Northwest Minnesota Exhibit and Of the Year Awards Reception and Program was April 25 in Warroad

NW Art Exhibit Reception 2026 in Warroad

On Saturday, April 25 the NW Minnesota Arts Council hosted an awards reception and program at Warroad RiverPlace. At 2:30 PM the public was invited to view the annual exhibit, mingle, listen to live music provided by the UND Trio, and enjoy light refreshments. An awards program began at 3:30 PM to present awards to the exhibit winners and Of the Year awardees.

Student and adult artists residing in a seven-county region including Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Pennington, Roseau and Red Lake had entered into the Northwest Minnesota Art Exhibit and were competing for $2,300 in cash awards. The winners were recognized at the program. It was a wonderful day celebrating these artists and the arts in northwest Minnesota.

NW Art Exhibit Reception in Warroad

Exhibit cash award winners were chosen while the exhibit was on display at Warroad RiverPlace by qualified juror Alice Blessing. Alice Blessing is a socially engaged artist based in Bemidji whose work is deeply informed by principles of intersectional feminism. Over the past two decades, Blessing's portraits have been exhibited in numerous galleries across the state, earning her multiple awards and grants. She is also an experienced educator, having taught at Bemidji State University for 13 years, as well as conducting painting workshops throughout Minnesota. Currently, Blessing serves as Gallery Director at Bemidji State University, where she teaches courses in Drawing, Painting, and Color Theory. She has a BFA in painting from Bemidji State.

Juror Alice Blessing after judging the NW Art Exhibit

She shared, “Walking through this exhibit, I felt a genuine connection to the care, creativity, and individuality present in each piece. Here we have a beautiful balance between technical skill and imagination, where our participants’ unique approaches show us the limitlessness of art. I was especially moved by the range of expression; all of these pieces are full of curiosity and exploration. This collection highlights both seasoned expertise and emerging talent and offers a hopeful glimpse into the future of art.Thank you so much for inviting me to play a small part in this wonderful exhibition.”

Find a virtual walk through of the exhibit under the Exhibits tab at the top of our website.

Holly Ellsworth-Crowther of Warroad with her 1st place original art

Exhibit Awards include:

Adults:

1st Place $500: Holly Ellsworth-Crowther of Warroad in painting with mixed media for “Forest’s Queen"

2nd Place $300: Betsy Saurdiff of Grygla in sculpture for "It’s a Keeper"

3rd Place $200: Jodi Peterson a teacher in Ada in fused glass for "Vintage Fish"

Merit $100: Bert Foster of Thief River Falls in photography for "Canyon Mermaid"

Merit $100: Cindy Kolling of Gully in drawing for "Through Morning Fog" 

Merit $100: Ross Hier of Crookston in watercolor painting for "Golden Silk Orb Spider & Chestnut-breasted Coronet" 

Merit $100: Janet Johnson of Roseau in mixed media for "Remnants"

Merit $100: Jessy Ingalls of Warroad in textile for "Woodland Wool Scarf"

People’s Choice: $100 Irene Bertils of Crookston

Potter Betsy Saurdiff with her 2nd place sculpture “It’s a Keeper”

Merit award winner Cindy Kolling with her original art

Students:

1st Place $300 Lillian Hansen of Halstad in ceramic sculpture for "Bon Jour Cat Teapot" 

2nd Place $150 Brianna Severts of Grygla in mixed media for “Jerry”

3rd Place $100 Kerstyn Lindsey of Ada in mosaic for "Giant Blue Morpho" 

Merit $50 Amber Danielson of Red Lake Falls in mixed media for "Friday from ARK" 

Merit $50 Aryanna Harrow of East Grand Forks in digital art for "Distinguished Toucan" 

Merit $50 Mahli Holter of Red Lake Falls in drawing for "Long Awaited Reunion" 

Merit $50 Sydney Schneider of Hendrum in sculpture for "Ow!" 

Merit $50 Melody Voeltz of Lancaster in painting for "Great Heron"

Merit $50 Renn Ginther of Roseau in sculpture for “Camouflage”

People’s Choice: $50 Renn Ginther of Roseau

Student Merit Award Winner Mahli Holter of Red Lake Falls on the stage with an image of her work on the screen

Of the Year Awardees: Artist of the Year Samantha Harrill, Arts Advocate of the Year Jane Anderson, and NW Star Award Winner Becky Rosenkrans

Of the Year Awards were presented to Samantha Harrill of Warroad for Artist of the Year for Visual Art, Jane Anderson of Thief River Falls for Arts Advocate of the Year for Performing Arts, and Becky Rosenkrans of Roseau received the Northwest Star Award.

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 provides a cash award of $500. Our Arts Advocate of the Year award is $500 and includes arts from all disciplines. The Northwest Star Award comes with $5,000. Artists can only receive our Northwest Star Award once as a lifetime achievement award.