Arts | May 11th, 2016
By Ben Haugmo
Culture and coffee combine at the first ever Cone Pack Mug Market is being held this week at Twenty Below Coffee in Fargo.
Cone Pack is a group of artists from in and around the Fargo-Moorhead area promoting public awareness of ceramic art through lectures, exhibitions, and events such as the mug market.
Each hand-crafted mug will sell for $25.00 and come with a drink token so that customers can immediately take their purchase for a test run.
Guillermo Guardia is one of the Cone Pack artists featured in the mug market. Guardia’s earliest experiences with art are playing with modeling clay as a child. Since then, he has become well familiar with the techniques and challenges of ceramic sculpture.
“Especially when you make large pieces like sculptures,” said Guardia, “it has to be hollow. Otherwise, if it’s a solid piece, there’s a good chance there’s an air bubble. If there’s an air bubble, and you fire it, it will explode.”
Guardia primarily produces figurative pieces. Common motifs he employs are renderings of the human form etched with puzzle pieces, or the character of the baby devil, which he recently began decorating with images that call back to his home in Peru.
“I am from Peru,” said Guardia, “and I’m just trying to incorporate something of my background into my artwork.”
The utilitarian, functional ceramic form of the mugs presented a new challenge for Guardia. He had to adopt new approaches to make the mugs, and to express his personal artistic style.
“I know how to throw, I know how to make stuff like that, but it’s not something that I do for a living. I was actually very challenging. I can make a mug, but I wanted the product to look related to my work. I made very simple mugs with no handles, but I incorporated the Peruvian designs on the surface.”
The hope is that those who are familiar with Guardia’s work will see the symbols of Peru his art is associated with, and connect that back to him.
If you feel the need to add some unique artistic flair to your mug collection, check out Guardia and the other Cone Pack artist’s work at Twenty Below Coffee this Saturday.
If you go:
Mug Market
Saturday, May 14 at 9 a.m to 3 p.m.
Twenty Below Coffee, 14 Roberts St N, Fargo, ND
March 2nd 2026
February 23rd 2026
February 23rd 2026
February 16th 2026
January 12th 2026
__293px-wide.png)
_(1)__293px-wide.png)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
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…