Artist Reception for

Iron and Feathers: Art of the Northwest

 an exhibit featuring paintings by Ross Hier and Beau Bakken

Open Through August

at the

Historic Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway

Downtown Crookston

2nd Floor in the Atrium

Artist Reception Thursday, August 13 from 6 to 7:30 PM

Violin Music by Eden Johnson of Lake Bronson

Please join the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) for an artist reception for Iron and Feathers: Art of the Northwest an exhibit featuring paintings by Ross Hier and Beau Bakken at the Historic Fournet Building downtown Crookston. This exhibit includes  35 original pieces of art in watercolor on paper and acrylic on canvas, most of which are for sale.

The Artist Reception will be on Thursday, August 13 from 6 to 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served. Live music will be provided by Violinist Eden Johnson of Lake Bronson. Everyone is welcome to attend this FREE event. 

Artist Beau Bakken. Beau Bakken of Hallock has been professionally creating art by commission since 2008. Beau has been a consistent entrant into NWMAC’s exhibits and won 1st place in the annual NW Minnesota Art Exhibit in 2011, 2014, and 2022, and given a People’s Choice award in 2025. He won the Artist of the Year in 2016. Beau was the featured artist in the Around the Farm exhibit at our gallery in Thief River Falls. His work consists of large outdoor murals, outdoor business signs, indoor murals, and indoor wall hangings and paintings. About his 8 pieces of work in the  exhibit, Beau said, “My paintings in this exhibit are captures of the Red River Valley, painted with the hope that fellow citizens of the valley would find them relatable.”

Artist Ross Hier. Ross H. Hier attended the University of Minnesota earning a BS in Wildlife Management and had a 35-year career with the Section of Wildlife in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His time was spent researching mallards, ring-necked ducks, and the Lesser scaup, as well as managing wildlife management areas in Polk and Red Lake Counties. Nature has excited him for as long as he can remember and his creative need to express this love led him to watercolor painting. He shared, “Northwest Minnesota is such a diverse piece of geography … native grasslands, the Aspen Parklands and transition zone between prairie and forest landscapes interspersed with agricultural tracts. The ancient Lake Agassiz beach lines are quite profound on the east side of the Red River Valley and serve as linear maps for migrant birds where substantial grasslands and wetlands serve as stop-over areas for birds moving further north. The diversity of nature in northwest Minnesota is amazing. Nature has always been a force that triggers my creative thought process. I love painting with watercolors for their elusive nature and spontaneity.”

Ross continued, “It’s an honor to exhibit in the town I have long resided in and to share this exhibit with the outstanding artist, Beau Bakken. His work never ceases to amaze me. This exhibit presents the viewers with two different artists who use different painting mediums and rather different styles. I hope the exhibit brings viewers much joy and thankfulness as we celebrate the premier region of Minnesota through art. Thanks to the Northwest Arts Council and especially Exhibit Specialist Trey Everett.” Twenty-seven works in the exhibit were created by Ross.

You can find both Ross and Beau in our most recent Artists of NW Minnesota booklet.

Musician Eden Johnson lives in Lake Bronson with her husband and their three daughters. Depending on the day one might find Eden either accompanying her local Lutheran church, watching musicals with her family, reading, giving violin lessons, or practicing on one of her instruments. While her main focus and passion is the violin, Eden also sings, plays the piano, and is currently learning the harp. The violin Eden plays once belonged to her great grandmother. Eden recently completed the NWMAC Teaching Artist Training and is available for residencies and workshops.

You won't want to miss this exhibit open through August at the Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway, Downtown Crookston. Parking and admission is free. 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. 

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/emdN39orEZE  or find it on our website under the exhibits tab at the top of the homepage.

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.