Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Life, Love, and Art at Funhouse Press

Arts | September 25th, 2019

Maybelline - by Cameron Peterson

Shared passions can lead to lifelong partnerships, and that is certainly the case for Cameron Peterson and Annette “Nettie” DuBord. The two are not only husband and wife as well as MSUM alumni, but each are talented and successful printmakers in their own right, whether working together or striking out on their own. DuBord’s most recent undertaking is the art show “It’s Always Something”, currently on display at the Rourke Art Gallery and Museum until October 13, where Peterson happens to be exhibition coordinator and facility manager.

“Annette DuBord’s work is a wonderful display of reverse abstraction,” Peterson said. “She starts off free-spirited and works little pieces of reality back into them. A reference to a bone, heart, or skull. It gives off a feeling of being at an archaeological excavation site.” DuBord said, “My show at the Rourke, “It’s Always Something”, comes from my early love of Saturday Night Live and the late Gilda Radner. Like Roseanne Danna, I start with a plan but by the end it’s usually completely different from the original idea.”

The medium DuBord works extensively in, is polymer plate lithography, which is a nontoxic take on traditional lithography. Tools of the trade in her artwork include everything from oil-based lithography ink, Sharpies, Bic Atlantis pens, and hard litho crayons. For her Tusche washes, which she considers her specialty, she also incorporates photocopy toner, denatured alcohol, and dish soap. “I then paint on the washes and manipulate the image until I am happy,” she said. “The plate is then baked on my makeshift buffet hot plate with an old cake pan on top to create an oven.” She continued, “I like to think of the process as a combination of chemistry (a subject I failed at) and magic.”

On top of creating and exhibiting art around the area, DuBord and Peterson are also the creators and owners of Funhouse Press. “Funhouse Press started as Annette’s idea,” said Peterson. “I asked her what she would call her studio if she had one. She said, ‘Funhouse Press, because serious would not fit me.’ Beginnings were slow, we did not obtain a press until 2011 which we set up in the Spirit Room Studio.” Time and circumstance led the press to then relocate to the basement of the Rourke Art Gallery, though Peterson considers their home their main base. Through Funhouse Press, the couple have been able to judge and teach at the All Dakota High School Fine Art Competition held by Dacotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen, South Dakota and be published in Design & Living Magazine.

Woot - by Annette Dubord

That certainly does not detract from the fact that DuBord and Peterson have daunting artistic resumes on their own, as well. Peterson has 10 solo exhibitions to his name since 2005. His work has been exhibited as far away as Salina, Kansas and works of his have been published in works from MSUM and The Spirit Room. DuBord also has numerous group shows and print exchanges to her name as well.

“Being a couple and both artists is not that big of a deal to us,” Peterson said. 

“We both have different aesthetic strengths," DuBord said. "We usually do not directly collaborate. Most of our collaboration is done in discussion. When one gets stuck, we will ask the other their opinion. Cameron keeps me focused. His insight, advice, and support are invaluable to me.”

Peterson has his own exhibition coming up in the near future shortly after DuBord’s. On November 8th, his exhibit “Nowhere is Somewhere” opens at the Rourke. The show will consist of prints of the fifty states with their flowers, new detailed linoleum cuts, and older hit pieces. The exhibit is meant to embody Peterson’s idea, “Even if you feel like you are going nowhere, you are indeed still somewhere.” These two exhibits, “It’s Always Something” and “Nowhere is Somewhere” are certainly not the last the Fargo-Moorhead area will see of the prolific work of this dynamic artistic couple, and appreciators of the art form of printmaking would do well to keep track of the exploits of these two in the future. 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

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 Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

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…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

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@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…