Arts News

Artwork by Jessica Lundeen featured in NCTC display case
News, Exhibits Kristin Eggerling News, Exhibits Kristin Eggerling

Artwork by Jessica Lundeen featured in NCTC display case

Just outside the NWMAC Gallery at NCTC in Thief River Falls are display cases that feature work by area artists.. Check out the display case with work by visual artist Jessica Lundeen. Pieces in the display case are colored pencil drawings of cats, dogs, a chicken, and a horse. Jessica creates pet portraits on commission.

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Immersed in Color Inspired by Culture Exhibit Opens at NWMAC Gallery
Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, News Kristin Eggerling Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, News Kristin Eggerling

Immersed in Color Inspired by Culture Exhibit Opens at NWMAC Gallery

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Announces

Immersed in Color Inspired by Culture

Open Through Monday, November 25

Featuring the Artwork of Shawna Boulette Grapentine

With Joan Kauppi, Therese Masters Jacobson, and Candace Sam

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls

Artist Reception Thurs, Nov 21 from 5:30 -7:30 PM

 The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Immersed in Color Inspired by Culture an exhibit open through November 25. This colorful exhibit includes 29 pieces of art created by four artists in acrylic, watercolor, beading, collage, and an award-winning hockey stick design.

NWMAC Showcase Specialist Trey Everett explained, "Our latest exhibit features three Native American Minnesota artists and one non-Native artist. It's a fantastic display of multifaceted creativity. Acrylic, watercolor, beading, mixed media, and college are all part of this unique exhibit." 

You won't want to miss this incredible exhibit open through November at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. Sn artist reception will be held on Thursday, November 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome to attend this free event.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Artist Shawna Boulette Grapentine is a Cree-Ojibway from the Metis community of Manigotagan and is a member of the Hollow Water First Nation. She is known for using silhouettes of nature and vibrant colors in her custom paintings. Shawna’s artwork highlights the beauty of the indigenous culture, her love for mother earth and everything that surrounds her. She is the featured artist in this exhibit.

Candace Sam is from Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and White Fish Bay First Nations, Ontario. Her mixed media piece in the exhibit is a replica of a drum and is untitled. 

Therese Masters Jacobson of Alvarado has four watercolor and two acrylic portraits. Therese said, "My paintings and drawings are usually water-based acrylics, watercolor, or pen and ink. I paint commissions on request."

Joan Kauppi is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation and is an Anishinaabe businesswoman. She explained that her collage pieces in the exhibit are esemplastic -- having the ability to shape diverse elements or concepts into a unified whole. “The pieces I create are simple, often pairing opposing scale, different eras, backgrounds and focal points. The transformation of merging images changes the story through simplicity.”

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at youtu.be/UxaVpsctorQ.

The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8 - 5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. Please call to make sure the college is open before making a special trip. Hours can change. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free. 

For more information about this exhibit 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.

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Portrait Gallery Exhibit is Open Through September
Art Exhibits, Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, News Kristin Eggerling Art Exhibits, Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, News Kristin Eggerling

Portrait Gallery Exhibit is Open Through September

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Announces

The Portrait Gallery

Open Until September 30

Featuring the Artwork of Pamela Edevold, Heidi Danos,

Therese Masters Jacobson, and Jessica Ross

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls through September 2024

Artist Reception Sept 18 from 5 to 7 PM with a special presentation by Pamela Edevold at 5:30 PM

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of The Portrait Gallery open through September 30. This gallery exhibits 33 portraits in acrylic, watercolor, digital, and colored pencils created by four area artists. Ten of the portraits are of Native American Dancers and 13 are of dogs, cats, chickens and a horse.

You won't want to miss this incredible exhibit open through September at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. Many of the portraits are for sale.

Pamela Edevold is a realist artist specializing in portraiture and figurative painting. In this exhibit she is showcasing ten acrylic paintings featuring local Anishinaabe dancers of all ages, accompanied by their narratives of the cultural and personal meaning of their regalia. Each dancer's narrative consists of information they provided to the artist, and Pamela purposely refrained from undertaking any personal research so she wouldn't be tempted to add or subtract from what was given. All the dancers were extremely generous with sharing their images and information. Photo sessions with the dancers took place during powwows held at the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shing School and the July Onigum Powwow, and one model traveled from Naytahwaush to Bagley to be interviewed and photographed. Pamela is originally from Grafton, North Dakota and lives in Bagley now. Learn more by attending her presentation during the Artist Reception at 5:30 PM on September 18.

Fosston artist Heidi Danos has four digital portraits in this exhibit. She explained, "Creating helps me shut out the noise, and sometimes even capture it. I enjoy exploring different mediums and don’t foresee myself getting boxed into a single style anytime soon, if ever.”

Therese Masters Jacobson of Alvarado has four watercolor and two acrylic portraits. Therese said, "Since relocating to northern Minnesota at fifty, I’ve continued to enjoy life as a painter, art teacher, and living an artful life in my seventies. I’ve exhibited in both group and solo exhibits in Bemidji, Fosston, Moorhead, Grand Forks, Grand Rapids, Thief River Falls, East Grand Forks, and Crookston. My paintings and drawings are usually water-based acrylics, watercolor, or pen and ink. I paint commissions on request."

Jessica Ross of Thief River Falls has 13 animal portraits in this exhibit. Jessica shared, "My companion portraits take colored pencils to a different level using both fixed and malleable qualities, with loose under tones and detailed markings. Each portrait is unique and being able to commemorate these important family members gives me a sense of pride. I believe our lives are forever changed by their presence."

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at youtu.be/sscycjJdSII.

An Artist Reception will be held at the gallery from 5 to 7PM on Wednesday, September 18. Drinks and snacks will be available and there is no cost to attend.

The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8 - 5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. Please call to make sure the college is open before making a special trip. Summer hours can change. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

For more information about this exhibit 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) 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.

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NWMAC Exhibit: Awareness: within and without featuring artists Cindy Kolling and Gail Ose
Art Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, Events Kristin Eggerling Art Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, Events Kristin Eggerling

NWMAC Exhibit: Awareness: within and without featuring artists Cindy Kolling and Gail Ose

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Announces

Awareness: within and without

May 30 – July 31

Featuring Artwork by Cindy Kolling and Gail Ose

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls through July 2024

Artist Reception Wednesday, July 10 from 6 – 8 PM

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Awareness: within and without. This exhibit features 54 pieces of artwork by Gully Visual Artist Cindy Kolling and Thief River Falls Visual Artist Gail Ose and is open through July at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

Showcase Specialist Trey Everett shared, “Cindy Kolling is a master at capturing the life cycle of plants through her pen and ink and silkscreen artistry. Gail Ose's visionary and highly symbolic work is a fascinating process as well as mesmerizing to gaze into. This exhibit is a complementary combination of two distinct styles which give careful attention to the form and the formless, what is without and what is within."

Cindy Kolling’s work includes two sets of 12 silkscreen prints of the life cycle of native plants white sage and blazing star plus other work. These are different handprints of one plant in a continuing series originating from pen & ink drawings of Cindy’s that reference her field sketches, artist’s photos, and observation experiences.

No two handprints are alike and there are no more. These original prints may be released as high quality digital reproductions later, as determined by the artist ,but the original handprint is unique and unable to be done the same again. Cindy explained, “I want to make new art that invites viewers to expand their participation in life by developing and sharing appreciation and to consider our local world with fresh insight.

Cindy continued, “I am not a medium purist and incorporate carefully researched information into the creation of my works, most of which are created in series. Much of what I do involves fine line technical pen drawing. My drawings almost always begin with some kind of in-field observations and sketches; and very often reference my photographs. The drawings are not meant to be technical or even very realistic renderings but do have interpretive accuracy to start with and evolve from there. Many of my drawings are taken further into hand printed pieces. I often work on carefully selected recycled fiber paper with quiet colors of hand-screened inks. My frames are repurposed “thrift store finds”, or custom-made by an area woodworker from reclaimed wood. I like mixing the old and new concepts to create something fresh. It is the result of experimenting with what one has; what one knows, and where one wants to go. The process is a work in progress.

Gail Ose is a visionary artist and founder of Serendipity Art Hub based in Thief River Falls, where she lives on a farm with her husband, LeRoy, and their two Great Pyrenees dogs Carly and Thor. In her studio classroom and workshops, Gail offers painting classes taught from the perspective of Heart, Soul, and Spirit while nurturing authentic, creative expressions regardless of talent or experience. Gail weaves her passion for creativity and spiritual connection into her painting practice and throughout her life and leads others into uncharted areas of their creativity, both inward and outward, to live and create more authentically.

She explained, “I am honored to be paired with Cindy Kolling as one of the showcase artists in this exhibit and very grateful to the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council for supporting me and working with me in my endeavor to bring this dream of mine into the light as an emerging artist. It is my sincere hope that my paintings touch and inspire something inside visitors as they explore their unique images. Each of my portal paintings are sacred acts of allowing myself to be a vehicle for sharing an energetic message and each is infused with symbolic meaning designed to carry a specific energy of intention cohesive to its message. Each of my portal paintings are exercises in communing with spirit to bring forth the unseen realm and bridge it with the visible in the form of a painting. My portal paintings usually have a lot of symbology that usually invites the onlooker into wonderment and curiosity. They usually provoke introspection.

Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at youtu.be/Rcys2dLpwlg

An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on Wednesday, July 10 from 6 – 8 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. Many pieces of art in this exhibit are for sale. You are welcome to purchase at any time and pick up when the exhibit ends.

The NWMAC Gallery is located at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. The gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 8 -5 PM and at other times when events are held at the college. Please check to make sure the college is open before making a special trip to see the exhibit. Summer hours can change. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

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.

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Artwork by Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil featured in NCTC display case
News, Exhibits Kristin Eggerling News, Exhibits Kristin Eggerling

Artwork by Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil featured in NCTC display case

Just outside the NWMAC Gallery at NCTC in Thief River Falls are display cases that feature work by area artists. Check out the display case with work by visual artists and folk musicians Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil. Pieces in the display case include Erin's recently completed book, Twenty of Plenty, in which twenty of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed, prints from a series of sketches made over the past summers on Jeanne’s land, and Rag Folk pieces created by Erin.

You may know of Jeanne and Erin through their work playing in the O’Neil Family Band. Erin plays the fiddle and feet, while Jeanne plays the banjo and concertina. The band holds many community dances in our region.

The two recently had an exhibit in our gallery. To virtually walk through that exhibit, watch this video featuring Erin’s music at https://youtu.be/8lZbCEPmtik.

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Artist Spotlight with Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil on March 28
Artist Spotlight, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling Artist Spotlight, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling

Artist Spotlight with Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil on March 28

Watch our Artist Spotlight with Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil here. This was live on Thursday, March 28 at 10:30 AM on our Facebook and YouTube pages.

NWMAC Staff Trey Everett and Kristin Eggerling spoke with Artists Jeanne O'Neil and Erin O'Neil. They talked about their music and the current exhibit Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Erin Jeanne O’Neil at the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery at NCTC in Thief River Falls through April 2024. They even played some tunes for the broadcast. Again, watch the recording here.

Jeanne O’Neil explained, “The focus of this show is the celebration of Erin's recently completed book, Twenty of Plenty, in which twenty of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed. We are both folk musicians and visual artists, and it is fitting to bring these forms of artistic expression together, as the tunes and art are both inspired by the rural landscapes we live in.”

The newest prints in this show come from a series of sketches made over the past summers on Jeanne’s land. “Walking the fields and pathways every day, year after year, the colors, contrasts, textures and lines of trees, grasses, sky, river are impressed in my mind, creating an accumulated knowledge of these places. The making of each print creates a deeper knowing and a stronger connection to that knowing.”

Jeanne’s daughter Erin O’Neil created the Twenty of Plenty tune book. This was an effort with a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council to get some of her tune compositions transcribed so that they could be introduced into wider circles of musicians. The descriptions and illustration throughout the book offer insight into the meaning of the compositions. The cultural influences for these tunes include French Canadian, Irish, Scandinavian, Scottish traditional fiddle music, New England Contra Dance music, Old Time Appalachian music, and Metis fiddle tunes.

Erin also has Rag Folk pieces in this exhibit. The Rag Folk represent preservation of what has been used in everyday life and creating new lives out of old scraps and rags. Erin started creating these pieces with a passion for recycling and reducing waste and a desire to connect with others.

Jeanne and Erin both play in the O’Neil Family Band. Erin plays the fiddle and feet, while Jeanne plays the banjo and concertina. The band holds many community dances in our region.

An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. The O'Neil Family Band will be performing and refreshments will be served. Many pieces of art in this exhibit are for sale. You are welcome to purchase at any time and pick up when the exhibit ends.Please join us for the conversation! Let us know if you have questions!

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Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil
NCTC Gallery, Exhibits, Art Exhibits Kristin Eggerling NCTC Gallery, Exhibits, Art Exhibits Kristin Eggerling

Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne O’Neil and Erin O’Neil

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Announces

Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints

Featuring Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Erin Jeanne O’Neil

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls through April 2024

Artist Reception Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM — The O’Neil Family Band will perform

The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) is pleased to announce the opening of Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk & Prairie Prints Featuring Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Erin Jeanne O’Neil. This exhibit is open through April at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

East Grand Forks Artist Jeanne O’Neil explained, “The focus of this show is the celebration of Erin's recently completed book, Twenty of Plenty, in which twenty of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed. We are both folk musicians and visual artists, and it is fitting to bring these forms of artistic expression together, as the tunes and art are both inspired by the rural landscapes we live in.”

The newest prints in this show come from a series of sketches made over the past summers on Jeanne’s land. “Walking the fields and pathways every day, year after year, the colors, contrasts, textures and lines of trees, grasses, sky, river are impressed in my mind, creating an accumulated knowledge of these places. The making of each print creates a deeper knowing and a stronger connection to that knowing.

Jeanne’s daughter Erin O’Neil learned to play the fiddle by the age of seven. Erin plays by ear and the Twenty of Plenty tune book project was an effort to get some of her tune compositions transcribed so that they could be introduced into wider circles of musicians who read music. With a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from the McKnight Foundation, she collaborated with a folk musician originally from Norway. The descriptions and illustration throughout the book offer insight into the meaning of the compositions. The cultural influences for these tunes include French Canadian, Irish, Scandinavian, Scottish traditional fiddle music, New England Contra Dance music, Old Time Appalachian music, and Metis fiddle tunes.

Erin also has Rag Folk pieces in this exhibit. The Rag Folk represent preservation of what has been used in everyday life and creating new lives out of old scraps and rags. The Rag Folk contain memories and essences of what has passed, and the joy of childhood carried forward and honored in adulthood. Erin started creating these pieces with a passion for recycling and reducing waste and a desire to connect with others.

Jeanne and Erin both play in the O’Neil Family Band. Erin plays the fiddle and feet, while Jeanne plays the banjo and concertina. The band holds many community dances in our region.

Watch this video featuring Erin’s music for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/8lZbCEPmtik.

An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on Wednesday, April 24 at 6 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. There will be refreshments and live music by the O’Neil Family Band.

Most of the pieces in the exhibit are for sale. You can purchase at any time and pick it when the exhibit is over.

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. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

For more information about this exhibit 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.

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Artist Spotlight with Andy Hall Monday, January 22 at 10 AM
Artist Spotlight, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling Artist Spotlight, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling

Artist Spotlight with Andy Hall Monday, January 22 at 10 AM

Watch our Artist Spotlight with Andy Hall. This was live on Monday, January 22 at 10 AM on our Facebook and YouTube pages. You can watch the discussion at this link https://streamyard.com/pjh6xzyyt6mj

NWMAC staff Trey and Kristin spoke with Andy Hall for an Artist Spotlight to highlight the Pulled in Many Directions Photography by Andy Hall Exhibit. We talked about what influences him artistically, his photography, his subject matter, the exhibit, his technique, photography tips, how to purchase his art, and much more. Pulled in Many Directions Photography by Andy Hall is open until February 26. Let us know if you have questions!

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Pulled in Many Directions Exhibit Photography by Andy Hall is Open
Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling Exhibits, NCTC Gallery, Events, 2024 Kristin Eggerling

Pulled in Many Directions Exhibit Photography by Andy Hall is Open

We are pleased to announce the opening of Pulled in Many Directions Photography by Andy Hall. This exhibit is open through February 26 at the NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

Take a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/81b-LEr1S8c

Andy Hall has been a full-time photographer for more than 23 years. He lives in Climax and owns Sweetlight Gallery in Crookston. According to Andy, his subject matter “varies tremendously and my techniques are ever evolving. What comes to life through my camera is all but invisible to me until I quiet my mind and allow my eyes to see the perfection in the obvious and the stunning beauty of the often overlooked. I revel in discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary!”

Of his technique and methods, Andy explained, “The photographs that you see here were created with digital cameras, a variety of lenses, a handful of filters and a tripod. I own camera gear from several different manufacturers. I print on archival photographic paper and canvas. I spray coat my canvases with a water-based UV protection that also makes them quite durable. I perform all aspects of my craft.”

There are 45 pieces in this exhibit that are either wrapped in canvas or framed canvas. All are for sale. In addition, Andy can tailor make any print to multiple sizes. All of the images in the exhibit are available in at least 5 other sizes and offered on canvas or metal, framed or unframed. He also offers paper prints that can be matted or framed to your own personal preference. Visit his website sweetlightphoto.com to view many other photographs. To make a purchase, contact Andy at 612-269-3601.

Showcase Specialist Trey Everett shared, “I have known Andy and seen him work over the years. He is all about quality. He spends hours upon hours finding the perfect shot, sometimes standing outside in subzero weather, keeping his camera and hands as warm as possible. His artwork is instantly captivating and mesmerizing. Andy is continually experimenting with subject matter, so his work is always evolving and expanding. This exhibit is a taste of the talent of Andy Hall.”

An artist reception at the gallery will be held at Northland Community and Technical College on Wednesday, January 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. There will be live music, drinks, and dessert.

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. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free.

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.

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Artist Spotlight with Stephanie Olson Saturday, November 4
2023, Artist Spotlight, Events Kristin Eggerling 2023, Artist Spotlight, Events Kristin Eggerling

Artist Spotlight with Stephanie Olson Saturday, November 4

Watch our Artist Spotlight with Stephanie Olson here or on our Facebook or YouTube pages. This was live on Saturday, November 4 at 11 AM.

NWMAC staff Trey and Kristin spoke with Stephanie Olson for an Artist Spotlight to highlight the Figures of Ghosts and Dreams Exhibit. We spoke with Stephanie about her what influences her artistically, her art, the exhibit, her writing background, and much more. Figures of Ghosts and Dreams: The Artwork of Stephanie Olson is open until November 29. Let us know if you have questions!

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Artist Reception for Figures of Ghosts and Dreams: The Artwork of Stephanie Olson Oct 18 6-8PM
Events Kristin Eggerling Events Kristin Eggerling

Artist Reception for Figures of Ghosts and Dreams: The Artwork of Stephanie Olson Oct 18 6-8PM

Figures of Ghosts and Dreams: The Artwork of Stephanie Olson Artist Reception Oct 18 from 6-8 PM

Exhibit is Open through Wednesday, November 29

Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery

NCTC in Thief River Falls

Please join us for an Artist Reception on Wednesday, October 18 from 6 to 8 PM at our gallery at Northland Community and Technical College. Everyone is welcome to join us for this free event. There will be live fiddle music and refreshments will be served. Stephanie will be live painting at the event.

Stephanie Olson lives with her husband and kids in rural Thief River Falls. She holds a Writing MFA degree from Hamline University and works as a public-school English teacher. But visual art always calls her back. Her visual work has appeared in a number of group shows, including past exhibits with the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, two This Week Only exhibits at the North Dakota Museum of Art, and a group show at the Vine Arts Center in Minneapolis.

Figures of Ghosts and Dreams includes 42 pieces of watercolor on paper, India ink on paper, and acrylic on wood, cork, and canvas. Stephanie explained, “This exhibit reflects the art that comes to me. When I sit down with an idea, with a plan, my art fails almost every time. But when I sit down with no intention, it's like a door is left open. In the beginning, my art was more abstract: lines, color, depth. Now, I have these figures. Sometimes they seem peaceful, as if visiting from a dream. Sometimes they remind me of loved ones who have passed on, like visiting ghosts. There are undeniable motifs that I can't escape: houses, snakes, dogs, cats, women. I must let it all come as it is, like the weather. I wouldn't say it's like the notion of a muse taking over, not at all. It's more like a house filling up with guests. I'm never sure how long they'll stay, but this is what I find when I manage to steal time to sit down and paint. It's always a surprise. Try it! You never know who might show up, who you might meet.”

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. Enter through Door B, which is right next to the gallery. Visitor parking is free. 

For more information about this exhibit 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.

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