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
December 18th 2025
October 28th 2025
September 16th 2025
August 19th 2025
July 24th 2025
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
_(1)_(1)_(1)__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
__293px-wide.jpg)
By Bryce Vincent Haugenbrycevincenthaugen@gmail.com Audra Maurer never used marijuana until Minnesota businesses started to sell low-dose hemp-derived THC products. “The first time I was pain free was using legalized hemp…
By Michael MillerAs the holiday season approaches, I extend Yuletide Best Wishes and a special “Weihnachten” greeting to you and your family. I would like to share with you Christmas memories from our Germans from Russia…
Saturday, January 31, mingling at 6:15 p.m. and program at 7 p.m.Fine Arts Club, 601 4th St. S., FargoThe FM Symphony is getting intimate by launching a “Small Stages” chamber music series and it's bringing folks together via…
By Darrell Dorganddorgan695@aol.com I’ve been digging around for information on a company called High Plains Acres. High Plains, which has a presence in Jamestown, Bismarck and five North Dakota counties, owned thousands of acres…
By Ed RaymondA mind that snapped, cracked, and popped at one hundredI wasn’t going to read a long column called “Centenarian: A Diary of a Hundredth Year” by Calvin Tomkins celebrating his birthday on December 17 of 2025…
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 Mandy Dolneymandy@ksbsyndicate.com This cake will be on the menu at Nova Eatery through Thanksgiving served with maple crème anglaise Ice cream. It uses pumpkin pie pumpkins grown locally at Ladybug Acres and local apples grown…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Director Mona Fastvold’s “The Testament of Ann Lee” frequently writhes and gesticulates with a hypnotizing mysticism that mirrors the fervor of its title character. At its absolute best…
The holidays are fast approaching. If you’re on the lookout for finding your loved ones something truly special and unique, we sought out some of the area’s independent and creative hotspots.VINTAGE AND ANTIQUESMoorhead Antique…
Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…
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 Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com At the beginning of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the Grinch is introduced as having a smaller than average heart, but as the movie progresses, his heart increases three…
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 Chandler Esslinger Across North Dakota right now, a familiar conversation is resurfacing. We hear the argument that harm reduction “enables” people, that syringe access encourages drug use, that naloxone keeps people…