Arts

All trash is treasure to Thomas Dambo

June 20th, 2024

New Minnesota sculptures include artist’s largest troll

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

According to Danish artist and environmental activist Thomas Dambo, “All trash is treasure.” So far, he and his team have built 138 giant recycled troll sculptures in 17 countries and 19 states in the U.S. This summer, they added Minnesota to the list with a new installation in Detroit Lakes. Now the hunt is on to find them.

“I make them in a big treasure hunt,” Dambo said. “So I hide…

Read more...


A Marvel-ous world of superheroes heads to The State Museum

May 16th, 2024

By David L. Newell

history@nd.gov

If your Spidey senses are tingling, it may be because Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross is coming to the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. The traveling exhibition, developed by the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, Illinois, will bring the gravity-defying world of Marvel Comic illustrations to Bismarck from March 16 through June 9, 2024.

The exhibition includes more than 50 original illustrations, including cover art, storyboards,…

Read more...


The Rourke interprets ‘Omnipotence of Dream’

May 16th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


​May the art be with you: Plains Art Gala celebrates with sci-fi theme

April 18th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


​What in Hel’s Fury is going on at Brewhalla?

April 18th, 2024

Something exciting is brewing between Amarok Tattoo Studio and Drekker Brewing Company

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


​The 55th Annual UND Writers Conference

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…

Read more...


Art as a Catalyst: Indigenous Expressions in North Dakota

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…

Read more...


The Arts Center raises the bar in Jamestown

January 18th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


Art for all: Plains Art Museum welcomes New Executive Director

January 18th, 2024

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

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…

Read more...


Exhibition Honoring Scandinavian Folk Art Opens at ND Heritage Center & State Museum

December 10th, 2023

By Maddie Robinson

maddierobi.mr@gmail.com

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…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry WurstWest Tracker Pixel for Entry hjemkomst Tracker Pixel for Entry FilmFest1 Tracker Pixel for Entry Blackbird Tracker Pixel for Entry FPL Tracker Pixel for Entry Bismarck

Recently in:

By Bryce Vincent Haugen By his own account, Edwin Chinchilla is lucky to still be in the United States. As a 12-year-old Salvadoran, he and his brother were packed into a semi with a couple dozen other people and given fake…

By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…

February 21, 6-8 p.m.Turtle River State Park, Arvilla, NDEnjoy a self-guided hike in the picturesque woods of Turtle River State Park. The trails will be lit with luminary candles. After the hike, warm those bones by the fire at…

By Sabrina HornungThe quote, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command” from George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984” has come up in conversation more times than…

By Ed Raymond‘Dakota Attitude’ should be read by all North Dakota studentsI have been meaning to write about this book by James Puppe for several years, but the world has been in such a mess I thought I should write about …

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…

Friday, March 13, 4-10 p.m.Brewhalla, Fargo, 1702 1st Ave. N., FargoPolish up those dancing shoes and come hungry for this ticketed event you won’t want to miss. Expect unlimited samples paired with wine and beer from 20+…

Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 N. BroadwayFM Opera’s Artistic Director and tenor Joshua Kohl will be sharing the stage with internationally-renowned tenors Anthony Ciaramitaro and Luke Norvell to perform a variety…

By Greg Carlson The great documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras had to work diligently to convince Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh to be the subject of one of her films. Most accounts and reviews of “Cover-Up,”…

Saturday, March 7, 4-8 p.m.Swing Barrel Brewing, 814 Central Ave., MoorheadEmpty Bowls is a nationwide, grassroots, artist-led movement to support hunger related organizations in their communities. On March 7, prepare to fill your…

Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…

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 Liverani In January 2026, the 2026-2030 dietary guidelines for Americans were released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are supposed to be revolutionary and a “reset” from the previous ones.…

January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…

By Vern Thompson Benjamin Franklin offered one of the most sobering warnings in American history. When asked what kind of government the framers had created in 1787, he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” Few words…