between participants and community members.

This programming was made possible thanks in part to funds from the Inga M. Johnson Endowment Fund as established with West Central Initiative for the benefit of the Fergus Falls area & grant funding from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust.

​The Northern Salon of the  Society of Minnesota Sculptors is hosted this year by the Kaddatz Galleries in Fergus Falls, MN. The exhibition runs from Wednesday, July 24 to Friday, September 6, with a closing reception that evening.

The 2019 Northern Salon is an effort to tap into the rich sculpture scene in the Northern half of the state, promote exposure to new artists, and celebrate quality work from all over the state. This show is a mix of local artists from Fergus Falls as well as many pieces brought up from the Twin Cities metro area, or down from several cities further north. 

“In 1943, the Minnesota Sculptors Group (as it was originally called) was organized to stimulate public interest in creative sculpture. Since its formation, the Group has grown under the leadership of many prominent Minnesota artists and educators.

​For generations, indigenous voices have been stifled. One artist residency is working to change that. 

| Ms. Red Star, an Apsaalooke (Crow) artist who has done the residency twice, said the institute dismantles the “othering” of Native art. “They have the right mission of really promoting Native artists as contemporary artists and not as this silo.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/arts/crows-shadow-institute-native-american-art.html?fbclid=IwAR13H0AlzkFXRY-YYCNkB4-Gtf4qOBAuCuXO9MIs7pTU1q2_EnF63xsMz6g

​The Kaddatz Galleries is located in Fergus Falls, a town of just under 14,000 people in rural MN. Fergus Falls has seen first-hand that the arts are a huge economic player, despite popular narratives to the contrary.

From The National Governors Association (NGA), the collective voice of the nation's governors, on Medium.com:

https://medium.com/nga-economic-opportunity/a-proven-economic-catalyst-for-rural-america-the-creative-sector-94135e9bfa15

​Here’s an article that was making the rounds Spring of 2019:

Arts Sector Contributed $763.6 Billion to U.S. Economy—More Than Agriculture or Transportation, New Data Shows

Link to article by Isaac Kaplan for artsy.net, March 2019:

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-arts-sector-contributed-7636-billion-economy-agriculture-transportation?fbclid=IwAR01f_1Iyjz_7Mc17AlFA6CCLUZPpMfIHeNLd4h8irWg8sVDvOk-pbq4GmU