Arts News
Middle Sister Made: The Inklings of Jill S Levene Exhibit is Open at Historic Fournet Building Downtown Crookston
Middle Sister Made: The Inklings of Jill S Levene
Red River Valley Artist and Printmaker
Open Through July at the
Historic Fournet Building
101 N Broadway Downtown Crookston
2nd Floor in the Atrium
We are pleased to announce the opening of Middle Sister Made: The Inklings of Jill S Levene, an exhibit open through July at the Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway in Downtown Crookston. This exhibit includes 29 pieces of art in printmaking, pen and ink, fabric art, and mixed media created by Red River Valley Printmaker and Artist Jill Levene of Tabor. This is the first exhibit that the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council has created in this space.
NWMAC Showcase Specialist Trey Everett shared, “I first encountered Jill’s artwork at the Tettegouche State Park as our family was on vacation along the North Shore. I was immediately taken by her pen and ink skills. Jill is a versatile and accomplished artist flowing with creativity and inspiration. Her new exhibit at the Fournet Building in Crookston will pull you into another world of wonder and hope.”
Artist Jill Levene explained, “Gainfully retired from commercial graphic design, I now enjoy the freedom to integrate my world travels with natural history and the environment to create my “Inklings”— pen and ink renderings of people, non-human animals, and natural settings. In 2011, I was introduced to New England’s remarkable Folly Cove Fabric Designers of the mid-20th Century. This discovery inspired me in a new direction—block carving and printing on fabric using originally-designed, hand-carved linoleum blocks based on my Inklings. Added to this is my interest in repurposing various types of fiber-based food packaging, such as tea and gum wrappers, by incorporating fragments of these colorful containers onto the Inklings foundation. The combination of Inklings, block printing on fabric, and kitchen-based art led me to my current focus on functional art — hand-printed usable cloth pieces including dishtowels, bandanas, infant swaddles, aprons, and garden flags — anything fabric — with the goal of creating art that is both functional and perpetual, as well as beautiful and one-of-a-kind for the culinarian and collector alike: ‘Hand-printed. One at a time, every time.’”
You won't want to miss this interesting exhibit open through July at the Fournet Building Downtown Crookston. Parking and admission is free. Some pieces are for sale. Take the stairs or elevator to the second floor where the gallery is located in the atrium. Open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
Details about an artist reception will be announced soon. Watch our website and social media pages for details about the time and date.
Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/XB96nngkHhUor find it on our website under the exhibits tab at the top of the homepage.
If you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 280-4917 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com. Please sign up for our e-newsletter on our website home page to see the latest news and grant announcements. Email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886 to reach our office during regular business hours.
Heritage Through Image Photography Exhibit at Thief River’s Carnegie Library
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Announces
Heritage Through Image
a photography exhibit
Open Through July 10 at the
Carnegie Library, 102 Main Ave N, Thief River Falls
This exhibit will be a stop on TRF’s Art & Wine Walk on July 10
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce Heritage Through Image, a photography exhibit open into July. This exhibit includes 22 images that depict traditional practices, customs, and folklore that serves a visual representation of regional heritage.
This exhibit was first shown at the Sorenson Gallery in Fosston last year and was sponsored by the East Polk Heritage Center. The show features individuals that depict the heritage, art, culture, and talents of our region. Photographer Monika Lawrence, formerly of Bemidji now living in Germany, was commissioned to capture the images that reflect traditional practices, customs, and folklore to serve as a visual representation of the heritage of East Polk County.
Come and see images and information featuring folk arts such as Hardanger embroidery, Scandinavian desserts and pastries, rosemaling, historical storytelling including stories from Indigenous communities, woodworking, experimental archaeology and textiles, blacksmithing, tractor and vintage car restorations, and more. There’s something for everyone!
Lawrence moved to the United States in 2007 and lived in Bemidji until 2023 where she taught photography and photojournalism at Bemidji State University. She was also a freelance photographer for Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) News. She and her husband have now returned to Germany after their retirement. She explained, “In my photography, I focus on people in their environment as well as people’s impact on the environment. I want to tell stories that indicate our bonds to the past but that may also let us reflect about today and the time beyond tomorrow. I am also passionate about dance, which is about other, creatively imagined environments. Capturing briefly appearing moments before they are gone is what I am seeking.”
She interviewed and photographed the subjects who are featured in this exhibit. They include Stephenie Anderson, John Balstad, Dustin Carlson, Caleb Curfman, Amy Mulry, Al and Vicky Olson, Jeffrey Olson, Earl Steinbrenner, Lynn Sundrud, Rosalyn (Roz) Watnemo, and Carol Wold.
You won't want to miss this interesting exhibit open through July 10 at the Carnegie Library in Thief River Falls. Stop by on July 10 from 4 to 8 PM during Thief River Falls’s Art & Wine Walk.
The Carnegie Library in Thief River Falls is at 102 Main Ave N. The exhibit is located on the second floor. Parking is available in the back of the building. It is open Mondays & Fridays from 10 AM - 2 PM and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 8-11 AM. It will also be open at other times when the Chamber of Commerce office is open. Contact the Chamber of Commerce to see about other possible open hours at trfchamber.com, 218-681-3720, or info@trfchamber.com.
For more information about this exhibit, visit our website at NWArtsCouncil.org, or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 280-4917 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com. Please sign up for our e-newsletter on our website home page to see the latest news and grant announcements. Email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886 to reach our office during regular business hours.