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4.22.26 Samantha Harrill
NW Artist of the Year Samantha Harrill spoke about her introduction to clay and pottery and how she continued and continues the practice. Originally from Red Lake Falls, Samantha is now a gifted ceramic artist who lives in Warroad. She studied Design and Art at Bemidji State University. She creates a variety of functional and decorative pottery pieces.
She shared, “A surprising fact about me is that I’m a bit of a metalhead. After 20-some years, it’s just part of my process — when I sit down at the wheel, that’s what I listen to. There’s a rhythm to both pottery and metal — it can feel intense and even a little chaotic, but also really grounding and almost hypnotic once you get into it.”
Samantha has a downtown studio in Warroad where she creates her pottery. She sells at occasional pop-ups, a local store, vendor shows, and on her website. You can find her at her FB page Northern Spruce Studio or her website www.northernsprucestudio.com.
Samantha is also the Executive Director of Warroad RiverPlace. In that position, she works tirelessly to affirm and bring the arts to northern Minnesota, while advocating for all art mediums, theater, art workshops for children and adults, music, and cultural and celebration events.
Harrill gave this advice to aspiring artists, “Be patient with yourself. It takes time to develop your skills and find your voice, and that’s not something you can rush. You think you need to have everything figured out, but you don’t. Don’t be afraid of mistakes — they’re honestly one of the most important parts of the process. Especially in pottery, things don’t always turn out how you expect, and that’s where a lot of the learning happens. I would also say to stay curious and open to trying new things. Just keep showing up and doing the work.”
Samantha will receive the Artist of the Year award on Saturday, April 25 at our NW Art Exhibit Awards Reception and Program at Warroad RiverPlace. This award can be given to any discipline artist including visual, performing, or creative writing who are emerging or at a mid-way point in their artistic endeavors. It is a cash award of $500. Funding for the Northwest Artist of the Year comes from The McKnight Foundation. Three awards are given each year to recognize artists and arts advocates within our seven-county region who stand out in terms of artistry or volunteerism in the arts. Of the Year Award winners were nominated by area residents.
Listen to Samantha and Phil’s conversation to learn more. Congrats, Samantha!
4.8.26 Alice Blessing
Alice Blessing was the juror of the NW Art Exhibit in Warroad this year.
Alice Blessing is a socially engaged artist based in Bemidji whose work is deeply informed by principles of intersectional feminism. Over the past two decades, Blessing's portraits have been exhibited in numerous galleries across the state, earning her multiple awards and grants. She is also an experienced educator, having taught at Bemidji State University for 13 years, as well as conducting painting workshops throughout Minnesota. Currently, Blessing serves as Gallery Director at Bemidji State University, where she teaches courses in Drawing, Painting, and Color Theory. She has a BFA in painting from Bemidji State.
As a juror she looks at each piece objectively, as well as the level of skill and experience. Part of the level of success is when a piece really hits you. Art is universal and can present any point of view. She spoke about fingerprinting and her own project on non-conformity. “Thirteen: Nonconformity” is a portrait series that explores intersectional feminism, gender, and the consequences of systemic oppression through finger-painted portraits of children aged 6-13 and includes 13 large portraits.
About the exhibit she shared, “Walking through this exhibit, I felt a genuine connection to the care, creativity, and individuality present in each piece. Here we have a beautiful balance between technical skill and imagination, where our participants’ unique approaches show us the limitlessness of art. I was especially moved by the range of expression; all of these pieces are full of curiosity and exploration. This collection highlights both seasoned expertise and emerging talent and offers a hopeful glimpse into the future of art. Thank you so much for inviting me to play a small part in this wonderful exhibition.”
12.17.25 Brenda Yanok
Brenda Yanok is the community manager of Folk School Warroad. The school opened in 2019 with about 20 events the first year and has grown since. They rely on grant funding from the NWMAC. Their mission is to provide learning experiences in art, culture, local history, traditional crafts and exploration and enjoyment of local natural resources. She provided a background of the history of the school, the concept of folk schools, and what they offer.
What is a folk school? A folk school is a series of classes and programs that bring people together to make things, make music, make stories and learn together. In most folk schools, individual expression and social interaction are developed and supported through classes in music, crafts, nature studies, gardening, cooking, dance, and other expressions of the local culture.
In addition to leading the organization, Brenda teaches quilting and enjoys other art practices including drawing and painting. She spoke about the community aspect of the school and the unexpected connections the attendees make. This year the non-profit has had over 650 attendees, 52 classes, and 29 different instructors. Popular classes include making Ojibwe style snowshoes, fiber arts (weaving and spinning), wood carving, and Native arts classes including beadwork and ribbon skirts. They’ve also offered wine making, journaling, baking, and basket weaving. The school works closely with the historical society and the DNR in their program offerings and utilizes other venues like the local brewery and culture center. They purchased rigid heddle looms that will allow them to offer more weaving opportunities. Their vision for next year includes further developing fiber arts and native arts courses, and offering relief and block printing and more Adirondack snowshoe chair sessions.
Find out more on their website: folkschoolwarroad.org or follow them on FB.
10.1.25 Shelley Grove
Shelley Grove is the director of the upcoming Warroad Summer Theatre's dinner theater play Girls Night Out. She's originally from Canada and is on the Warroad Summer Theatre Board, staff at the new Warroad RiverPlace, and is the one-act theater coach. Shelley spoke about the theater space (they also refer to it as a performance hall). The production has been 5 years in the making. Shelley explained that the show is like Clue and that there are 3 different endings. Purchase tickets and learn more at www.warroadsummertheatre.com. The show is Oct 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11. Listen for details and go see the show!
12.4.24 John Davis
Warroad RiverPlace Executive Director John Davis spoke with Phil McKenzie about his arts background and the new Warroad arts facility RiverPlace. The space is a multi-purpose facility with an arts classroom, gallery, theater, events center, video wall, exhibit space, and more. Visit warroadriverplace.org to see the schedule of events. Listen to hear all about it!