Loreen Hanson is Artist of the Year
NWMAC Executive Director Mara Hanel with Artist of the Year Loreen Hanson
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council is pleased to announce that Loreen Hanson of Thief River Falls is the Northwest Minnesota Artist of the Year for Visual Arts. This award was presented on Sunday, April 27 at the University of Minnesota in Crookston.
With over 76 years of experience, Loreen has worked in numerous mediums, but she prefers to paint with watercolors. Her artwork ranges from images of wildlife, flora, and fauna, still life arrangements, portraits, and paintings of people doing everyday activities -- all of which celebrate life. She has skillfully captured the beauty of the world around her and has demonstrated her exceptional talent and dedication to the arts through her contributions to the art community.
Paintings by Loreen Hanson displayed at the NW Art Exhibit Reception and Program
Throughout the years, Hanson has painted murals on the sides of buildings in area small towns, participated in more than 30 art exhibits, painted a landscape in a window well at a nursing home, and painted theater backgrounds. She has been an active member of Artists Unlimited for over 40 years. Although she has not had any formal training, she has always been eager to learn and has sought to improve her work by attending several workshops, skill exchanges with other painters, and pored over books by professional artists. Her dedication to learning and honing her craft has shown through her works of art. Last fall Loreen had an impressive one-woman art show featuring 186 watercolor paintings in Thief River Falls.
Thief River Falls Artist Keith Wheeler said, “Loreen is gifted with a distinct style. For an artist this is a great gift. I just love that not only does her body of work span the decades, but it continues to grow as the years pass.”
Fellow Artists Unlimited Member Margaret Anderson of Lancaster praised Loreen’s contributions to the fine arts throughout the upper Midwest. She shared that Loreen has been a “mentor and teacher to many beginning artists and young people.”
Along with her artistic talents, Loreen also remains passionate about promoting the arts and has encouraged young and old alike to participate in it. Hanson gave this advice for aspiring artists, “If you can draw, you can paint. Choose your favorite medium and go for it.”
On the impact of the arts on society, Hanson shared “Art enriches our lives. Not just the artist’s life, but everyone’s. People appreciate art.”
Our Artist of the Year award can be given to any discipline artist including visual, performing, or creative writing who are emerging or at a mid-way point in their artistic endeavors. It is a cash award of $500. Funding for the Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents.
Congratulations, Loreen Hanson!
