Spirituality invites us to create art. Art invites us into spirituality.

 Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls through September 29, 2023

Artist Reception Sept 27 from 6 to 8 PM

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Art & Spirituality, featuring the art of Sister Denise Schonhardt. This exhibit also includes artwork by Trey Everett, Gail Ose, Elizabeth Wavra, Betsy Saurdiff, and Noah Hanson and is open through September 29 at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

Sister Denise Schonhardt of Crookston is an accomplished painter who “grew up among the hills, lakes, and trees,” which is evident in her art. She explained that her “paintings are about how colors interact, how they push and pull, how they change each other, and how they convey emotion.”

Watch the Artist Spotlight with Sister Denise here. She speaks about how spirituality influences her art and so much more!

The 35 pieces in this exhibit include oil and acrylic paintings, ceramic art, and pen and ink and depict the nuances and breadth of spirituality. Showcase Specialist Trey Everett explained, “I am very happy with our newest exhibit "Art and Spirituality." It is difficult to convey in words and sentences what spirituality is to us let alone our personal spiritual experiences. However, art, in any form, can express the transcendent. The artwork in this exhibit is highly varied and a very intimate expression of what spirituality is to each artist. Sister Denise's hypnotic and prophetic artwork gave the whole gallery a surreal orange-red tint when it was installed. The religious philosopher Rudolf Otto coined the word Numinous from the Latin word numen which means a "divine majesty" or "presiding spirit." He believed "that the essence of holiness was to invoke in the observer a feeling of awe, wonder, and even dread." He called this the "Numinous." I hope when people interact with this exhibit, they experience the numinous, a sense of peace and awe as well as a sense of unease and challenge.”

Gail Ose of Thief River Falls explained, “The canvas is a sacred meeting place for me between the seen and unseen realms.” Elizabeth Wavra disclosed, “My art is the fruits of my prayers and my contemplation of God, and my attempt to share those experiences with others.” Multilayered with meaning, Trey Everett’s works are symbolic images of stations of the cross. “These images of the stations of the cross are designed to be a meditation on themselves.” Finally, Noah Hanson’s pieces depict scenes from Dante’s Inferno and are a part of a series of 68 paintings. He shared, I wanted to connect with the text on a couple different levels. The Divine Comedy is a poem about witnessing. Dante in the story, and by extension the reader, is invited to come and see, and in seeing to make heaven and hell manifest. I wanted to bear witness and to understand the role of a witness, as such is a large part of the artists role. I also tried to put myself in the role of the poem's sinners, creating a purposefully laborious and repetitive project to give myself a taste of that kind of hell.”

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/t_nCcw8vrPg

An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on September 27 from 6 to 8 PM. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event.

The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30-5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. During the summer, the college may be closed on Friday afternoons so please confirm before making a special trip. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

For more information about this exhibit visit or for other information look to our website at www.NWArtsCouncil.org, or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 745-8886 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.