​FMVA Studio Crawl

MAP of Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists Studio Crawl

Photos by Michael Miller

This weekend 39 emerging and established artists from Fargo to Felton will be opening their studios to the public during the 13th annual Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists Studio Crawl, a family-friendly, community-wide celebration of local art and its creators. Studio crawl attendees will have the opportunity to experience artist demonstrations, witness their creative processes, ask questions and interact with participating artists.

Woodworker Ron Williams will be participating in his fourth studio crawl this year. He was encouraged to apply the first time by his wife and has been participating ever since. “I really enjoy having people in my shop.” says Williams. “I get to experience their excitement when a plain chunk of wood becomes something different before their eyes. And I love watching kids play with the tops I make.”

He has worked with wood for the past 40 years, and used a lathe for nearly 30. His woods of choice are native hardwoods. He will be demonstrating throughout the weekend, turning out beautifully turned bowls, tops, lidded boxes and much more.

Williams’ studio also has an interesting story, and can be considered part of Fargo-Moorhead art history

“My shop was built to be a painter's studio. We bought the home built by Cy Running, the artist from Concordia who created the first murals for their Christmas concerts,” Williams says. “Near the end of his life, he built what looks like a two-stall garage, but one side is the studio. It has a bank of north-facing clerestory windows, and plenty of room for my tools and benches. I built cupboard along one wall for storage, and placed my lathe so I can look out the window into our wooded back yard.”

Ceramicist and mosaic artist Kathy Luther has participated in each of the 13 studio crawls. “I wanted to take part in the Crawl because I thought it was a great way to promote the visual arts in Fargo-Moorhead and the surrounding area. We have a lot of great artists and it was a way for people to see who they are and how they create.”

She cites it as a positive experience that keeps her focused on her workspace and gives her family a chance to get involved in the event as well. Plus, she sees it as an incentive to “get really organized once a year.”

Her mosaics range from 7x7” to 4x8’, and she works in two at-home studios. The magic starts in her backyard pottery studio. Once her earthenware tiles are fired, she moves the pieces to her mosaic studio located above her garage.

“Although I have a degree in art, the mosaic techniques I use are self-taught. I tried my first mosaic in the late 80s. At that time the materials I used were the leftover commercial tiles for showers, counters and floors. This meant the color selection was very limited and the best way to break the thicker tiles was by throwing them on the basement floor,” Luther says. “I now make all my own tiles from earthenware clay which allows me infinite colors, textures and shapes and I have tools now, so I don't have to throw things anymore.”

Printmaker Amanda Heidt is a woman of many hats at The Plains Art Museum. She works as manager and print technician for Hannaher’s print studio, which is located on the third floor of the museum. The studio is open on a near-daily basis. Those who can’t attend the Crawl can sneak a peek at the facility through museum tours, classes, workshops, and through open studio time -- though Heidt assures us that they have a few tricks up their sleeves during the crawl.

“I work for the museum in a couple different manners. First, taking on daily tasks within Hannaher’s Inc. Print Studio. Second, work with artists who want to create fine art editions and host a residency program within the facilities, so there is constant creation happening in the studio.” Heidt says. “Third, help with realizing the full education potential of having a print studio inside a museum. It is not a normal practice for museums to host a space like this directly within their facilities.”

During the crawl attendees can anticipate seeing local artist Peter Kelly at work. Both he and Heidt will be working on a sculpture, “The artist is currently in the guts of working through a project that has been screen-printed and has a lithograph over the top of it. The project then is being cut out, vacuum-formed, and assembled to create a 3D skull. This weekend will be utilized for Peter and me to continue working on it.” Heidt said. Guests can also anticipate onsite printing demonstrations.

Our cover bison this week, Corso--named after the ESPN sportscaster, is the subject of FMVA member/studio crawl participant Meg Spielman Peldo’s latest photo essay, in which she follows him through his adolescence, photographing him in unusual places.

Corso was abandoned shortly after birth, and soon found a new family at the Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton. Once the essay is completed, Spielman Peldo will see that the exhibition tours.

She adds, “He's like a giant puppy…who wiggles around and licks you. He is accustomed to crowds and even went to Texas in January for the National Championship football game. He's still young. He won't reach his full size until he's five or six.”

Whether you artfully map out studios that pique your interest, or casually happen across a few stops downtown, there is no wrong way to approach the Studio Crawl.

The Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists (FMVA) is an organization for artists by artists. For more information on member benefits check out www.fmva.org or email membership@fmva.org

IF YOU GO

Studio Crawl

October 1-2, 12-6pm

All studios are free and open to the public