Interesting Ideas: TurningArt

Ever have trouble picking art for your home or office? Want to purchase original art but don’t have a large budget? Then TurningArt is the perfect solution for you! It is a Netflix-like solution for the art lover with a budget.

For either $15 or $30 per month (pricing reflects print size) you can get rotating prints of original art at a frequency of your choosing. Create a queue of works by browsing by color, style, price, etc. TurningArt will send you a framed print from that list. A new print is automatically sent to you based on a timetable you set. When it arrives, simply swap out the old print and send it back.

The best part of TurningArt is that if you find a piece that you fall in love with, you can purchase the original! Your monthly subscription fees earn credits toward the purchase of original works, saving you up to 40 percent off the original price.

For more information or to sign up, visit TurningArt online.

Minnesota Tile Festival

2010 Minnesota Tile Festival commemorative tiles by Sandre Griffin of Blue Marble Clayworks

Midtown Global Market is host to this year's 10th annual Minnesota Tile Festival, September 16 and 17, 2011. More than 60 American handmade tile and mosaics artists will be there to show their work. Come to chat with artists about their creative process, get ideas for your next remodeling project, eat some great food and enter a drawing to win “Tile Bucks” that can be used towards the purchase of participating artist’s work.

Friday, September 16, 5 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit the Handmade Tile Association online.

Holdingford Call for Artists

Holdingford Mill has been selected as the location of a public art piece, and the City of Holdingford is taking proposals. The City of Holdingford believes that place-making is a process that fosters the creation of vital public spaces that reflect community values and express the vision of its residents. The city sees the installation of public art as a medium to mirror these ideals.

The city is accepting letters of interest from area artists who would be willing to work in partnership with the community to create a public art piece. Details and requirements for applying to this call are available at the city's website, or clicking directly to the project information PDF.

Submission deadline is September 14, 2011.

Belfast PrintWorkshop

Don’t miss the opening reception on Friday, August 26, 6:30 to 9 p.m. for Highpoint Center for Printmaking’s upcoming show Belfast PrintWorkshop: Celebrating 35 Years of Prints which is on display August 26 to October 15, 2011.

Highpoint is proud to be the first venue in the United States to exhibit works from Northern Ireland’s esteemed Belfast Print Workshop. The show features the work of 30 printmakers who span the entire 35-year history of the workshop. The works display a myriad of techniques and the unique perspectives of current and past members during the tumultuous recent history of Northern Ireland.

Free
Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 12 to 4 p.m. by appointment

For more information visit Highpoint Center for Printmaking online.

Salon 300

If you need a dose of the State Fair before it opens this year, head to Hopkins Center for the Arts (HCA) and see Salon 300: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show through September 4, 2011.

For the eighth year running HCA is host to approximately 300 artworks that were submitted to the State Fair Fine Arts Building but were not selected for exhibition. The Minnesota State Fair receives such a large volume of submissions even previous award winners are sometimes not chosen. Because of this, HCA has the opportunity to present an eclectic variety of excellent artworks in various media.

Visitors to HCA can vote for the People’s Choice and participate in a “Best in Show” voting process sponsored by patch.com.

Free and open to the public
Mon to Fri 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sat 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sun 12 to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit Hopkins Center for the Arts online.

Artist Joshua Cunningham Connects to His Past While Painting Scott County Almanac

Savage Sunrise by Joshua Cunningham

Landscape painter, Joshua Cunningham embarked on a personal journey in 2010 after finding he has ancestral roots in Scott County, Minnesota. The idea came from a conversation at Thanksgiving about family ties to St. Benedict's Church near Jordan. With this in mind, Cunningham, from Saint Paul, ventured to Jordan to paint St Benedict's Church where his great-grandparents had been married. Inspired by what he found during his excursion, Cunningham began to paint Scott County's beautifully and colloquial landscapes.

"I really pursue how light defines a place, and the light is always different," said Cunningham. When one is looking for interesting patterns of light and shadow--everything is interesting--the world of subject matter becomes very wide."

Cunningham's show at Savage Art Studios & Gallery in Savage will feature an entirely new body of work which explores the seasons as they play out across the communities within Scott County. Then an invitation from the Savage Art Studios & Gallery to show Scott County Almanac gave Cunningham a great excuse to further explore the area and expand the scope of his original project. Cunningham said "As I drove through Scott County, which was new to my eyes, I found so much inspiration to paint. The paintings just kept presenting themselves to me, one after another. I believe the outcome is my strongest body of work ever." 

The more he did, the more the show began to broaden to include Savage, Prior Lake, Jordan, Shakopee and other area communities which stretched beyond his own family's heritage.

"It is about all of Scott County and what I found interesting, inspiring, beautiful and exciting about its contemporary landscape," said Cunningham.

The show includes more than 30 new paintings created on location and in the studio of community landmarks, farmsteads, fields, barns, lakes, urban and vistas landscapes.

The show goes through August 31.

Hop, Skip and Jump by Joshua Cunningham

Savage Art Studios & Gallery
(651) 497-7480
4735 West 123rd Street, STE 200
Savage, MN 55378
www.savageartstudios.com
www.JoshuaCunningham.com

I Am a Link

Opening reception for "I Am a Link"

 

The Textile Center presents a selection of pictorial rugs by Dorothy Sauber in “I Am a Link,” on display in the Joan Mondale Gallery now through September 3, 2011.

These hooked rugs, many of which have not been shown publicly for 25 years, are rich with pictorial images of the world in which Sauber lived. She used the medium to reflect on the social issues and moments with family that touched her heart. The bold colors and designs draw the viewer in and create an immediate connection to the poignant messages.

Free
Joan Mondale Gallery
Textile Center
3000 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (Map)

For more information, visit the Textile Center online.

2011 MCBA Prize Winner

 Sarah Bryant, Biography

Congratulations to Sarah Bryant, winner of the 2011 MCBA Prize! Her work, Biography, looks at the chemical elements of the human body and explores the roles they play in the rest of the world. She strives to create a portrait of a human being using the periodic table, which is a visual tool for categorizing our universe. Bryant’s work was chosen from 147 submissions from more than 150 artists, representing 22 nations and all 7 continents. The MCBA Prize is the first honor to recognize book art from across the field and around the world.

You can view the winning work and all submissions at the MCBA Prize online gallery.

Must See Art: The Soap Factory

Where to go:
The Soap Factory
514 2nd St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (Map)

What to do:
1. Take a tour around the city.
The Common Room program returns this month with themed tours of Minneapolis led by curators Andy Sturdevant and Sergio Vucci on Wednesday nights. Themes include a Minneapolis Olfactory Tour and a Wish List Tour. For more information, take a look at the program schedule.

2.  See Three Artists: Guo Gai, Meng Tang, Slinko, August 27 to October 23.
This show features three artists, Guo Gai working in Beijing, China, Meng Tang, who is a Chinese artist currently living in Minneapolis, and Slinko, a New York City artists who emigrated from the Ukraine in the 1990s. The work of all three artists addresses issues of society, memory, language and loss, while retaining an emphasis on the beauty and power of the object.

3. Get excited for the Haunted Basement, October 1 to 31.
Back for its fifth year, the Haunted Basement is redesigned this year and promises to be better than ever. Buy tickets now or (if visiting isn’t going to be enough) sign up to volunteer! Go online for more information.

Must-see piece right now:
Guo Gai, Wronged (detail pictured above)

While you’re in the area:
Take a stroll through Mill Ruins Park and across the Stone Arch bridge before stopping for a drink and a bite to eat at any of the bars and restaurants in St. Anthony Main.

Want more info?
Visit the Soap Factory online.

MPLS Photo Center Classes

Looking for something to do with the remaining weeks of summer that doesn’t involve food on a stick? Check out the classes at MPLS Photo Center! From Beginning Photo Composition to Advanced Digital Image Manipulation, there is something for every photographer. They even offer a one-week international travel workshop in Umbria, Italy!

And don’t worry, if you do happen to be a fan of food on a stick, MPLS Photo Center is offering a weekend-long course that includes two full days of shooting at the Minnesota State Fair. What better way to combine your creative side and the ultimate Minnesota summer entertainment?

For more information, check out the course listings online.

Uptown Art Fair

 

It’s that time of year again! Head to Uptown this weekend for the Uptown Art Fair, August 5 to 7, 2011.

Now in its 48th year, the fair is the second most-attended event in Minnesota with more than 350,000 visitors each year, surpassed only by the Minnesota State Fair. This year’s fair includes more than 350 artists from 35 states and 4 countries. Better still, The Uptown Art Fair takes place during the same weekend as the Loring Park Art Festival and the Powderhorn Art Fair. Don’t miss this summer favorite!

Tired of the annual battle for parking around the fair? Grab a free MetroTransit Art Pass or check out the free bike valet and Park and Pedal options provided by Nice Ride.

Friday, August 5, noon to 5 p.m.
Saturday August 6, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday, August 7, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit the Uptown Art Fair online.

Must See Art: Savage Art Studios

Where to go:
Savage Art Studios
4735 W. 123rd St., Suite 200, Savage, MN 55378 (Map)

What to do:
1. See Scott County Almanac by Joshua Cunningham, now through August 31
This body of work explores light and the seasons as they play out across the cities, towns, farms and wild places of Scott County, MN, the home of the artist’s ancestors.

2. Have a peek at at working artist’s studios.
Savage Art Studios is home to the studio space of eight artists. Visitors are encouraged to explore these spaces and see both finished and in-progress works.

3. Sign up for an art class.
Offering both focused workshops and weekly classes for all skill levels and ages, classes are offered for everyone. Classes at Savage Art Studios are taught by professional artists. Go online for more information and class listings.

Must-see piece right now:
Joshua Cunningham, Falling, oil on mounted linen (pictured above)

While you’re in the area:
Visit the historic Savage Depot for coffee and lunch before heading to local wineries, Valley Fair, Historic Murphy’s Landing, or other attractions in the south Metro area.

Want more info?
Visit Savage Art Studios online.