Arts

Unrest: Reclaiming Power, Privilege, and Purpose

November 14th, 2020

By Jill Finkelson

We’ve been hearing the word Unrest a lot lately. Unrest in the streets. Unrest in the capital. Unrest in our own homes as we struggle to hunker down in the face of the unseen pandemic. People are restless. They are angry and scared. There are scenes from across the country, from Minneapolis to Philly to Portland, of people protesting the injustices they continue to come across every day. The images of police brutality that have come out are shocking and horrific. The…

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​Kim Jore brings on the local flavor with latest series

November 12th, 2020

By Jill Finkelson

jsfinkelson99@gmail.com

If there’s a silver lining to being cooped up this year, it is the talented artists inspired and locked up with their supplies. One of those people, to our credit, is local lady Kim Jore of Riverzen Gallery in Moorhead. Her project “Hometown for the Holidays” is a celebration of our small towns. It features 54 small towns within 50 miles of the Fargo-Moorhead area, from Hillsboro to Kenyon. Each one is a unique collage using watercolor,…

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Surviving the school year

October 7th, 2020

By Paul Noot

Artwork by Paul Noot

bismarckartist@yahoo.com

It was in the middle of March when Bismarck teachers were notified that school would not be going back and within a week schools would need a plan to do distance learning. I would have never imagined that I would be at home, teaching art through distance learning. I not only had to learn Google Classroom, but I also had an art exhibit to prepare for and to adjust to changes.

Teaching face-to-face is not even comparable to distance…

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Unglued Celebrates 10 Years

February 19th, 2020

This weekend, the 10th Annual Unglued Craft Fest will be held at the Plains Art Museum, featuring over 70 local and regional artists selling handmade items. Though most are Fargo-Moorhead residents, artists from Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, Bismarck, Des Moines, and Carrington are also taking part.

Products sold will include practical items like pottery, scarves, dish towels, soaps, and bath bombs. For shoppers simply looking for decorative trinkets, there will be stickers, sculptures,…

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The Crows come to roost again

February 19th, 2020

art by Cameron Peterson

by Jill Finkelson
jsfinkelson99@gmail.com 

We are now in the deep, dark quiet of winter. The wind rages and the snow muffles even the busiest of city streets. People slow down, life seems muted as we try to pass by the cold nights inside with a book and a blanket.The mammals hibernate and the leaves fall and the birds fly south to warmer climes. Except for the crow. The raucous bird caws and screams its way through winter with us and we wouldn’t have it any other way. They may be…

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Artist First

February 5th, 2020

art by Elyse Olson - hand-hooked wool tapestry

by Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

Arts Access For All is an organization that was formed to provide services that can better connect people with disabilities to all forms of art. I spoke with founder Sherry Shirek about her thoughts and experiences related to the upcoming "Artist First" multimedia exhibition at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, on February 8th, featuring local artists who identify as having a disability.

AAFA works with arts, cultural and historical organizations in North…

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Pop Up on the Plains

January 29th, 2020

photo courtesy of Plains Art Museum

by Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

High Plains Reader spoke to Plains Art Museum staff Sarah Anstett, Development and Communications Coordinator, and Savannah Schultz, Executive and Development Assistant, about their inaugural event, Pop Up on the Plains.

HIGH PLAINS READER: What was the initial idea or thought process behind Pop Up on the Plains?

Sarah Anstett, Savannah Schultz: Pop up on the Plains was inspired by an organizational desire to activate our young professional and student…

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Salvador Dali’s stairway to heaven

December 18th, 2019

Cover art courtesy of the Plains Art Museum

“Surrealism permeates--there’s a legacy there with contemporary art where they’re still trying to capture or convey something that can’t quite be fully understood without the existence of that thing that you can’t fully describe with words so I would say Surrealism still permeates our current artmaking climate today.” Says Plains Art Museum Executive Director Andy Maus, “That legacy belongs to Dali and company. It permeates street art, and pop art in some ways, not pop art…

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A Picture Paints A Thousand Words : Interface at NDSU

December 18th, 2019

 photo courtesy of anthony feris

by Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

Pablo Picasso said, "Every now and then one paints a picture that seems to have opened a door and serves as a stepping stone to other things."

Miroslav Tichy said "Photography is painting with light." The connection between painting and photography will be explored in "Interface," a student exhibition at NDSU's Memorial Union Gallery.

With more than 400 pieces of 20th and 21st century American art, including names like Andy Warhol, Judy Chicago, Pablo…

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​Filmmaker Falcon Gott and Springboard for the Arts : Native American History in a Historic Location

November 26th, 2019

Falcon Gott

By Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

Founded in 1991, Springboard for the Arts’ mission is “to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information, and services they need to make a living and a life.” With offices in both Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, the nonprofit organization provides numerous resources for artists, including workshops, career consultations, and even healthcare insurance.

Since the spring of 2015, “Hinge Arts” in Fergus Falls,…

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