May 16th, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum was established June 18, 1960. This year, June 18 marks the 65th annual Midwestern Art Invitational at the Rourke in Moorhead — and consequently renders the exhibition one of the longest consecutively running invitationals in the country. Since its inception, The Rourke has been a jewel in the crown of Fargo-Moorhead culture.
We had the opportunity to chat with Jonathan Rutter, Director and Curator at The Rourke Art…
April 18th, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
There’s no exaggeration when we say that this year’s Plains Art Gala is going to be out of this world, with a sci-fi theme inspired by a painting housed in the Plains Art Museum’s permanent collection called “Toward the Sun”by John Berkey. Berkey was an acclaimed North Dakota born sci-fi artist. He created art for “Dune,” “Star Wars,” National Geographic, NASA and a number of sci-fi books.
“I think that worked out really well…
April 18th, 2024
Something exciting is brewing between Amarok Tattoo Studio and Drekker Brewing Company
By Sabrina Hornung
It’s no secret that Drekker Brewing Company and Athena Funk, proprietor of Amarok Tattoo Studio, have collaborated on events before such as Fooler’s Ball and DrekkerFest. But they’ve had an even bigger idea brewing for some time. Though it was put on hold due to COVID, and paused with the opening of Brewhalla — good things — we dare say wicked good things come to…
February 15th, 2024
In the 20th and 21st centuries, the pursuit of knowledge has directed humankind to new horizons – the ocean depths, the infinite reach of space, and the hidden secrets of cells and microbes…or to Artificial Intelligence, which while spawned from the minds of humans, has no humanity at all. Or has it in fact become sentient?
The language of discovery has infused most disciplines, whether one speaks of public health “moonshots” to end cancer or the effort to “chart” the human…
January 18th, 2024
By Alicia Hegland-Thorpe, Arts Midwest
The Sacred Pipe Resource Center, a Native community center in Mandan, North Dakota, empowers Native artists to become catalysts for change to help heal their communities.
Nestled along the banks of the Missouri River, the communities of Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota bear witness to a complex tapestry of history, culture, and resilience. The cities are only 45 miles north of the Standing Rock Nation, where water protectors defending the…
January 18th, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
Located in the heart of downtown Jamestown, North Dakota, The Arts Center is a hub of activity. Whether you spend a summer afternoon enjoying live music and an art market at the Arts Park, or whether you opt to take a pottery class, a Ukrainian Pysanka class, or learn how to assemble a charcuterie board, there’s certainly something for everyone.
Lately The Arts Center has been working on a series of fundraising efforts to expand by securing and…
January 18th, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
High Plains Reader had the opportunity to chat with Erin Shapiro, the new Executive Director at the Plains Art Museum. A native of upstate New York, Shapiro has worked at a number of museums throughout the Midwest and even Honolulu, Hawaii, at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives. In addition to her museum experience, she has a background in sculpture and a strong passion for “art for everyone.”
High Plains Reader: In my research I…
December 10th, 2023
By Maddie Robinson
Pieper Bloomquist, an artist and oncology nurse based out of Grand Forks, has been interested in art since she was a child living in Regal, Minnesota, a town of less than 50 people. Stretching back to her school days in a one-room schoolhouse, she would spend her spare class time using the art supplies in the “library,” (a table in the back by the bookcases.)
She delved into folk-art styles later in 1993 when she started learning…
November 17th, 2023
By Sabrina Hornung
sabrina@hpr1.com
A trio of Burleigh County artists are making their mark in Wing, North Dakota, to promote local foods and are quite literally painting the town, or at least the newly acquired Wing City Government building. The building was a bowling alley in a past life and proved to be the perfect space for public art.
Molly McLain of Bismarck, Ella Swanson, and Allie Hein, both of Wing, joined forces to paint a mixed media mural incorporating both glass mosaic and…
October 14th, 2023
By Jacinta Zens
jacinta.zens@gmail.com
Airports have become increasingly popular art and music venues over the last decade. from Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport to Chicago's O'Hair to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), music and art flourish amongst the hustle and bustle of travelers.
Showcasing the arts in airports allows artists and…
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By Alicia Underlee NelsonMore than 1,000 pro-worker events are planned for Thursday, May 1 across the country, including rallies in Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks, Minot and Jamestown. East Grand Forks and Bismarck will host protests…
From concerts and car shows to Japanese art and Juneteenth celebrations, there's so much going on around the region this summer. This year's High Plains Reader Summer Events Calendar is back and bigger than ever. It's packed with…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
By John Strandjas@hpr1.com One description that perhaps aptly describes the mental state of many lately is that they feel they are attached to a string. Or several strings. Call it the notion that people are played like puppets,…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comFor sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leechesI suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com After a very inspiring conversation with Kayla Houchin of Sonder Bakehouse a few weeks ago, I decided that it’s an appropriate time to write a column about some of the sweet people who are involved…
Mooncats and Pert Near Sandstone play Empire TheatreBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comThe MoonCats describe themselves as “Americonscious Campfire Folk.” They have a clear acoustic folk sound with a sense of whimsy — think…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Antonella Sudasassi Furniss constructs an engaging sophomore feature with “Memories of a Burning Body,” selected by Costa Rica to be entered for consideration as a possible Oscar…
By Raul Gomezraul@hpr1.com Minutes before Modern’s Celebration of Life opened its door at the Sons of Norway, I was fiddling with the bar computer, trying to pull up the playlists of Modern’s work I had set aside for the…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There appear to be differences in the incidence of mental illnesses between men and women. For example, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson.nd7@gmail.com Our trucking business has me driving almost daily from gas plants in western North Dakota's oil patch to Canada. I haul natural gas liquids (NGLs) products we used to see flared off at…
