The tables turned for our podcast this week. Pioneer 90.1 Radio Host Ron West, whose actual name is Rom Ogaard, was interviewed by Promotions Specialist Kristin Eggerling. Ogaard will be receiving the Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year Award on Sunday, April 21.

Ogaard has been a radio host at KSRQ 90.1 radio at Northland Community and Technical College and is retiring at the end of the month. As Ron West, he has partnered with the NWMAC to offer a weekly radio segment that promotes artists, the arts, and arts organizations. He also has segments that feature the Campbell Library in East Grand Forks, and the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks. These radio programs have brought news and information about the arts to our region and beyond and highlighted our regional artists.  

This award will be presented on Sunday, April 21 in Lake Bronson at the Kittson County History Museum. 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. Our Arts Advocate of the Year award is $500 and includes arts from all disciplines. Funding for this award comes from the Minnesota State Legislature.

Listen to the interview to hear about what Rom has learned about the arts and much more!

Grand Forks Artist Pat Danielson was the juror of our annual NW Art Exhibit this year in Lake Bronson. Pat viewed each piece several times and looked at it carefully. She said, “while technique is important, I looked for art that surprised with its original idea, showed clear intention, was well executed and presented, and especially that drew me back to learn more about it.”

“This exhibit showed a wide variety of media—paintings, ceramics, fiber arts, sculpture, photography, fused glass, mosaic, assemblages, digital art—in many sizes and many shapes! Some of the treasures offered were small works and made no less impact than large ones.”

As an artist, Pat has worked in water media, ink, pastel, pencil, oils, photography, clay, and fibers. She is a member of the River Forks Watercolor Society and of Arts for Vets. She sees “art as a natural community builder. Art invites participation not only for those who wish to try it as a means of expression or for fun, but also for the many community members who enjoy viewing all the different forms of art and supporting their family and friends who create it! We need to celebrate both as individuals and as a community. “

Thanks, Pat for jurying our exhibit!

The exhibit is open until April 21. On the 21st it opens at noon. The reception starts at 2 PM and the awards program at 3PM.

Randy Larson lives in Gatzke and is the Northwest Artist of the Year for Music. This award will be presented on Sunday, April 21 at the Kittson County History Museum.

Larson is a talented musician who sings and plays bass guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and lead guitar. He also writes music. Randy was 17 when he and a quartet from high school began The Back Behind the Barn Boys. The Barn Boys, their abridged title, added drums, piano, and guitar after a year. The Barn Boys hit the road full time touring 23 states and 3 provinces. With one 45 record, 2 albums and a CD, Randy and the band played with or fronted many national acts including, Alabama, Gatlin Brothers, Sawyer Brown, Diamond Rio, Charlie Daniels, Kentucky Headhunters, Restless Heart, Reba McEntire, Southern Pacific, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Marshall Tucker, and Nitty Gritty Dirt band. 

Randy and the Barn Boys represented Minnesota at the Wrangler Star Search competition in Nashville, Tennessee performing at The Grand Ole Opry. The song “Come on Sunday Morning," written by The Barn Boys, reached #88 on Billboard, #68 on Cashbox, and #2 on the National Indie Charts and stayed on the charts for 8 weeks. The band played at We Fest in Detroit Lakes numerous times.

Randy has played in other bands, as well. He currently performs with Eagle Creek (with his sons and others).

Our Artist of the Year 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 learn more and hear some Back Behind the Barn Boys music!

Grygla Artist Betsy Saurdiff is receiving the NW Star Award this year. This is a lifetime achievement award. Congrats, Betsy!

She's a retired visual arts (and German) teacher in the Grygla and Goodridge School districts. Betsy taught many art mediums, but preferred pottery.

Betsy is a well-known potter in our region and sells her work out of her studio and at art shows. In 2018 she was the Arts Advocate of the Year.

She's had her own solo show in our gallery and is a regular entrant and award winner in our annual NW Art Exhibit. She's also received grants from the NWMAC for equipment and trainings. Betsy will receive the award on Sunday, April 21 in Lake Bronson. The public is invited to join the celebration.

Listen to hear more, including making pottery, getting grants, and arts council support!

Museum Director Cindy Adams spoke about the Kittson County History Museum in Lake Bronson, upcoming and past arts events, grants they've received from the NWMAC, a very cool fashion exhibit on the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and being the host of the NWMAC’s annual NW Art Exhibit this spring. The NW Art Exhibit will include over 70 adult entries and over 40 student entries ranging from oil, acrylic, watercolor painting, pencil drawings, pen and ink, pottery, sculpture, fiber art, glass mosaic, and mixed media. The exhibit opens on March 27 (and runs until April 21) and is a great way to see what our regional adult and student artists are creating in their studio spaces and in the classroom. The awards ceremony honoring exhibit winners and Of the Year awardees (Potter Betsy Saurdiff, Musician Randy Larson, and Radio Host Rom Ogaard) will be Sunday, April 21. The exhibit will open at noon that day, the reception begins at 2 PM, and the awards will begin at 3 PM. All are welcome. Listen to hear more!

MRAC Accessibility Program Director Scott Artley spoke about accessibility, including resources, planning, and services. MRAC — the Metro Regional Arts Council is one of the NWMAC’s fellow arts councils. The NWMAC strives to increase arts access. 

Scott is also MRAC's designated ADA Access Coordinator and serves as the first point of contact for needs related to accessibility for people with disabilities. 

As the Accessibility Program Director, Scott (he/him and they/them pronouns) has a dual role at MRAC. Along with other staff, he develops and manages grant programs for artists and arts organizations in the Twin Cities Metro. He also coordinates efforts to ensure MRAC's own grant processes, meetings, and other activities are accessible; and creates and mobilizes resources to expand the arts participation of people with disabilities in the region. Scott has 15 years of leadership experience advancing social justice in the Twin Cities art world at organizations like the Walker Art Center, Mixed Blood Theatre, and Patrick's Cabaret, and cut his teeth as a creative producer in the underground queer cultural center Madame of the Arts. He is a nationally recognized expert in arts and culture accessibility, and a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals.  Listen to the podcast to learn about accessibility in the arts and about Scott!

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 of 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 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 include 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!

Fosston Artist Heidi Danos spoke about the Firefly Center for Arts and Wellbeing in Fosston. She’s been involved in creating this unique center. The Firefly Center is reinventing the traditional approach to mental health care by creating a unique space that provides a place for all to connect through art and wellbeing events, but also brings professional mental health services to Fosston and the surrounding communities.

Here’s some background: Three years ago… a community group in Fosston discovered that Alluma, a regional mental healthcare provider, was looking to secure a permanent location in Fosston.

Firefly conducted feasibility studies with Artspace, a nonprofit organization that specializes in consulting with organizations like Firefly to create financially sustainable, artistic, multi-use spaces. The Center will rely on income from two main sources–rent from Alluma, a regional mental health service provider, as well as two 1-bedroom apartment spaces available to the general public for rent.

The Center will also rent space for community events, artists, and provide wellbeing programming, whether it be financial, social, physical, mental, spiritual, or more.

In June 2023 Firefly Center for Art & Wellbeing filed for 501c3 status and established a 12-member board, each bringing a unique skill sets to this project. A lease was signed in July and construction has begun.

Listen to learn more about the background and the progress of the center!

Dana Kassel is the Program Director for the McKnight Fellowships for Choreographers and Dancers at the Cowles Center. These fellowships are for mid-career artists, are unrestricted, and statewide. Listen to hear about the fellowships!

Karlstad resident Karlace Taylor serves on the NWMAC board of directors. She has a music background and teaches private piano lessons in Karlstad and plays for special events and in churches. You can find Karlace on Facebook. Listen to hear the details!

Photographer Andy Hall has an exhibit at our gallery at NCTC right now -- Pulled in Many Directions Photography by Andy Hall. Andy spoke about the exhibit, his photography, funding he received from the NWMAC, and Sweetlight Gallery, his shop in Crookston (including pieces he has for sale).

NWMAC Director Mara Hanel spoke about the many things the Arts Council has coming up during this week’s podcast.

- Annual NW Art Exhibit. Deadline Feb 29 to submit entries. The exhibit will be in Lake Bronson this year from March 27 to April 21. Submit your art for this exhibit (up to pieces per person adults and high school students)

- Of the Year Awards. Deadline Feb 29 to nominate for Artist of the Year (emerging and mid-career), NW Star Award (lifetime achievement), and Arts Advocate of the Year. Please consider nominating a deserving artist or arts advocate!

-Upcoming Grant deadlines. Feb 29 and a grant writing workshop (Feb 13 at 10 am. RSVP required). We have funds for the following:

Project Grants for nonprofit arts organizations, communities, schools, and other nonprofit organizations from our seven county Minnesota service area between $500 and $10,000. Activities funded include festivals, community theatre projects, folk music entertainment, sponsorship of visual demonstrations, creative writing workshops and many other activities that improve the quality of life of people in our communities. 

Schools can apply for an Artist Residency grant of $2,600 plus an additional $400 if the residency needs supplies; 

Quick Turnaround Grants for $500. Awarded to performing artists, visual artists, media artists, and creative writing artists. First come-first served basis

- Pulled in Many Directions Photography by Andy Hall. Photography exhibit at our gallery at NCTC in Thief River Falls. Artist reception on Wednesday, Jan 24 5:30-7:30 PM. Make a point to visit this impressive exhibit and consider purchasing a piece of art!

- Traveling art exhibit, featuring adult and high school student art, is at the Campbell Library in East Grand Forks until February 27.

- Artists of NW Minnesota booklet is being created right now. The booklet includes many artist listings and we are looking for gig artists, including musicians and performers to add to a new section in this edition's booklet (we publish this booklet every 3 years). We are also looking for arts-supporting businesses for the back of the booklet. The purpose of the booklet is promotional and features those who offer an arts service to the community.

Listen to the podcast for all the details!

Director of Exhibitions and Artist Programs at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts Anika Schneider spoke about the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and the McKnight Fellowships for Book Artists. She provided lots of information about what the center does and offers for artists statewide (this includes educational programming for adults and youth, book binding, print making, all of the arts surrounding book making, educational programming, exhibits, workshops, and more). The Center is the largest book arts center in the country. The Center partners with the McKnight Foundation to offer 2 fellowships each year for book artists. Fellowships are for mid-career book artists (over 8 years) and support book artists in a number of ways. Apply online by March 1. Listen to learn all about the Center, the fellowships, and what a book artist! Contact Anika via email at aschneider@mnbookarts.org or visit their website at mnbookarts.org.

Lindsay Lewis from the MacPhail Center for Music spoke about the McKnight Fellowships for Musicians and MacPhail Center for Music. Lindsay is the contact for the McKnight Fellowships for Musicians. There are 4 fellowships available for musicians each year. Lindsay detailed many opportunities that are included with the fellowships and explained their commitment to artists throughout the entire state. Applications are open now and are due Monday, January 22. Visit macphail.org/mcknight-fellowships and listen to hear all about the fellowships!