Exhibition Details
Opening Reception: 5-7PM Thursday, May 16th, 2024
Closing Reception: 3-5PM Saturday, June 22, 2024
This event is free to attend and open to the public.
About the Exhibition:is an exhibition spotlighting emerging talent from Fargo, ND, to St. Cloud. This show supports early career artists, providing a platform for these young artists to share their unique perspectives and creative visions with the community. From captivating paintings to interesting sculptures, NEXT GEN offers a diverse array of artistic expressions that reflect the passion and dedication of the next generation of artists.
Closing Reception: 3-5PM Saturday, June 22, 2024
This event is free to attend and open to the public.
About the Exhibition:is an exhibition spotlighting emerging talent from Fargo, ND, to St. Cloud. This show supports early career artists, providing a platform for these young artists to share their unique perspectives and creative visions with the community. From captivating paintings to interesting sculptures, NEXT GEN offers a diverse array of artistic expressions that reflect the passion and dedication of the next generation of artists.
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception: 5-7PM Thursday, May 16th, 2024
Closing Reception: 3-5PM Saturday, June 22, 2024
About the Exhibition:
"Artful Women & Friends" celebrates the creative journeys of twelve life-long artists, united by their shared passion for art and education. The featured artists include members of "The Artfuls" - Roberta Farrell, Kathy Grundei, Stephanie Nowak, Karen Rossbach, Diane Scully, Pam Teorey, and the late Barb Yandt - along with their esteemed friends: Deb Aune, Judy Christofferson, Fern Keniston, JoAnne Reske Kirkman, and Crystal Thorson.
About Artful Women & Friends: In 2002, the founding members of The Artfuls embarked on a journey of camaraderie and creativity during a summer retreat on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Bonded by their shared experiences as educators and artists, they formed a decades long connection rooted in mutual support and inspiration. Despite the challenges of time and distance, their friendship endures through weekly Zoom visits, keeping alive the spirit of creativity and community.
The artists featured in "Artful Women & Friends" have been instrumental in advocating for arts education and leadership since the 1970s. Through their diverse leadership roles and collaborative efforts, they have helped shape the landscape of arts education in Minnesota, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
Closing Reception: 3-5PM Saturday, June 22, 2024
About the Exhibition:
"Artful Women & Friends" celebrates the creative journeys of twelve life-long artists, united by their shared passion for art and education. The featured artists include members of "The Artfuls" - Roberta Farrell, Kathy Grundei, Stephanie Nowak, Karen Rossbach, Diane Scully, Pam Teorey, and the late Barb Yandt - along with their esteemed friends: Deb Aune, Judy Christofferson, Fern Keniston, JoAnne Reske Kirkman, and Crystal Thorson.
About Artful Women & Friends: In 2002, the founding members of The Artfuls embarked on a journey of camaraderie and creativity during a summer retreat on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Bonded by their shared experiences as educators and artists, they formed a decades long connection rooted in mutual support and inspiration. Despite the challenges of time and distance, their friendship endures through weekly Zoom visits, keeping alive the spirit of creativity and community.
The artists featured in "Artful Women & Friends" have been instrumental in advocating for arts education and leadership since the 1970s. Through their diverse leadership roles and collaborative efforts, they have helped shape the landscape of arts education in Minnesota, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
Exhibition Details
Opening reception was held on Thursday, March 21, 2024
About the Exhibition (in the words of Olson):
I will create plaster torso portraits of women constructed from plaster tape embellished with plastic. We are awash in plastic in every aspect of our lives. This project raises awareness that plastic is both a precious resource and a pervasive environmental pollutant. We are also becoming aware that it is inside us. This body of work highlights the complex relationships we have with plastic, the beauty of the human figure and how all women are objectified. These torso portraits will illustrate how women are taken for granted as producers of children, unpaid household laborers and as decorative objects. Each woman that is cast will have her own narrative fixed to the inside of the plaster cast. These narratives and portraits will explore the double bind that women face today; no matter who you are or what your shape or size; you are still criticized for who you are or what you look like. I want to create thought provoking pieces that highlight the environmental crisis, gender inequality and the hyper sexualization of women. I see connections between these separate issues, and I will use these pieces to explore these complex ideas.
About the Artist:
Katy J. Olson is an interdisciplinary artist working with felted landscapes, stitched story pieces, and assemblages of found and recycled objects including fiber and thread, wire, beads, and bone. She is a maker and cultural creative; making art is how she communicates a sense of place, culture and lived experience. Her work leads the viewer to connect to their place in nature in a displaced world. Her work highlights rural life, climate disruption and gendered roles, telling the story of the land, its beauty and the heartbreak of what is disappearing and what remains amid climate change. She has organized fiber festivals and taught fiber art classes.
About the Exhibition (in the words of Olson):
I will create plaster torso portraits of women constructed from plaster tape embellished with plastic. We are awash in plastic in every aspect of our lives. This project raises awareness that plastic is both a precious resource and a pervasive environmental pollutant. We are also becoming aware that it is inside us. This body of work highlights the complex relationships we have with plastic, the beauty of the human figure and how all women are objectified. These torso portraits will illustrate how women are taken for granted as producers of children, unpaid household laborers and as decorative objects. Each woman that is cast will have her own narrative fixed to the inside of the plaster cast. These narratives and portraits will explore the double bind that women face today; no matter who you are or what your shape or size; you are still criticized for who you are or what you look like. I want to create thought provoking pieces that highlight the environmental crisis, gender inequality and the hyper sexualization of women. I see connections between these separate issues, and I will use these pieces to explore these complex ideas.
About the Artist:
Katy J. Olson is an interdisciplinary artist working with felted landscapes, stitched story pieces, and assemblages of found and recycled objects including fiber and thread, wire, beads, and bone. She is a maker and cultural creative; making art is how she communicates a sense of place, culture and lived experience. Her work leads the viewer to connect to their place in nature in a displaced world. Her work highlights rural life, climate disruption and gendered roles, telling the story of the land, its beauty and the heartbreak of what is disappearing and what remains amid climate change. She has organized fiber festivals and taught fiber art classes.
Exhibition Details
Opening reception took place on Thursday, March 21st, 2024
About the Installation:
For the Birds: A means to create, not waste; is a visual examination of physical and fiscal resource use. A play on words, For the Birds… is a literal description of the pieces in the installation, as well as an example of creation using waste and recycled materials, made possible with the fiscal support of guaranteed income.
This installation is in response to the Springboard for the Arts’ ongoing Guaranteed Minimum Income for Artists pilot which supports 75 artists, culture bearers, and creative workers in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of Saint Paul and in Otter Tail County, MN with $500/month for 18 months in 2023-24; as part of the Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity cohort of artists that have created public projects that demonstrate the root causes that lead to the need for guaranteed income, and the impact of guaranteed income on the families and communities that are supported by it.
Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity is a project of the City of Saint Paul and Springboard for the Arts, supported by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, the Economic Security Project, Ford Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
About the Artists:
Jess Torgerson & Erika Frikken began working together in early 2022 during a recycled aluminum mold-making workshop for the Otter Tail County Lakes Area Precious Plastic Lab at the Otter Tail County Recycling Center in Fergus Falls, MN. Jess and Erika continued working together as part of the Lakes Area Precious Plastic Collective where they co-created a Precious Plastic and recycled materials sculpture of a bison titled, 1862, as part of the 4Ground Land Art Biennial. 1862 can currently be viewed at the Prairie Wetland Learning Center in Fergus Falls, MN.
About the Installation:
For the Birds: A means to create, not waste; is a visual examination of physical and fiscal resource use. A play on words, For the Birds… is a literal description of the pieces in the installation, as well as an example of creation using waste and recycled materials, made possible with the fiscal support of guaranteed income.
This installation is in response to the Springboard for the Arts’ ongoing Guaranteed Minimum Income for Artists pilot which supports 75 artists, culture bearers, and creative workers in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of Saint Paul and in Otter Tail County, MN with $500/month for 18 months in 2023-24; as part of the Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity cohort of artists that have created public projects that demonstrate the root causes that lead to the need for guaranteed income, and the impact of guaranteed income on the families and communities that are supported by it.
Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity is a project of the City of Saint Paul and Springboard for the Arts, supported by Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, the Economic Security Project, Ford Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
About the Artists:
Jess Torgerson & Erika Frikken began working together in early 2022 during a recycled aluminum mold-making workshop for the Otter Tail County Lakes Area Precious Plastic Lab at the Otter Tail County Recycling Center in Fergus Falls, MN. Jess and Erika continued working together as part of the Lakes Area Precious Plastic Collective where they co-created a Precious Plastic and recycled materials sculpture of a bison titled, 1862, as part of the 4Ground Land Art Biennial. 1862 can currently be viewed at the Prairie Wetland Learning Center in Fergus Falls, MN.
Exhibition Details
Opening reception took place on Thursday, March 21st, 2024
About the Exhibition (in the words of Youngbird):
Inde’Wiisagendam (My Heart Hurts) is a collection of multilayered, multifaceted monotypes using the dress as a metaphor. The dress addresses a wide range, of social issues, injustices and biases.
I am a mixed media artist, combining drawing, painting and prints. The dress has been a consistent and important symbol in my work. The simple garment inspires layer upon layer of meaning. I am amazed how the metaphor continues to unravel, reveal and expose even deeper nuances. It began long ago, when I reacted to pictures of my grandmother. She scratched her face out of most of the pictures we have of her. Pictures of her as a very young girl in her little white dress, were especially haunting to me. She was standing in front of the oldest Catholic Church in Minnesota (Grand Portage) where she made her First Communion. The images launched me on a journey of exploration that continues to challenge me today. I explored identify or the lack of, created by the assimilation policy intended to acculturate Native children into the dominate culture. The symbol also reminds me of my mother sewing dresses for my sisters and me, and then teaching us to sew. Making garments for someone can be an act of love. It can be enveloping, nurturing and protective. On the other hand, clothing can create an illusion, to cover, mask and disguise.
I work in series (with mixed emotions) such as Common Thread, Loose Ends, and Blood Memory. I am intrigued with the idea of how intergenerational knowledge and memory are transferred through the maternal ‘blood’ line, coded in the mitochondrial DNA. Iron oxide is an important color that has become integral part of my visual vocabulary. It reminds me of the earth. The Earth is our Mother. Iron is in our blood. Mystifying, but authenticated by science, magnetism empowers migrating birds and animals to know instinctively when and where to travel. I continue to address the Dress and explore the connection between blood and iron, the most common element on Earth.
About the Exhibition (in the words of Youngbird):
Inde’Wiisagendam (My Heart Hurts) is a collection of multilayered, multifaceted monotypes using the dress as a metaphor. The dress addresses a wide range, of social issues, injustices and biases.
I am a mixed media artist, combining drawing, painting and prints. The dress has been a consistent and important symbol in my work. The simple garment inspires layer upon layer of meaning. I am amazed how the metaphor continues to unravel, reveal and expose even deeper nuances. It began long ago, when I reacted to pictures of my grandmother. She scratched her face out of most of the pictures we have of her. Pictures of her as a very young girl in her little white dress, were especially haunting to me. She was standing in front of the oldest Catholic Church in Minnesota (Grand Portage) where she made her First Communion. The images launched me on a journey of exploration that continues to challenge me today. I explored identify or the lack of, created by the assimilation policy intended to acculturate Native children into the dominate culture. The symbol also reminds me of my mother sewing dresses for my sisters and me, and then teaching us to sew. Making garments for someone can be an act of love. It can be enveloping, nurturing and protective. On the other hand, clothing can create an illusion, to cover, mask and disguise.
I work in series (with mixed emotions) such as Common Thread, Loose Ends, and Blood Memory. I am intrigued with the idea of how intergenerational knowledge and memory are transferred through the maternal ‘blood’ line, coded in the mitochondrial DNA. Iron oxide is an important color that has become integral part of my visual vocabulary. It reminds me of the earth. The Earth is our Mother. Iron is in our blood. Mystifying, but authenticated by science, magnetism empowers migrating birds and animals to know instinctively when and where to travel. I continue to address the Dress and explore the connection between blood and iron, the most common element on Earth.
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception took place on Thursday, January 25, 2024.
About the Exhibition:
Central to our mission of "maintaining a gallery that celebrates the work of area artists," Kaddatz Galleries is thrilled to initiate their 15th Anniversary celebrations by presenting works that embody the abundant talent and creativity of our local and regional community. After meticulously evaluating over 250 artworks, Artistic Director Stacy Wendt has curated a captivating group exhibition showcasing 2D & 3D pieces by artists deeply rooted in our region.
The exhibition features a remarkable array of works by esteemed area artists, including Michael Aasness, Rebecca Albright, Jona Brown, Marlys Buchholtz-Pearson, Lisa Burns, Blayze Buseth, Charles Christianson, Kim Embretson, Jenny Field, Karla Gallagher, Tim Green, Ruth Hanson, Mitchel Hoffart, Kent Kapplinger & Malcolm Thompson, Phena Keil, Kandace Creel Falcon, Rebecca Krueger, Kristi Kuder, Mandi Magnuson-Hung, Maggie Meehan, Katy Olson, Karan Ouren, Vicky Radel, Dawn Rossbach, Eric Santwire, Naomi RaMona Schliesman, Amy Schmidt, Les Skoropat, Kate Swenson, Bruce Thompson, Laura Vonbank, Michael Weatherly, Mary Williams, Carl Zachmann, and Jeff Zachmann.
About the Exhibition:
Central to our mission of "maintaining a gallery that celebrates the work of area artists," Kaddatz Galleries is thrilled to initiate their 15th Anniversary celebrations by presenting works that embody the abundant talent and creativity of our local and regional community. After meticulously evaluating over 250 artworks, Artistic Director Stacy Wendt has curated a captivating group exhibition showcasing 2D & 3D pieces by artists deeply rooted in our region.
The exhibition features a remarkable array of works by esteemed area artists, including Michael Aasness, Rebecca Albright, Jona Brown, Marlys Buchholtz-Pearson, Lisa Burns, Blayze Buseth, Charles Christianson, Kim Embretson, Jenny Field, Karla Gallagher, Tim Green, Ruth Hanson, Mitchel Hoffart, Kent Kapplinger & Malcolm Thompson, Phena Keil, Kandace Creel Falcon, Rebecca Krueger, Kristi Kuder, Mandi Magnuson-Hung, Maggie Meehan, Katy Olson, Karan Ouren, Vicky Radel, Dawn Rossbach, Eric Santwire, Naomi RaMona Schliesman, Amy Schmidt, Les Skoropat, Kate Swenson, Bruce Thompson, Laura Vonbank, Michael Weatherly, Mary Williams, Carl Zachmann, and Jeff Zachmann.
Exhibition Details
Closing Reception took place on Friday, March 1, 2023
About the Exhibition:
"IGNITE" was an exploration into the profound value of authenticity, aiming to ignite conversations on the beauty of being true to oneself. Each piece in this collection serves as a meditation, delving into diverse facets of self-acceptance and joy. By fostering radical self-love, the artist behind this exhibition hopes to spark a societal shift toward embracing individuality and initiating dialogues for those concealing their genuine identities. "IGNITE" marks the commencement of this transformative journey toward embracing and celebrating our true selves.
About the Exhibition:
"IGNITE" was an exploration into the profound value of authenticity, aiming to ignite conversations on the beauty of being true to oneself. Each piece in this collection serves as a meditation, delving into diverse facets of self-acceptance and joy. By fostering radical self-love, the artist behind this exhibition hopes to spark a societal shift toward embracing individuality and initiating dialogues for those concealing their genuine identities. "IGNITE" marks the commencement of this transformative journey toward embracing and celebrating our true selves.
Exhibition Details
Opening Reception took place on Thursday, November 16, 2023
About the Exhibition:
Reflections is an exhibition of selected works by the late multi-disciplinary Fergus Falls artist Kirk Williams. This exhibition features a variety of Willams’ pastels, assemblages and ink drawings, which exemplify the surreal and whimsical nature of his work. Williams’ boundless creativity and passion for art-making are evident in his work, which he used to explore themes of beauty, love, fear and obsessions. Often feeling as if he were a fish out of water, Williams employed imagery of fish and water throughout his career. Bubbles are another common presence in his work, inspiring playfulness and joy. His unique way of seeing the world shines through in his assemblages, in which he carefully selected various antiques, reimagining them into exuberant new works of art. Kirk Williams had an incredible impact on so many in his community and beyond, and his legacy lives on as his dreamy and enchanting work invites the viewer to explore their own imaginations.
About the Exhibition:
Reflections is an exhibition of selected works by the late multi-disciplinary Fergus Falls artist Kirk Williams. This exhibition features a variety of Willams’ pastels, assemblages and ink drawings, which exemplify the surreal and whimsical nature of his work. Williams’ boundless creativity and passion for art-making are evident in his work, which he used to explore themes of beauty, love, fear and obsessions. Often feeling as if he were a fish out of water, Williams employed imagery of fish and water throughout his career. Bubbles are another common presence in his work, inspiring playfulness and joy. His unique way of seeing the world shines through in his assemblages, in which he carefully selected various antiques, reimagining them into exuberant new works of art. Kirk Williams had an incredible impact on so many in his community and beyond, and his legacy lives on as his dreamy and enchanting work invites the viewer to explore their own imaginations.
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C. Beck: Rarities & MasterworksOctober 12 - December 23, 2023, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
C. Beck: Rarities &Masterworks showcases a variety of unique and masterful pieces done by Charles Beck throughout his career. This exhibit features rarely seen prints, including the last print completed by Beck; a one-of-a-kind painted Cathedral Forest block, paintings that demonstrate his exploration as an artist, a rare screenprint, an etching from his time in Mexico,
and more. All pieces in the exhibition have been drawn from the Beck family collection unless otherwise noted.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
C. Beck: Rarities &Masterworks showcases a variety of unique and masterful pieces done by Charles Beck throughout his career. This exhibit features rarely seen prints, including the last print completed by Beck; a one-of-a-kind painted Cathedral Forest block, paintings that demonstrate his exploration as an artist, a rare screenprint, an etching from his time in Mexico,
and more. All pieces in the exhibition have been drawn from the Beck family collection unless otherwise noted.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
‘Contemplating Nature’ features a range of works honoring the intersection of art and science including a 42-piece series of collages focused on textures, colors, forms and shapes found in nature featuring tiny seeds, seedpods, leaf and flower buds, flower parts, and other plant and insect fragments. Also included in this exhibition are large-scale basswood carvings inspired by seed pods and nature elements.
About the Artist
Jenny Nellis is an artist who taught at the Morris campus of the University of Minnesota for 35 years at the time of her retirement in December 2011. She is a sculptor who taught Basic Studio; Drawing and 3D Design, Life Drawing, Artist’s Books, all levels of Sculpture, and Honors; Intersections of Art and Science. She is a Morse/Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Studio Art Emeriti, a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, served as Assistant Academic Dean for students and Chair of the Division of Humanities. Nellis exhibits locally, regionally and nationally. She is currently serving on the Board of the Lake Region Arts Council.
‘Contemplating Nature’ features a range of works honoring the intersection of art and science including a 42-piece series of collages focused on textures, colors, forms and shapes found in nature featuring tiny seeds, seedpods, leaf and flower buds, flower parts, and other plant and insect fragments. Also included in this exhibition are large-scale basswood carvings inspired by seed pods and nature elements.
About the Artist
Jenny Nellis is an artist who taught at the Morris campus of the University of Minnesota for 35 years at the time of her retirement in December 2011. She is a sculptor who taught Basic Studio; Drawing and 3D Design, Life Drawing, Artist’s Books, all levels of Sculpture, and Honors; Intersections of Art and Science. She is a Morse/Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Studio Art Emeriti, a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, served as Assistant Academic Dean for students and Chair of the Division of Humanities. Nellis exhibits locally, regionally and nationally. She is currently serving on the Board of the Lake Region Arts Council.
Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
Throughout 2023, the Kaddatz Galleries is celebrating the rich visual legacy of Charles Beck, Fergus Falls’ acclaimed painter and woodcut printmaker with a series of exhibitions, classes and printmaking workshops, and special events.
In this third exhibition of the Year of Beck commemoration, C. Beck: Blocks & Prints provides an intimate look at Beck's printmaking process. Many of the woodcut blocks he carved and printed from are featured, premiering them as works of art in their own right, along with a selection of corresponding prints.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
Throughout 2023, the Kaddatz Galleries is celebrating the rich visual legacy of Charles Beck, Fergus Falls’ acclaimed painter and woodcut printmaker with a series of exhibitions, classes and printmaking workshops, and special events.
In this third exhibition of the Year of Beck commemoration, C. Beck: Blocks & Prints provides an intimate look at Beck's printmaking process. Many of the woodcut blocks he carved and printed from are featured, premiering them as works of art in their own right, along with a selection of corresponding prints.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
‘Legacy Amendment’ is the tethering point of two bodies of work. The series that came first was created in the spring of 2021 as a part of Springboard for the Arts’ Artists Respond: Equitable Rural Futures. Valentine titled it ‘The Audacity to be Asian in Rural America: we owe you no apologies” with focus on her family of origin - the Chinese side. Featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, she created contemporary Chinese paintings dry mounted to silk brocade hanging scrolls that told stories of her family’s immigration from Lanzhou, Gansu, China to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA.
That series is her interpretation of the Legacy of the ancestry she inherited. The series that completes this show is Valentine's Amendment, the place she stand currently representing the mark, uniquely her own, that she will make in contribution to the ancestral continuum of her maternal lineage.
The title of this show is an ode to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution more widely known as just the Legacy Amendment. A legislative appropriation that would later lead to the genesis of Valentine's career as an Artist.
About the Artist:
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine is a Chinese American artist living and making a life in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ Valentine views her artistry as a channel to deepen her cultural connections to and between her Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots. Valentine’s artwork is woven with nuance and symbolism resulting in conceptually complex visual stories meant to evoke empathy.
‘Legacy Amendment’ is the tethering point of two bodies of work. The series that came first was created in the spring of 2021 as a part of Springboard for the Arts’ Artists Respond: Equitable Rural Futures. Valentine titled it ‘The Audacity to be Asian in Rural America: we owe you no apologies” with focus on her family of origin - the Chinese side. Featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac, she created contemporary Chinese paintings dry mounted to silk brocade hanging scrolls that told stories of her family’s immigration from Lanzhou, Gansu, China to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA.
That series is her interpretation of the Legacy of the ancestry she inherited. The series that completes this show is Valentine's Amendment, the place she stand currently representing the mark, uniquely her own, that she will make in contribution to the ancestral continuum of her maternal lineage.
The title of this show is an ode to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution more widely known as just the Legacy Amendment. A legislative appropriation that would later lead to the genesis of Valentine's career as an Artist.
About the Artist:
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine is a Chinese American artist living and making a life in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ Valentine views her artistry as a channel to deepen her cultural connections to and between her Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots. Valentine’s artwork is woven with nuance and symbolism resulting in conceptually complex visual stories meant to evoke empathy.
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C. Beck: MUrals & Public WorksMay 4 - June 17, 2023, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
About the exhibition:
Throughout 2023, the Kaddatz Galleries is celebrating the rich visual legacy of Charles Beck, Fergus Falls’ acclaimed painter and woodcut printmaker with a series of exhibitions, classes and printmaking workshops, and special events.
In this second exhibition, C. Beck: Murals & Public Works offers observers a look into the many ways Charles Beck created work for public use throughout his career.
This exhibit showcases examples of sign-painting, advertisements, and photos of completed murals; some of which now only exist through photo documentation. Selected works are accompanied by their preliminary sketches and paintings, giving insight into how these often large-scale pieces were conceived, planned and created by Beck.
Also included are sketches and other preparatory work for the advertisements and sign painting he did in and around Fergus Falls early in his career. Pieces in this exhibit have been drawn from the Beck family and close friends’ personal collections.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
Throughout 2023, the Kaddatz Galleries is celebrating the rich visual legacy of Charles Beck, Fergus Falls’ acclaimed painter and woodcut printmaker with a series of exhibitions, classes and printmaking workshops, and special events.
In this second exhibition, C. Beck: Murals & Public Works offers observers a look into the many ways Charles Beck created work for public use throughout his career.
This exhibit showcases examples of sign-painting, advertisements, and photos of completed murals; some of which now only exist through photo documentation. Selected works are accompanied by their preliminary sketches and paintings, giving insight into how these often large-scale pieces were conceived, planned and created by Beck.
Also included are sketches and other preparatory work for the advertisements and sign painting he did in and around Fergus Falls early in his career. Pieces in this exhibit have been drawn from the Beck family and close friends’ personal collections.
The Kaddatz Galleries' A Year of Beck is made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; support from the Frank W. Veden Charitable Trust and the Dell Trust.
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C. Beck: BEGINNINGSJanuary 12 - April 1, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
in, out, Through This exhibition is a conglomerate of sculpted natural fibers, hand-woven basketry, and other artworks by Martha Bird created from June 2020 to February 2023 in the backdrop of a global pandemic and worldwide social uprising movement.
About the Artist:
Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculptural basketry. She has studied nationally and internationally with master basketmakers. As a Board Certified Holistic RN with a Masters in Human Development, Martha presents nationally on the topic of the health benefits of creating with one’s hands.
Committed to community engagement, Martha has been involved in the arts as a visual artist, presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and arts advocate. She has attended residencies throughout Minnesota including the Hinge Arts Residency through Springboard for the Arts and has received several state and regional grants in support of her work. Martha’s work has been acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society and can also be found in collections in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Learn more about her at www.marthabirdart.com.
in, out, Through This exhibition is a conglomerate of sculpted natural fibers, hand-woven basketry, and other artworks by Martha Bird created from June 2020 to February 2023 in the backdrop of a global pandemic and worldwide social uprising movement.
About the Artist:
Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculptural basketry. She has studied nationally and internationally with master basketmakers. As a Board Certified Holistic RN with a Masters in Human Development, Martha presents nationally on the topic of the health benefits of creating with one’s hands.
Committed to community engagement, Martha has been involved in the arts as a visual artist, presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and arts advocate. She has attended residencies throughout Minnesota including the Hinge Arts Residency through Springboard for the Arts and has received several state and regional grants in support of her work. Martha’s work has been acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society and can also be found in collections in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Learn more about her at www.marthabirdart.com.
Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
in, out, Through This exhibition is a conglomerate of sculpted natural fibers, hand-woven basketry, and other artworks by Martha Bird created from June 2020 to February 2023 in the backdrop of a global pandemic and worldwide social uprising movement.
About the Artist:
Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculptural basketry. She has studied nationally and internationally with master basketmakers. As a Board Certified Holistic RN with a Masters in Human Development, Martha presents nationally on the topic of the health benefits of creating with one’s hands.
Committed to community engagement, Martha has been involved in the arts as a visual artist, presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and arts advocate. She has attended residencies throughout Minnesota including the Hinge Arts Residency through Springboard for the Arts and has received several state and regional grants in support of her work. Martha’s work has been acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society and can also be found in collections in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Learn more about her at www.marthabirdart.com.
in, out, Through This exhibition is a conglomerate of sculpted natural fibers, hand-woven basketry, and other artworks by Martha Bird created from June 2020 to February 2023 in the backdrop of a global pandemic and worldwide social uprising movement.
About the Artist:
Martha Bird is a Minneapolis-based interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculptural basketry. She has studied nationally and internationally with master basketmakers. As a Board Certified Holistic RN with a Masters in Human Development, Martha presents nationally on the topic of the health benefits of creating with one’s hands.
Committed to community engagement, Martha has been involved in the arts as a visual artist, presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and arts advocate. She has attended residencies throughout Minnesota including the Hinge Arts Residency through Springboard for the Arts and has received several state and regional grants in support of her work. Martha’s work has been acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society and can also be found in collections in New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Learn more about her at www.marthabirdart.com.
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PETE DRIESSEN: MIGRATORY WING/PRAIRIE WILDFLOWER BEDMarch 14 - 2, 2023, Community Room
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Exhibition Details
About the Exhibition:
Migratory Wing/Prairie Wildflower Bed is an in-process, public art prototype project based in visual, cultural, and historical research at the historic Kirkbride Building, former MN State Hospital, in Fergus Falls, MN. The interdisciplinary project combines the rectilinear forms of vintage hospital beds with traditional garden beds to develop and generate a prospective community native prairie wildflower garden mirroring the flight patterns of the many pollinators and wetland waterfowl species that travel through the western Minnesota prairie lakes regions.
About the Artist:
Pete Driessen is a Minnesota-born and raised visual artist who received his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT, and BA from the University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul. Driessen has been awarded regional grants and awards including Jerome Foundation, Forecast Public Art, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and Minnesota State Arts Board. Pete’s artwork has been regionally reviewed and presented at national and regional solo and group exhibitions at a wide range of venues.
Migratory Wing/Prairie Wildflower Bed is an in-process, public art prototype project based in visual, cultural, and historical research at the historic Kirkbride Building, former MN State Hospital, in Fergus Falls, MN. The interdisciplinary project combines the rectilinear forms of vintage hospital beds with traditional garden beds to develop and generate a prospective community native prairie wildflower garden mirroring the flight patterns of the many pollinators and wetland waterfowl species that travel through the western Minnesota prairie lakes regions.
About the Artist:
Pete Driessen is a Minnesota-born and raised visual artist who received his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT, and BA from the University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul. Driessen has been awarded regional grants and awards including Jerome Foundation, Forecast Public Art, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and Minnesota State Arts Board. Pete’s artwork has been regionally reviewed and presented at national and regional solo and group exhibitions at a wide range of venues.
Exhibition Details
View Gallery
Naomi RaMona Schliesman is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience. She received her BFA with an emphasis in sculpture from Minnesota State University Moorhead (2004), and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2009). Her work has been exhibited nationally in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburg, Brooklyn, Seattle and across the Midwest. Schliesman has been awarded Fellowships from Ragdale Foundation and Kimmel Hardening Nelson Center for the Arts. Recently she was selected to be one of two Artist Organizers for a project mentoring youth for the development of the multimedia exhibit “Return to Normal? COVID Diaries from Local Youth” funded by CDC Foundation in partnership with Springboard for the Arts, Otter Tail County Historical Society and Otter Tail County Public Health Department. Schliesman has studied art internationally and has participated in artist residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Kimmel Hardening Nelson Center for the Arts, Ragadale, The Traveling Museum and Hospitalfield Arts.
Beautiful CHAOS is a compilation of 2D and 3D sculptural artworks that speak to society’s contemporary struggle of navigating “new normals” amidst the systemic failures of zeitgeist institutions; and how beauty can become the catalyst for joy, collective healing, and forming generative solutions for the future.
Naomi RaMona Schliesman is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Naomi RaMona Schliesman is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience. She received her BFA with an emphasis in sculpture from Minnesota State University Moorhead (2004), and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2009). Her work has been exhibited nationally in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburg, Brooklyn, Seattle and across the Midwest. Schliesman has been awarded Fellowships from Ragdale Foundation and Kimmel Hardening Nelson Center for the Arts. Recently she was selected to be one of two Artist Organizers for a project mentoring youth for the development of the multimedia exhibit “Return to Normal? COVID Diaries from Local Youth” funded by CDC Foundation in partnership with Springboard for the Arts, Otter Tail County Historical Society and Otter Tail County Public Health Department. Schliesman has studied art internationally and has participated in artist residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Kimmel Hardening Nelson Center for the Arts, Ragadale, The Traveling Museum and Hospitalfield Arts.
Beautiful CHAOS is a compilation of 2D and 3D sculptural artworks that speak to society’s contemporary struggle of navigating “new normals” amidst the systemic failures of zeitgeist institutions; and how beauty can become the catalyst for joy, collective healing, and forming generative solutions for the future.
Naomi RaMona Schliesman is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk
Field is a rural artist who works from her tiny studio in Maine township near Phelps Mill. Her "life's drive" has been creating art. During the span of her career, she has created more than 500 feet of murals in Minnesota homes and businesses; taught art classes for children and adults; owned and operated a seasonal antiques and art business; and collaborated with other local artists, all while creating art pieces for gallery shows. She is currently focusing on oil and acrylic wall art that evokes emotion and occasional questioning through the use of vibrant color, line, movement, and texture.
This retrospective includes three decades of vivid painted works by area artist Jenny Field. The series of large, colorful works will include expressionistic canvases, early examples of her painted furniture, mixed media pieces, and small decorative items.
Field is a rural artist who works from her tiny studio in Maine township near Phelps Mill. Her "life's drive" has been creating art. During the span of her career, she has created more than 500 feet of murals in Minnesota homes and businesses; taught art classes for children and adults; owned and operated a seasonal antiques and art business; and collaborated with other local artists, all while creating art pieces for gallery shows. She is currently focusing on oil and acrylic wall art that evokes emotion and occasional questioning through the use of vibrant color, line, movement, and texture.
This retrospective includes three decades of vivid painted works by area artist Jenny Field. The series of large, colorful works will include expressionistic canvases, early examples of her painted furniture, mixed media pieces, and small decorative items.
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KIMBERLY KENYON: FROM THE MEADOWOctober 13 - December 23, 2022, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk
Kimberly Kenyon is a visual artist who, after living and working as a graphic designer in Fargo/Moorhead for many years, has recently moved back to her rural childhood home in the hills near Erhard, Minnesota. From the Meadow is a love note to home and the part of her that never really left there.
Kimberly Kenyon is a visual artist who, after living and working as a graphic designer in Fargo/Moorhead for many years, has recently moved back to her rural childhood home in the hills near Erhard, Minnesota. From the Meadow is a love note to home and the part of her that never really left there.
Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk
Kandace Creel Falcón, Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer, and visual artist. Their life’s passion grounds the power of narrative for social transformation. As a Xicanx femme feminist, KCF’s work is driven to disrupt conventional notions related to femininity and domesticity. Drawn to interdisciplinary inquiry and mixed-media methods of painting, fabric arts, and writing KCF brings together various mediums to make sense of the world around them. She lives and works in rural Erhard, MN.
Roots is a contemporary series of narrative paintings which examine the legacy of Mexican born migrant workers who built the Santa Fe Railroad in Falcón’s native state of Kansas during the early part of the 20th century.
www.kjcfalcon.com / IG @ArtofKCF
Kandace Creel Falcón, Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer, and visual artist. Their life’s passion grounds the power of narrative for social transformation. As a Xicanx femme feminist, KCF’s work is driven to disrupt conventional notions related to femininity and domesticity. Drawn to interdisciplinary inquiry and mixed-media methods of painting, fabric arts, and writing KCF brings together various mediums to make sense of the world around them. She lives and works in rural Erhard, MN.
Roots is a contemporary series of narrative paintings which examine the legacy of Mexican born migrant workers who built the Santa Fe Railroad in Falcón’s native state of Kansas during the early part of the 20th century.
www.kjcfalcon.com / IG @ArtofKCF
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W. SCOTT OLSEN: A MEMORY OF STEELAugust 11 – October 1, 2022, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk, part 1
Watch artist talk, part 2
W. Scott Olsen is a professor of English at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. The author of twelve books of narrative travel/adventure nonfiction, mostly about road trips and flying a small airplane, his work frequently appears in literary and commercial magazines as well as newspapers. His photography has been published in magazines internationally and been exhibited in galleries throughout the region. He lives in Moorhead.
A Memory of Steel is a collection of images taken at the abandoned Fargo Foundry in Fargo, ND the day before the building was destroyed by fire.
http://blog.cord.edu/wscottolsen
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
Watch artist talk, part 2
W. Scott Olsen is a professor of English at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. The author of twelve books of narrative travel/adventure nonfiction, mostly about road trips and flying a small airplane, his work frequently appears in literary and commercial magazines as well as newspapers. His photography has been published in magazines internationally and been exhibited in galleries throughout the region. He lives in Moorhead.
A Memory of Steel is a collection of images taken at the abandoned Fargo Foundry in Fargo, ND the day before the building was destroyed by fire.
http://blog.cord.edu/wscottolsen
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
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Syrian RefugePhotography by David Waage
June 9 – July 30, 2022, Main Gallery |
Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk
David Waage was born and raised in Fergus Falls, and attended Fergus Falls High School and Fergus Falls Community College. He began taking pictures in Fergus Falls, and studied photography and worked as a photographer at California Lutheran University. After obtaining a Master's Degree at London Business School Waage launched a photography studio in New York. He has traveled to 45 countries and published work in the US, Europe, and Japan.
Syrian Refuge is a project Waage worked on for ten years, documenting moments of refuge for a group of Syrian refugees living in Beirut, Lebanon. He hopes to raise awareness and empathy for the plight of refugees by exhibiting this work at Kaddatz Galleries.
David Waage was born and raised in Fergus Falls, and attended Fergus Falls High School and Fergus Falls Community College. He began taking pictures in Fergus Falls, and studied photography and worked as a photographer at California Lutheran University. After obtaining a Master's Degree at London Business School Waage launched a photography studio in New York. He has traveled to 45 countries and published work in the US, Europe, and Japan.
Syrian Refuge is a project Waage worked on for ten years, documenting moments of refuge for a group of Syrian refugees living in Beirut, Lebanon. He hopes to raise awareness and empathy for the plight of refugees by exhibiting this work at Kaddatz Galleries.
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NAM: Now a MemoryArtwork by Jim Fletcher
March 24 – May 28, 2022, Main Gallery |
Exhibition Details
Watch artist talk
NAM: Now a Memory contains artwork created by artist and Vietnam war Veteran, Jim Fletcher. Fletcher’s works are a visual portrayal of memory that are neither intended to criticize nor dramatize the American involvement in Vietnam. There is no political statement, chronological succession or plot. All images are reactions to sudden, spontaneous recollections triggered by experiences in daily life. This exhibit has been shown throughout the U.S. and has opened the eyes for many to the realities, hardships and horrors of war. It has removed the false façade of glory.
Jim Fletcher is a prolific and celebrated local artist, author, musician and retired educator who uses a variety of mediums to illustrate the landscapes and people he sees around him both on his travels and in his local stomping ground of Maplewood State Park near his home in Pelican Rapids.
This exhibition is part of the NEA Big Read program in partnership with the Fergus Falls Public Library.
The NEA Big Read featured book is The Best We Can Do by Thi Bui.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
NAM: Now a Memory contains artwork created by artist and Vietnam war Veteran, Jim Fletcher. Fletcher’s works are a visual portrayal of memory that are neither intended to criticize nor dramatize the American involvement in Vietnam. There is no political statement, chronological succession or plot. All images are reactions to sudden, spontaneous recollections triggered by experiences in daily life. This exhibit has been shown throughout the U.S. and has opened the eyes for many to the realities, hardships and horrors of war. It has removed the false façade of glory.
Jim Fletcher is a prolific and celebrated local artist, author, musician and retired educator who uses a variety of mediums to illustrate the landscapes and people he sees around him both on his travels and in his local stomping ground of Maplewood State Park near his home in Pelican Rapids.
This exhibition is part of the NEA Big Read program in partnership with the Fergus Falls Public Library.
The NEA Big Read featured book is The Best We Can Do by Thi Bui.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
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Textures of RemembranceVietnamese Artists and Writers Reflect on the Vietnamese Diaspora
January 22 – March 12, 2022 |
Exhibition Details
Watch promo video
Textures of Remembrance: Vietnamese Artists and Writers Reflect on the Vietnamese Diaspora is a new traveling exhibit containing contemporary artwork by emerging artists and writers. Their works explore a date that impacted many Vietnamese Americans: April 30, 1975, the Fall/Liberation of Saigon and end of the Vietnam war. Reflecting on this day through written words, visual creations, and audiovisual components, an intimate perspective of the Vietnamese diasporic/refugee experience is revealed.
Installation of this exhibit was supported by and is part of the NEA Big Read program in partnership with the Fergus Falls Public Library. The NEA Big Read featured book is The Best We Can Do by Thi Bui.
Textures of Remembrance is a traveling exhibit created in partnership between Exhibit Envoy, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network and Oakland Asian Cultural Center. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and California Arts Council, a state agency with a mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
Textures of Remembrance: Vietnamese Artists and Writers Reflect on the Vietnamese Diaspora is a new traveling exhibit containing contemporary artwork by emerging artists and writers. Their works explore a date that impacted many Vietnamese Americans: April 30, 1975, the Fall/Liberation of Saigon and end of the Vietnam war. Reflecting on this day through written words, visual creations, and audiovisual components, an intimate perspective of the Vietnamese diasporic/refugee experience is revealed.
Installation of this exhibit was supported by and is part of the NEA Big Read program in partnership with the Fergus Falls Public Library. The NEA Big Read featured book is The Best We Can Do by Thi Bui.
Textures of Remembrance is a traveling exhibit created in partnership between Exhibit Envoy, the Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network and Oakland Asian Cultural Center. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and California Arts Council, a state agency with a mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
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KADDATZ RESIDENT ARTISTSNovember 26, 2021 – January 6, 2022, Main Gallery
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Exhibition Details
Kaddatz Resident Artists
The Kaddatz Resident Artists exhibition, consists of work from three of the artists who live and create in the artist lofts that are located upstairs from the galleries in the upper two levels of the Kaddatz building.
Karla Gallagher
"I paint with acrylics on canvas and board. I also draw using markers, gel pens, graphite and occasionally charcoal. My subjects are mostly people but I enjoy drawing animals and flowers and often bring them together to tell a story. There are times when I just like to create with no specific intention other than to make something beautiful and pleasing to look at. On the other hand, If I really feel strongly about something and it needs to be expressed, I study my subjects and explore ideas and emotions in order to allow the imagery to be designed in my mind. I enjoy making art that people can relate to, that isn’t obscure or hard to understand. I want them to get it, to feel it and to walk away feeling better or moved in some way.
The style of my work is inspired by Klimt and has developed and evolved over the years due to different influences like the Zentangle method and a love of making repetitive patterns. It’s addicting, therapeutic and so satisfying to me."
Eric Santwire
"Born in Rochester, Minnesota, I grew up nearby in Detroit Lakes. After graduating from Minnesota State University/Moorhead with a major in Film Studies and a Minor in Studio Art, I spent twelve years living in Minneapolis, exploring the arts scene while practicing in the mediums of filmmaking, photography, painting, writing and music. Since moving to Fergus Falls in 2004 (and becoming one of the first tenants of the Newly renovated Kaddatz), I’ve worked as a freelance artist and as a gallery assistant at the Kaddatz Galleries.
Over the last several years my photographs and paintings have been featured in galleries and museums throughout Minnesota and North Dakota including The Plains Art Museum and most recently, an online, multi-artist show at The Minneapolis Institute of Art.
All but a few pieces in the current show are “portraits” taken in the last three or four years and being displayed for the first time. A couple were first presented as part of my 2017 Studio K exhibit, Distortions: Filters and Refractions (and Other Aberrations)."
Karan Ouren
Karan Ouren resides in Fergus Falls, MN at the Kaddatz Artist Loft's. Karan is a self taught artist who began painting in 2007 and in 2013 her art career took a turn to abstract/impressionism painting, using acrylic's/mixed media on canvas and other substrates. Her love for new and exciting techniques can be seen in her work. Karan has most recently started exploring printmaking, which began after taking a Lino Cut Printmaking Class provided by Kaddatz Galleries. Karan's art reflects a variety of subjects and through her use of various mediums the viewer will see a consistency in her brushstrokes and overall style.
The Kaddatz Resident Artists exhibition, consists of work from three of the artists who live and create in the artist lofts that are located upstairs from the galleries in the upper two levels of the Kaddatz building.
Karla Gallagher
"I paint with acrylics on canvas and board. I also draw using markers, gel pens, graphite and occasionally charcoal. My subjects are mostly people but I enjoy drawing animals and flowers and often bring them together to tell a story. There are times when I just like to create with no specific intention other than to make something beautiful and pleasing to look at. On the other hand, If I really feel strongly about something and it needs to be expressed, I study my subjects and explore ideas and emotions in order to allow the imagery to be designed in my mind. I enjoy making art that people can relate to, that isn’t obscure or hard to understand. I want them to get it, to feel it and to walk away feeling better or moved in some way.
The style of my work is inspired by Klimt and has developed and evolved over the years due to different influences like the Zentangle method and a love of making repetitive patterns. It’s addicting, therapeutic and so satisfying to me."
Eric Santwire
"Born in Rochester, Minnesota, I grew up nearby in Detroit Lakes. After graduating from Minnesota State University/Moorhead with a major in Film Studies and a Minor in Studio Art, I spent twelve years living in Minneapolis, exploring the arts scene while practicing in the mediums of filmmaking, photography, painting, writing and music. Since moving to Fergus Falls in 2004 (and becoming one of the first tenants of the Newly renovated Kaddatz), I’ve worked as a freelance artist and as a gallery assistant at the Kaddatz Galleries.
Over the last several years my photographs and paintings have been featured in galleries and museums throughout Minnesota and North Dakota including The Plains Art Museum and most recently, an online, multi-artist show at The Minneapolis Institute of Art.
All but a few pieces in the current show are “portraits” taken in the last three or four years and being displayed for the first time. A couple were first presented as part of my 2017 Studio K exhibit, Distortions: Filters and Refractions (and Other Aberrations)."
Karan Ouren
Karan Ouren resides in Fergus Falls, MN at the Kaddatz Artist Loft's. Karan is a self taught artist who began painting in 2007 and in 2013 her art career took a turn to abstract/impressionism painting, using acrylic's/mixed media on canvas and other substrates. Her love for new and exciting techniques can be seen in her work. Karan has most recently started exploring printmaking, which began after taking a Lino Cut Printmaking Class provided by Kaddatz Galleries. Karan's art reflects a variety of subjects and through her use of various mediums the viewer will see a consistency in her brushstrokes and overall style.
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2021 LRAC ARTIST COHORTNovember 26, 2021 – January 6, 2022, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
2021 LRAC Artist Cohort
The 2021 LRAC Artist Cohort exhibition contains work from four of the selected artists from this year's Lake Region Arts Council's annual Artist Cohort program.
Kandace Creel Falcón
Kandace Creel Falcón, Ph.D. (b.1981) is an interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer, and visual artist. Their life’s passion grounds the power of narrative for social transformation. Drawn to mixed-media methods of painting, fabric arts, and writing KCF brings together various mediums to make sense of the world around them. They live and work in rural Erhard, MN with their wife, chickens, goats, cats, and chihuahuas.
www.kjcfalcon.com
Instagram: @ArtofKCF
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine (she/her) is a Chinese-American artist living and making a life in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ Valentine views her artistry as a channel to deepen her cultural connections to and between her Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots. With a creative process that begins and ends with intention, Valentine’s artwork is woven with nuance and symbolism resulting in conceptually complex visual stories meant to evoke empathy.
www.nancyxvalentine.com
Social Media: @nancyxvalentine
Carmen McCullough
Carmen McCullough is an artist specializing in mixed media oddities and experiences found off the beaten path. Her one-of-a-kind collages and assemblages are made with paint, photos, fabric, and trinkets from the past. Inspiration is everywhere! Carmen finds it in old and abandoned places, the night sky, a quiet cemetery, a witchy grimoire and the changing seasons.
www.StrangeFarmGirl.com
Social Media: @strangefarmgirl
Michael Burgraff
"I work to throw a perfect cylinder. In college, my ceramics professor, who knew I was only there to hide from the theatre department, challenged me to throw a perfect cylinder. It is funny how this statement became a lifelong goal. As a continued escape to center me over the last 45 years I have found a way back to ceramics. While yet to throw a “perfect cylinder” I have discovered and rediscovered the joy of creating an art form intended, for the most part, to be held, used, and enjoyed. A vast percentage of my pottery is practical and earthy. I see my art connecting to people and back to the earth from which it came. I rarely turn down a request from others to try throwing and am happy to step aside and let them try. My heart swells to see a chunk of clay turned into a chunk of pride others express when they have a piece of art they created. On the wheel, forms start from a cylinder. I will continue, as long as my body allows, on the quest of a perfect cylinder and hope others will enjoy all the not so perfect pottery produced in that effort."
Facebook: @tinhorseenterprises
The 2021 LRAC Artist Cohort exhibition contains work from four of the selected artists from this year's Lake Region Arts Council's annual Artist Cohort program.
Kandace Creel Falcón
Kandace Creel Falcón, Ph.D. (b.1981) is an interdisciplinary feminist scholar, writer, and visual artist. Their life’s passion grounds the power of narrative for social transformation. Drawn to mixed-media methods of painting, fabric arts, and writing KCF brings together various mediums to make sense of the world around them. They live and work in rural Erhard, MN with their wife, chickens, goats, cats, and chihuahuas.
www.kjcfalcon.com
Instagram: @ArtofKCF
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine
Nancy XiáoRong Valentine (she/her) is a Chinese-American artist living and making a life in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Conceived as the second child of a family residing in Lanzhou, Gansu during the era of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ Valentine views her artistry as a channel to deepen her cultural connections to and between her Chinese heritage and Midwestern roots. With a creative process that begins and ends with intention, Valentine’s artwork is woven with nuance and symbolism resulting in conceptually complex visual stories meant to evoke empathy.
www.nancyxvalentine.com
Social Media: @nancyxvalentine
Carmen McCullough
Carmen McCullough is an artist specializing in mixed media oddities and experiences found off the beaten path. Her one-of-a-kind collages and assemblages are made with paint, photos, fabric, and trinkets from the past. Inspiration is everywhere! Carmen finds it in old and abandoned places, the night sky, a quiet cemetery, a witchy grimoire and the changing seasons.
www.StrangeFarmGirl.com
Social Media: @strangefarmgirl
Michael Burgraff
"I work to throw a perfect cylinder. In college, my ceramics professor, who knew I was only there to hide from the theatre department, challenged me to throw a perfect cylinder. It is funny how this statement became a lifelong goal. As a continued escape to center me over the last 45 years I have found a way back to ceramics. While yet to throw a “perfect cylinder” I have discovered and rediscovered the joy of creating an art form intended, for the most part, to be held, used, and enjoyed. A vast percentage of my pottery is practical and earthy. I see my art connecting to people and back to the earth from which it came. I rarely turn down a request from others to try throwing and am happy to step aside and let them try. My heart swells to see a chunk of clay turned into a chunk of pride others express when they have a piece of art they created. On the wheel, forms start from a cylinder. I will continue, as long as my body allows, on the quest of a perfect cylinder and hope others will enjoy all the not so perfect pottery produced in that effort."
Facebook: @tinhorseenterprises
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LISA BERGH: DEAR DIARYOctober 6 - November 18, 2021, Main Gallery
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Exhibition Details
“My work examines the cerebral and aesthetic weight of our internal, emotional worlds. Working with paper is central to my process, using the material to merge the techniques of drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. I repeatedly access a visual vocabulary constructed from the language of abstraction. I seek to magnify visual and physical gestures, illustrating emotional tension, and constructing sculptural mark making. My creative methodology fuels my interest in our intellectual and emotional responses to color, space, and architecture.
Dear Diary is informed from sense memories, my own and those that have become mine. The works on display are fragments pulled from an ephemeral catalog of experience, time, and place; interactions from the past and present bundled into objects weighted by color, tension, and their subjective recollection and presentation.
In addition to my studio practice, I work as an advocate for the rural arts and culture movement and serve as an art instructor for Ridgewater College.”
Dear Diary is informed from sense memories, my own and those that have become mine. The works on display are fragments pulled from an ephemeral catalog of experience, time, and place; interactions from the past and present bundled into objects weighted by color, tension, and their subjective recollection and presentation.
In addition to my studio practice, I work as an advocate for the rural arts and culture movement and serve as an art instructor for Ridgewater College.”
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STEVE GUTTORMSON: ALL THAT CHROMEOctober 5 - November 18, 2021, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
All That Chrome
“The automobile holds a top position in the American psyche. It’s more than just our primary mode of transportation. It prompts strong emotions for many of us.
For me, it’s all about thoughtful and unmistakable design: the horizontal curved brow over a teardrop-shaped taillight on a 1959 Chevy Impala. Even in the dark, it’s the turn signal lens separating pairs of headlights at each corner of a 1967 Olds Cutlass.
While editing images in this exhibit, I found myself pondering how tightly our culture embraces the automobile, for better or worse. The automobile is loaded with personal meaning, especially in America. Just consider the automotive influence on popular music through the past 60+ years: Marc Cohn communicates strong emotional bonds between a father and child in “Silver Thunderbird.” Wilson Pickett moved us in a whole other way with “Mustang Sally.” The British invaded with “Baby, you can drive my car, and maybe I'll love you."
Scores of songs like these are some of the most singable pieces of music ever written. I hope the images shared here are as accessible. At the same time, I hope they are visually intriguing enough to engage you in the dynamic elements that make each of these cars beautiful and unique.”
Steve Guttormson
“My parents drove me home from Lake Region Hospital in a 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 shortly after I was born. As a child standing in the front seat of a station wagon destined for Grandma’s house in North Dakota, I passed the time by spotting and identifying the cars we met on the road. I knew them all.
While I envisioned becoming an automotive designer, I took a twisting journey into a career in marketing. Attending Moorhead State University, I started as an art major, took a year-long side trip into architecture, and finished with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.
Now, after serving various roles in that field for thirty-some-odd years, I’m interested in creative work that is more open ended in its purpose. I want to create images that allow the viewer to take things in a less prescribed direction: in the case of this exhibit, to a favorite family trip, hot date, or other meaningful memory.”
“The automobile holds a top position in the American psyche. It’s more than just our primary mode of transportation. It prompts strong emotions for many of us.
For me, it’s all about thoughtful and unmistakable design: the horizontal curved brow over a teardrop-shaped taillight on a 1959 Chevy Impala. Even in the dark, it’s the turn signal lens separating pairs of headlights at each corner of a 1967 Olds Cutlass.
While editing images in this exhibit, I found myself pondering how tightly our culture embraces the automobile, for better or worse. The automobile is loaded with personal meaning, especially in America. Just consider the automotive influence on popular music through the past 60+ years: Marc Cohn communicates strong emotional bonds between a father and child in “Silver Thunderbird.” Wilson Pickett moved us in a whole other way with “Mustang Sally.” The British invaded with “Baby, you can drive my car, and maybe I'll love you."
Scores of songs like these are some of the most singable pieces of music ever written. I hope the images shared here are as accessible. At the same time, I hope they are visually intriguing enough to engage you in the dynamic elements that make each of these cars beautiful and unique.”
Steve Guttormson
“My parents drove me home from Lake Region Hospital in a 1958 Ford Fairlane 500 shortly after I was born. As a child standing in the front seat of a station wagon destined for Grandma’s house in North Dakota, I passed the time by spotting and identifying the cars we met on the road. I knew them all.
While I envisioned becoming an automotive designer, I took a twisting journey into a career in marketing. Attending Moorhead State University, I started as an art major, took a year-long side trip into architecture, and finished with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.
Now, after serving various roles in that field for thirty-some-odd years, I’m interested in creative work that is more open ended in its purpose. I want to create images that allow the viewer to take things in a less prescribed direction: in the case of this exhibit, to a favorite family trip, hot date, or other meaningful memory.”
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JON KAMRATH: STRUCTURES & IMAGININGSAugust 11 - September 30, 2021, Main Gallery
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Exhibition Details
Like many artists (and non-artists), the global pandemic and challenging recovery impacted the way that I work and perceive the world around me. Structures and Imaginings are two separate but related series of work that have each taken on additional meaning during this challenging time.
My Structures series derives its name from both the building-like structures themselves, and the scaffolding support structures below that serve as a foundation for the pieces. As I am building these sculptures, I like to think of the scaffolding as the visual representation of societal and personal support structures we all use in our lives. We often take for granted the permanence of things such as relationships, health, or the environment, and build elaborate structures upon them assuming their longevity and eternal support. Events such as the pandemic, health crises, or environmental change highlight the fragility and fleeting nature of our existence. I am very interested in the elaborate constructs we build in our personal relationships and the precarious foundations we often choose to build them upon. By exposing the scaffolding, these sculptures reveal the support structures and bring this often-overlooked functional component into the foreground. By highlighting the constant cycle of damage and repair these structures face, I am attempting to portray the instability and the disappearing permanence in our lives and situations.
While Structures examines current situations and previously laid foundations, Imaginings explores new ideas and possibilities of sculptures that can be. These works are designed to function both as independent stand-alone sculptures, and as maquettes for large scale public or commercial projects. I like to think of these sculptures as ideas still closer to the beginning of their design arc, with endless possibilities still open in their future. Some imaginings have already been scaled up and are currently visible in various cities throughout the Midwest, some are concepts waiting to be further developed, and others are simply products of the imagination.
Jon Kamrath Biography
As a child Jon dreamed of being an artist, of filling galleries and creating large outdoor sculptures, or of being a teacher and helping others make cool things. He studied Art and Art Education at Concordia College, then landed the greatest job ever, an Art Teacher, and enjoyed inspiring students for over a decade. His first job was at Fergus Falls middle school, and when the Kaddatz Hotel was remodeled, he was the first resident to move in. He later received his Masters of Fine Arts from Iowa State University. Eventually he decided it was time to use all the lessons he had learned from thousands of students, and took a “short break” from his dream job to focus on his own artistic vision, quickly finding success. Years later, he is still living out his childhood fantasy, filling galleries and sculpting large-scale outdoor works for cities, universities, corporations and private collectors. He is always thrilled to learn about the successes of his former art students and even occasionally collaborates with them on various projects such as publishing a book or organizing exhibitions.
Jon’s studio is located in Mahtomedi, MN, where he lives with his muse and their 3 young children. He inherited craftsmanship skills, love of tools, and architectural appreciation from working with his father as a finish carpenter during the summers and now blends these skills with the playful inspiration of his kids and the artistic vocabulary he learned through studying and teaching art. You can find more of Jon’s work on his website or social media pages
www.KamrathSculpture.com
www.instagram.com/kamrathsculpture/
My Structures series derives its name from both the building-like structures themselves, and the scaffolding support structures below that serve as a foundation for the pieces. As I am building these sculptures, I like to think of the scaffolding as the visual representation of societal and personal support structures we all use in our lives. We often take for granted the permanence of things such as relationships, health, or the environment, and build elaborate structures upon them assuming their longevity and eternal support. Events such as the pandemic, health crises, or environmental change highlight the fragility and fleeting nature of our existence. I am very interested in the elaborate constructs we build in our personal relationships and the precarious foundations we often choose to build them upon. By exposing the scaffolding, these sculptures reveal the support structures and bring this often-overlooked functional component into the foreground. By highlighting the constant cycle of damage and repair these structures face, I am attempting to portray the instability and the disappearing permanence in our lives and situations.
While Structures examines current situations and previously laid foundations, Imaginings explores new ideas and possibilities of sculptures that can be. These works are designed to function both as independent stand-alone sculptures, and as maquettes for large scale public or commercial projects. I like to think of these sculptures as ideas still closer to the beginning of their design arc, with endless possibilities still open in their future. Some imaginings have already been scaled up and are currently visible in various cities throughout the Midwest, some are concepts waiting to be further developed, and others are simply products of the imagination.
Jon Kamrath Biography
As a child Jon dreamed of being an artist, of filling galleries and creating large outdoor sculptures, or of being a teacher and helping others make cool things. He studied Art and Art Education at Concordia College, then landed the greatest job ever, an Art Teacher, and enjoyed inspiring students for over a decade. His first job was at Fergus Falls middle school, and when the Kaddatz Hotel was remodeled, he was the first resident to move in. He later received his Masters of Fine Arts from Iowa State University. Eventually he decided it was time to use all the lessons he had learned from thousands of students, and took a “short break” from his dream job to focus on his own artistic vision, quickly finding success. Years later, he is still living out his childhood fantasy, filling galleries and sculpting large-scale outdoor works for cities, universities, corporations and private collectors. He is always thrilled to learn about the successes of his former art students and even occasionally collaborates with them on various projects such as publishing a book or organizing exhibitions.
Jon’s studio is located in Mahtomedi, MN, where he lives with his muse and their 3 young children. He inherited craftsmanship skills, love of tools, and architectural appreciation from working with his father as a finish carpenter during the summers and now blends these skills with the playful inspiration of his kids and the artistic vocabulary he learned through studying and teaching art. You can find more of Jon’s work on his website or social media pages
www.KamrathSculpture.com
www.instagram.com/kamrathsculpture/
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DIane SCully: Borders & BoundariesAugust 11 - September 30, 2021, Studio K
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Exhibition Details
For the past two years I have explored the theme of Borders and Boundaries. Studying the confinement or expansion, self imposed or cultural norms and morays that we are born into. How we handle those choices and define who we are as a person/people. Also in turn, how we consciously choose to address or ignore those influences that effect our lives.
My work is abstract since that is how I experience life. We view life in segments, fleeting images and sounds, a simple flash of an impression. I may notice those nuances due to color, texture, spatial dimensions, surface, the dynamics between all of them and the statement and reason behind them. My work focuses on my reaction to the visual that I see and it is why place, time and location are instrumental.
I begin intuitively, allowing the painting to evolve and resolve itself through having a dialogue with it. The elements within a work have a dialogue while I paint and in turn, I have a conversation/dance with the artwork in order to arrive at a finished form. I find the composition and surface to show itself to me over time. At times this conversation can happen quickly if I am open to it and at other times it takes months or years to become resolved.
I have discovered that using oil and cold wax allows for surface build up, printmaking techniques, and texture to become a part of the finished piece. There is a transparency to the color which is strong yet seductive. The tools (rubber bowl scrapers, brayers, scribes, chopsticks, fingers) are instrumental in my painting process since mark making encourages a individual calligraphic dimension to the textures. The physical act of painting and mark making can be explored due to the addition of adding cold wax medium with oil paint, creating a slower drying time.
Diane Scully Biography
Being an introvert from a young age, I drew making my own personal symbols and marks. I grew up as an observer of my surroundings in my life and have a visual warehouse of things that most often go unnoticed to other people. I often mixed the colors of the sky, objects, and landscapes but mostly noticed shape, architecture against natural relationships, and color.
My involvement in Art became more clear after doing my undergrad work at Bemidji State University and getting my MFA in Painting at the University of Oregon, Eugene. After being involved for over four decades in the field of art and art education, I found that my artistic endeavors needed to lie in photography and collage since they were more immediate than painting. Since being partially retired, I have been able to focus more on my personal and professional artistic creation for the past five years. Returning to the practice of painting, I found that the plastic form of acrylic paint no longer met my artistic intentions. I instead discovered and found the use of oil and cold wax medium allowed me the freedom to move between paint, printmaking, collage, and photography. I take inspiration from the physical, emotional, and spiritual connections from place, time, and location. I look forward to the conversations that my paintings may evoke in you.
My work is abstract since that is how I experience life. We view life in segments, fleeting images and sounds, a simple flash of an impression. I may notice those nuances due to color, texture, spatial dimensions, surface, the dynamics between all of them and the statement and reason behind them. My work focuses on my reaction to the visual that I see and it is why place, time and location are instrumental.
I begin intuitively, allowing the painting to evolve and resolve itself through having a dialogue with it. The elements within a work have a dialogue while I paint and in turn, I have a conversation/dance with the artwork in order to arrive at a finished form. I find the composition and surface to show itself to me over time. At times this conversation can happen quickly if I am open to it and at other times it takes months or years to become resolved.
I have discovered that using oil and cold wax allows for surface build up, printmaking techniques, and texture to become a part of the finished piece. There is a transparency to the color which is strong yet seductive. The tools (rubber bowl scrapers, brayers, scribes, chopsticks, fingers) are instrumental in my painting process since mark making encourages a individual calligraphic dimension to the textures. The physical act of painting and mark making can be explored due to the addition of adding cold wax medium with oil paint, creating a slower drying time.
Diane Scully Biography
Being an introvert from a young age, I drew making my own personal symbols and marks. I grew up as an observer of my surroundings in my life and have a visual warehouse of things that most often go unnoticed to other people. I often mixed the colors of the sky, objects, and landscapes but mostly noticed shape, architecture against natural relationships, and color.
My involvement in Art became more clear after doing my undergrad work at Bemidji State University and getting my MFA in Painting at the University of Oregon, Eugene. After being involved for over four decades in the field of art and art education, I found that my artistic endeavors needed to lie in photography and collage since they were more immediate than painting. Since being partially retired, I have been able to focus more on my personal and professional artistic creation for the past five years. Returning to the practice of painting, I found that the plastic form of acrylic paint no longer met my artistic intentions. I instead discovered and found the use of oil and cold wax medium allowed me the freedom to move between paint, printmaking, collage, and photography. I take inspiration from the physical, emotional, and spiritual connections from place, time, and location. I look forward to the conversations that my paintings may evoke in you.