3.5.24 Jeanne O’Neil
Jeanne O’Neil in front of one of her prints and hold a Rag Folk at her exhibit at the NWMAC Gallery.
Musician and visual artist Jeanne O’Neil spoke about her music (she plays concertina and the banjo) and the new 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.
The newest prints in this show come from a series of sketches Jeanne made over the past summers on her land. This includes silkscreen, lithograph, mono prints, etchings, and linocuts. She explained that each print is the original print. There are approximately 25 prints in the exhibit.
Jeanne’s daughter Erin Jeanne O’Neil plays the fiddle and created the Twenty of Plenty tune book. This was an effort to get some of her tune compositions transcribed so that they could be introduced into wider circles of musicians. Erin received a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from the McKnight Foundation. 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. The band holds many community dances in our region and there are some coming up. Upcoming dances includie one in EGF on April 6 at 2 pm; April 20 in Duluth; May 4 in Fosston; and May 18 in Bemidji. The band will play at the Artist Reception on April 24.
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 live music by the O’Neil Family Band and refreshments.
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. Listen to learn more!
