Arts

Intrigue behind a Sitting Bull Painting: The little know story of artist Caroline Weldon

September 25th, 2019

Sitting Bull portrait by Caroline Weldon 1890

By Kim Jondahl

Sometimes the curious, behind-the-scenes stories of museum artifacts are as intriguing as the actual pieces. In the little-known story of a painting of Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull hanging in the State Museum, the art, the subject, and the artist all share remarkable roles.

I’ve walked past this 1890 oil painting of Sitting Bull, or Tatanka Iyotanke, hundreds of times during my museum career. I’ve squinted behind the glass case at the amateur painting and the…

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​Becoming unhinged in Fergus Falls

September 25th, 2019

Cyanotype of the Kirkbride building in Fergus Falls by Sabrina Hornung

In early October 2018, I had the opportunity to participate in a two week Hinge Arts Residency in Fergus Falls Minnesota. The application wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be but I still sweated my way through it. Naturally I was pleased as punch when I found out my proposal was accepted. As part of the residency I stayed in a beautifully renovated apartment just off the grounds of the former Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center also known as the Kirkbride. Resident artists…

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It’s the Time of the Season for Art Appreciation

September 25th, 2019

Design by Raul Gomez

By Kristin Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com 

"Art is a nation's most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation." - Lyndon Johnson

It's only a matter of time before Fargo-Moorhead lands on the "Best Cities for Arts and Culture" lists, and the annual Studio Crawl, now in its 16th year, is part of the reason.

Growing every year, the Studio Crawl reaches north, to Hillsboro, and south to Christine. It exists…

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​A Symphony for The Other Four

August 28th, 2019

By Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

The High Plains Reader spoke to Plains Art Museum Executive Director Andy Maus about “Symphony of the Cosmos,” the upcoming improvisational, live performance with artists Aida Shahghasemi and Nima Hafezieh. Andy discussed the facility’s “pride in doing something that is adventurous and unique” that to his knowledge, “hasn’t been done to this extent before.” Speaking of the interconnectedness of the performance and exhibition, he said that…

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‘Local American epics’

July 17th, 2019

Advance Guard of the West was painted by Edward Buk Ulreich - photograph by Sabrina Hornung

The US Postal Service recently released a set of stamps celebrating the New Deal era post office murals that were federally commissioned during the Roosevelt administration, though the mural that graces the walls of the New Rockford Post Office titled “Advance Guard of the West” wasn’t featured on any of the stamps, it provides a shining example of the Roosevelt administration’s depression era public art program.

According to its registration form for the National Register of…

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​Getting spooky with Shelby Tagestad

June 26th, 2019

Shelby Tagestad in studio - photograph provided by Shelby Tagestad

High Plains Reader: Your watercolor work is currently on view at the Red Raven Espresso Parlor, common themes within your pieces are elements of horror imagery, mini monsters, clowns etc. Eyes and lips are another common theme. What draws you to this imagery? Some of your pieces remind me of the Nickelodeon show "Aaaaah! Real Monsters… Did you ever watch that as a kid?

Shelby Tagestad: Growing up, my favorite book series was “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” That’s truly where…

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​‘A warrior in his lifetime:’ photographic book of Natives receives more than acclaim

June 24th, 2019

New Mexico Representative Debra Haaland sitting for a wet plate photograph with Shane Balkowitsch in viewfinder - photograph by C.S. Hagen

BISMARCK – Six months of preparation boiled down to eight seconds. There were wet plate photographs to capture, a well-known Congresswoman from New Mexico to pick up, reporters to please, and… wait… Representative Debra Haaland’s flight was cancelled? The forecast was for rain? Who was arranging refreshments for the book signing ceremony?

Shane Balkowitsch paced back and forth in his natural light wet plate studio, the only one of its kind in the United States, sometimes…

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​Nicki Marie, ‘Northern Stardust,’ and reasons to keep looking up

June 19th, 2019

Art by Nicki Marie

You may have seen Nicki Marie slingin’ her elaborately folded paper star creations at various craft and cultural festivals around the region. She was also a recipient of a folk art and traditional apprenticeship grant made possible for the North Dakota Council on the Arts and learned scherenschnitte and wycinanki through Tower City based folk artist Meridee Erickson Stowman in 2016. This Thursday, Nicki Marie’s first gallery exhibition titled, “Northern Stardust” will be opening…

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​Art on the Red Showcases Prairie Talent

May 29th, 2019

Art on the Red in Grand Forks

With all the coverage of artists in the Fargo-Moorhead area in the High Plains Reader, it can unfortunately be easy to forget that the rest of the state hosts their own fair share of artistic talent. Take, for example, Fargo’s neighbor to the North, Grand Forks. Since 2001, Grand Forks has hosted an annual event originally named “ArtFest”, which was organized and operated by the North Valley Arts Council (NOVAC).

Unfortunately, in December of 2016 NOVAC dissolved, but Grand…

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Plains Art Museum: 23rd Annual Spring Gala

May 1st, 2019

Art by Punchgut, design by Raul Gomez

The Plains Art Museum is ready to take you back in time – or forward, if you prefer – for their 23rd annual Spring Gala. The theme for this year’s event, which takes place on Friday, May 3, is Time Machine.

The Spring Gala is the museum’s biggest fundraising event every year. It will include a silent auction, music from Post Traumatic Funk Syndrome, who will take the stage at 9 p.m., and food catering from Urban Foods, Chef’s Table Catering, Concordia, and Nichole’s Fine…

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