Arts Events - Regional & Statewide
See below for arts events in our region or state. If you are hosting an arts event that you’d like to share, please reach out to our Promotions Specialist Kristin and let her know.
Contracts for Artists
Zoom Meeting
November 7
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
VIRTUAL, WORKSHOP
An attorney from Springboard’s Minnesota Lawyers for the Arts (MnLA) program will cover how to read and understand the most common types of contracts for artists and creatives, including commissions, sales, work for hire, exhibition agreements, licensing, performances, and collaborations. This workshop is presented in partnership with Hennepin County Library.
TRFACT presents An Evening of Short Comedies
November 19–21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Thief River Falls Eagles Club
Get your tickets now: https://tinyurl.com/TRFACTEOSC
Join TRFACT for an evening packed with short plays, big laughs, unexpected situations, and plenty of local theater talent. Get ready for a fast-moving evening of comedy as local actors bring 10 short comedic pieces to life on stage. From everyday frustrations to unexpected situations and delightfully absurd characters, each piece offers something a little different. With quick scenes, surprising turns, and plenty of personality, An Evening of Short Comedies is a night of local talent, live theater, and ten little stories that don’t take all night to tell.
Local Thief River Falls native playwright Allison Page is featured in this year’s lineup! Several of the pieces they’ll be performing were written by Allison, including one that will make its world premiere on our stage. They’re thrilled to showcase her work and give audiences the chance to experience something brand new!
They’re also launching Theater Solo on opening night, November 19. This new initiative is designed for people who would like to enjoy live theater but may not have someone to attend with. For $20, participants receive a ticket to the performance, a drink of their choice, reserved seating, and a social hour to meet fellow theater lovers. It’s a fun way to enjoy a night out and connect with others in our community.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐨 is a special night designed to make it easy to come to the theater, meet people, and enjoy the show. Come for the connection. Stay for the comedy.
🥂 One drink included
🤝 Pre-show social gathering at 6 PM
🎟️ Reserved seating with the Theater Solo group
Get your tickets and learn more:
An Evening of Short Comedies tickets: https://tinyurl.com/TRFACTEOSC
Theater Solo, November 19: https://tinyurl.com/TheaterSolo
North Country Fiddle and Dance
Community Folk Dance
Saturday, November 14 from 3:00 to 5:30 PM
with Sugar on the Roof from Duluth/Hibbing
Bernies Restaurant, 121 DeMers Ave, East Grand Forks
Reels, squares, circle mixers, contras and more...
All are welcome, all ages; families, couples, singles
Donations at the door
Find them online at <northcountrydance.org>
Artist Reception
Friday, November 13 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Self-Taught Artists, Self-Told Stories
A folk art exhibit
Everyone is Welcome!
Live Music by the O’Neil Family
NWMAC Gallery
Northland Community and Technical College
1101 State Highway 1, Thief River Falls
An Artist Reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, November 13 from 5:00 to 6:30 PM for this folk art exhibit. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend this FREE event. Refreshments will be served and live music by the O’Neil Family. There is a basketball game that evening at the college.
Self-Taught Artists, Self-Told Stories: a folk art exhibit is open at our gallery at Northland Community and Technical College, 1101 Highway 1 East in Thief River Falls through November 19. This exhibit includes 110 pieces of folk art, including indigenous beading, acrylic, oil, wood carving, pottery, duck decoys of wood and cork, pen and ink, fiber art, weaving, metal work, lino cut, felted wool, wool and sheep leather, recipes, and music. Some of the indigenous pieces include dentalium shells, white buckskin leather, nylon thread, sweetgrass, mop floral, shell beads, green gems, birchbark, porcupine quills, nylon, brass, and acrylic paint. Twenty-seven artists, most from NW Minnesota with a few submissions from the Missouri Ozarks, contributed to this show. Some pieces of art are available for sale, including Christmas ornaments. One wall is dedicated to Middle River musician and radio host Cathy Erickson and her music career.
What is folk art? Folk art reflects culture, history, and daily life. It embodies the history, heritage, traditions, or identity of a community, region, or country. Pieces are typically created by self-trained artists for everyday use or community performance. They can be utilitarian and/or decorative. Folk art is created with skills and traditional designs that are passed down orally and practically. Examples include duck decoy wood carving, bead work on Native American clothing or jewelry, painting such as rosemaling, music such as mariachi and polka, storytelling of community lore, and Fraktur calligraphy writing.
Roseau Fiber Artist Aliza Novacek-Olson explained, “Folk art is a way of connecting to the past on a deeper level. It helps us understand not only the purpose behind an object, but also the social and cultural practices of the people who made and used it. When I create, I am not simply preserving traditional techniques. I am experiencing, in a small way, a way of life that is no longer part of our everyday world. Working with my hands allows me to slow down and consider how people once created what they needed, using the materials and knowledge available to them. In that process, the past feels a little closer. I submitted these fiber art pieces to highlight the importance of folk art. Through their handmade textures and traditional textile techniques, they evoke the clothing and household goods that might have been created by hand in a log cabin two hundred years ago. I hope they encourage visitors to experience the gallery and connect with this history firsthand.”
Fosston Artist Steph Anderson shared, “I have been knitting ever since my grandmothers taught me to knit more than 50 years ago. More recently I have been deep diving into Norwegian knitting as well as many other Scandinavian handcrafts.” Steph contributed other items for the exhibit including a red and white embroidered pocket. She explained, “Made from a damask napkin, red hand dyed wool yarn, and red bias tape. Before women had pockets sewn into their clothes, they wore their pockets tied or clipped onto their waist. The pockets were sometimes worn above their skirts and sometimes they were worn below their skirts - with a slit in the skirt to access the pocket. These pockets allowed women to decorate their pockets in their individual style. My pocket has a heart in the middle of a red snowflake with vines to coordinate.”
About her quilt in the exhibit, Betsy Saurdiff of Grygla said, “This crazy quilt incorporates fabric scraps, including material from my mother's wedding dress and my grandmother's fanciest Sunday dress. I studied and used many embroidery stitches, fascinated by the different techniques. The tactile feeling of the velours, silks and brocades, combined with the embroidery stitches is inviting to touch and see.”
Lillian Kuznia is a self-taught artist with no formal training. Her son Chris shared, “Painting, in particular, became a source of comfort and a way for her to capture the life around her. As a wife and homemaker raising a family on a farmstead, much of her work was inspired by things she could see and experience firsthand—the landscapes, buildings, animals, seasons, and everyday scenes of rural life. Other paintings came from memory rather than something directly in front of her. She would look back on places and moments that were important to her and recreate them through her art. Her painting of her childhood home is a good example of that—something painted later in life from her memories of growing up there. While she has no formal training, her artwork really reflects a lifetime of observation, memory, rural life, and teaching herself how to put those experiences onto canvas.”
Take a virtual walk through of this exhibit at https://youtu.be/faUB5l8dGLE (on the NWMAC YouTube page). The video is also available on our website under the exhibits tab on the top of the homepage.
The NWMAC Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls is at 1101 State Highway 1, Thief River Falls 56701. The gallery is open during Monday-Friday from 8 – 4:30 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. There is no cost to visit the exhibit.
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. Please sign up for our e-newsletter on our website home page to see the latest news and grant announcements. Email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com or call 218-745-8886, ext 1 to reach our office during regular business hours.
Artist Reception for
Fresh Voices – Celebrating 30 Years of Photography in Crookston
an exhibit featuring photographs by
Crookston Latino Community Members
October 17 at 6:30 – 8:00PM
at the
Historic Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway
Downtown Crookston
2nd Floor in the Atrium
Exhibit is Open Through December
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend an Artist Reception for Fresh Voices – Celebrating 30 Years of Photography in Crookston an exhibit featuring photographs by Crookston Latino community members at the Historic Fournet Building downtown Crookston. This exhibit includes 16 pieces of art by 14 artists. All are photography and digital work, including portraits, self-portraits, and family portraits.
The Artist Reception will be held at the Fournet on October 17 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This event is free and will include light snacks. Shane Mendez of Crookston will be signing and selling his book A Tale of a Tadpole: Trying to Prove You’re Not Broken is Not the Same as Becoming Whole.
About Shane Mendez. Shane Mendez is a former Navy sailor and police officer who rebuilt his life after years of trauma, addiction, and collapse. Now an assistant professor and writer in Crookston, Minnesota, he writes about trauma, survival, and the long path to becoming whole. His memoir follows a climb that does not look heroic or polished. It moves in small, honest steps, each one pushing him closer to the truth he spent years trying to outrun. A Tale of a Tadpole is carved from raw experience and lived consequences. It tells the truth most stories avoid, that healing is messy, uneven, and rarely a straight line. If you have ever carried darkness of your own, you will find pieces of yourself in these pages.
About the exhibit, In Progress Director Kristine Sorenson said, “Having this exhibit at the Fournet provides an opportunity to see Crookston through the lives and experiences of its Latino community. These photographs and stories remind us that Latino families have been part of this community for generations — working, raising families, serving others, and helping shape the place we call home. It is important that these stories are seen, remembered, and recognized as part of Crookston’s history.”
You won't want to miss this event. The exhibit is open through December 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/BqgRLunumAo or find it on our website under the exhibits tab at the top of the homepage.
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. Call 218-745-8886, ext 1 to reach our office during regular business hours.
Introduction to Artisan Publishing
Two-Week Course // Led by Brendan Stermer
Thurs, Oct 15 & 22 @ 6:30 PM at the Campbell Library in East Grand Forks.
Led by poet and bookmaker Brendan Stermer, this two-week course offers an introduction to the rich history of small press publishing in western Minnesota and a hands-on opportunity to participate in the bookmaking process.
Session 1: History of Publishing in MN
Learn about the history of small press publishing in our region and interact with a variety of handmade books—dating back to the small press boom of the 1970s — produced by western Minnesota artists and publishers.
Session 2: Hands-On Bookmaking
Learn a few basic bookmaking techniques while assisting with the assembly of a new, limited-edition collection by local poet Casey Fuller. All participants will receive a free signed copy.
This event is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from The McKnight Foundation.
Please join NWMAC Staff Kristin Eggerling and Trey Everett in a conversation with Textile Artists Cathy Forgit of Fertile and Aliza Novacek-Olson of Roseau on October 28 at 11 AM. Both artists have work in our current folk art exhibit Self-Taught Artists, Self-Told Stories at the NWMAC Gallery. We’ll talk about folk art, fiber art, art practices, inspiration, techniques, and much more! The discussion will be live on our YouTube and FB pages. Afterwards, you can watch it on our website (A link will be added).
Join NWMAC Staff Kristin Eggerling and Trey Everett in a conversation with Ojibwe Artist Candace Sam of Crookston on October 22. You can watch the discussion at https://www.youtube.com/live/U_MScjfhK1I?si=WRXa9IqvFSP0G7et. Candace has beadwork in our current folk art exhibit Self-Taught Artists, Self-Told Stories at the NWMAC Gallery. In addition to her bead work (included beaded outfits) and jewelry, Candace is a painter. The conversation included Candace’s art, her art practices, inspiration, techniques, her family, and much more! The discussion was live on our YouTube and FB pages.
Verse Junction:
Prairie Sea Flotilla and the The Poetry Bus poetry reading
Thursday, October 8 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
You are invited to Verse Junction, an evening of poetry and music at the EGF Campbell Library. Verse Junction will feature readings by members of two Upper Midwest poetry collectives: The Poetry Bus (Twin Cities/Central MN) and Prairie Sea Flotilla (Grand Forks/East Grand Forks). The event will also feature a musical interlude by Grand Forks cellist Naomi Welsh.
The Poetry Bus is a group of four poets from the Twin Cities and central Minnesota. Poetry is their vehicle for communicating the sorrow and the sweet of ordinary lives. Since 2024, they have traveled to communities across the state offering free public readings in formal and informal places. Traveling on the bus to EGF will be Sara Dovre Wudali, Athena Kildegaard and Michael Kleber-Diggs.
Prairie Sea Flotilla is a local editorial collective and micropress. They created limited-run handmade books using a combination of digital and letterpress printing technologies. Floating over to the library will be Casey Fuller, Matt Bruflodt, Shilo Previti, Grant McMillan, and Brendan Stermer.
Light refreshments will be served, and books will be available for sale.
Sara Dovre Wudali is a fiscal year 2026 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
In Progress 30th Anniversary Screening
Sunday, October 18 / 11AM
Grand Theatre
Crookston
The program will bring together stories created across generations and communities, including locally produced works such as The Harvest and Cries of the Children, alongside short films by professional filmmakers from the Twin Cities.
Following the screening, everyone is invited to gather for a community feast at Studio 110.
Date:
Sunday October 18 at 11AM
Location:
Grand Theatre
For more information, email info@in-progress.org or call Rena Bouchard Zapata (218)-277-8774.