Tracker Pixel for Entry

Warhol at The Plains Art Museum

Arts | January 31st, 2013

Andy Warhol, Annie Oakley, Silkscreen on paper, 1986, 36 x 36 in., Courtesy of the Cochran Collection. � 2013 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

"Once you 'got' Pop, you could never see a sign the same way again. And once you thought Pop, you could never see America the same way again." - Andy Warhol (“Popism: The Warhol ‘60s”)

Andy Warhol made an unparalleled impact on the culture of American art. Starting this Saturday, The Plains Art Museum will bring his legacy to us. “Andy Warhol: Creating Myth and Icon” will feature two galleries displaying up to 40 original works, making this the first major Warhol exhibition our area has ever seen.

Icon features can be a bold and elaborate task for any museum. And if not done right, such an exhibit can be wrongly interpreted, especially by a smaller community that may not identify with the artist. Plains Art curator Megan Johnston took the plunge anyway.

“My whole curatorial practice is about deepening the relationship of the museum with the community – so I don’t always agree with blockbusters. But this was a little different,” she says.

Johnston’s vision for this exhibition was to make it relevant for any museum visitor. It would be more than just art on a wall – more than just a glorification of an already widely known artist. Rather, it would break down the components of Warhol’s artistic method.

A pop art icon, Warhol was famous for reworking everyday, recognizable images, e.g., a soup can, a mugshot of Marilyn Monroe or a bruised banana.

The artist had an extraordinary ability to mass produce commercial-style art that tested people’s perceptions of what fine art should be. By selecting certain colors, crops and images, he demonstrated art’s powerful expressive abilities.

Andy Warhol, Geronimo, Silkscreen on paper, 1981, 38 x 38 in., Courtesy of the Cochran Collection. � 2013 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

“A lot of people think he was kind of cheeky,” Johnston says. “He was just kind of using or appropriating imagery, which is true. But he was also doing it in many cases to make a point; there was a critical lens that he employed when he selected the image.”

“What would Warhol do?” was an initial concept the museum staff came up with for the exhibit, Johnston says. Because, to understand Warhol, we must understand his process – and that is precisely what this exhibition is setup to disclose.

While both the second and third floors of the museum will display Warhol originals, the second floor will have an activity guide, and a space where people can make their own Warhol-inspired art.

On the third floor, the museum has set up a Warhol social experience, specifically for the night of the reception. Upon entering from the elevator, a “security guard” will grant people all access to The Factory, which was the name of Warhol’s New York City studio. It will have a hip club-feel with a DJ (DJ Econ), food and drinks.

Andy Warhol, The Shadow, Silkscreen on paper, 1981, 38 x 38 in., Courtesy of the Cochran Collection. � 2013 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York

In addition, three local artists have been commissioned to create their own Warhol-inspired art. Printmaking expert John Volk will do a print of “icon” Mayor Dennis Walaker; Native American artist Joe Allen will be responding to Warhol’s very last series, “Cowboys and Indians;” Heather Zinger, Artist-in-Residence at Roger Maris Cancer Center at Sanford Hospital, will do an unusual performance art piece during the public reception starting at 8 p.m.

Another untraditional action Johnston took as a curator was asking the exhibition’s sponsor to play a big role in creating the brand, the look and the feel of the exhibition. Sundog, a marketing and technology company, has really helped the museum accomplish tasks they otherwise would not have been able to achieve on their own, Johnston says.

Perhaps the biggest reason the museum was able to make this show happen is Johnston’s key connection with a couple of major art collectors. Before living and working in Fargo, she was the director of The La Grange Art Museum in La Grange, Georgia.

“It’s an interesting little town,” Johnston says. “It has, probably, per capita, more Warhols than almost any place in the country outside of New York and Pittsburg.”

Wesley and Missy Cochran, two of the town’s biggest art collectors, own an extraordinary collection of Warhol art. Thirty-six of the pieces displayed at the Plains Art Museum will come from their collection.

The two will be at the public reception and Johnston is really encouraging everyone to come, not only to see and experience the exhibit, but also to meet the Cochrans.

“I’ve been telling them how amazing Fargo is, they’re really worried to come up – they are afraid of the cold, but I told them they’d be fine,” Johnston says. “I want them to meet other collectors, other artists. I’m really struck – I’ve been traveling a little bit lately – by how many artists we have in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It’s a great active community – and that changes everything.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Andy Warhol: Creating Myth and Icon

WHERE: Plains Art Museum, 704 First Ave. N., Fargo

WHEN: Public reception: Sat, Feb. 2, 8-10 p.m.; On display: Feb. 3-May 19

HOW MUCH: the reception is $10 for non-members; free for members

INFO: plainsart.org

Recently in:

By Laura Simmonslaurasimmons2025@u.northwestern.edu Dr. Stephen McDonough researched why North Dakota had the highest COVID death rate and cases in the fall of 2020. His investigation accumulated into a 1,000-plus page book titled…

By Michael M. Miller michael.miller@ndsu.eduOne of the most important books published about the Germans from Russia in North Dakota is “Along the Trails of Yesterday: A Story of McIntosh County” by Nina Farley Wishek, published…

photo credit: Jessica GavinSeptemberOktoberfest: Now-October 3Wurst Bier HallStein-holding competition, happy hour Mon-Fri from 4-6, wear your dirndl or lederhosen, German music.https://wurstfargo.com/Papa’s Pumpkin…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.comOur Opinion: Thank you, Reader readers, for 29 fulfilling yearsChugging along, The Little Newspaper That Could commences its 30th volume and year with this issue. Simply getting here speaks volumes. Just…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comIs Cruelty a Part of Nature—or Is It Just Part of Human Nature?Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has been my economics guru for many years for his pithy columns in The New York Times. In…

We are looking for 55-gallon plastic food grade barrels, do you have ideas or connections?We use these barrels to teach our resilient yard workshop series including Make Your Own Rain Barrel and Make Your Own Compost Tumbler. If…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comMy new venture as a master’s degree student has got me thinking…again about food. Although I’m in an online program with the University of North Dakota, I thought it would be handy to list and…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comThe Melvins formed in 1983 Montesano, Washington, founded by singer/guitar player Buzz Osborne. The group is known for its heavy sound mixed with a dose of punk, forming its own subgenre.…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comAs reactions and reviews of Wes Anderson’s return to the world of Roald Dahl attest, the quartet of short story adaptations undoubtedly would have been better experienced as a theatrical…

By HPR Staffsubmit@hpr1.comThe Fargo Moorhead Visual Artists’ much-lauded neighbor lovin’ Studio Crawl is just around the corner – October 7 and 8, noon to 6pm. During the free event, the people who add culture and vibrancy…

By Eric Dallmanericd@hpr1.comWe recently watched “The PROM” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and it was an experience that left a lasting impact on us. The story, a heartwarming yet familiar one, follows a group of Broadway stars…

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 John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On the first day of the month I ask people to thank a journalist they know or someone who contributes to papers in some meaningful way. When I grew up, my best friend's father was a journalist…