Must See Art: THREE ROOMS

Where to go:
THREE ROOMS
3511 Galleria, Edina, MN 55435 (Map)

What to do:
1. Browse the art
THREE ROOMS offers the work of more than 100 contemporary artists working in a wide variety of media. You’re sure to find something that makes a perfect gift for friend and family… or yourself!

2. Attend the opening of the 15th anniversary show
Celebrate with THREE ROOMS while enjoying whimsical papier mache sculpture by Judith Whipple. The opening is November 12th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

3. Visit the neighbors
The 15th anniversary show opening coincides with the Galleria’s Holiday Open House, making it a great time to check out what the other shops have to offer. Be sure to stop by fellow TCFAO member Art Resources Gallery.

Must-see piece right now:
“Bobtanical” blown glass vessels by Kliszewski Glass (pictured above)

While you’re in the area:
Grab dinner at one of the five excellent restaurants in the Galleria and then take a stroll on the nearby Edina Promenade to view the outdoor sculpture.

Want more info?
Call (952) 926-1774 or email threerooms.amy@gmail.com.

Gearing Up for the Holidays

With Halloween just around the corner it is time to start considering holiday gift giving. Everyone has that person on their list who is impossible to buy for. What better way to deal with this dilemma than to give the gift of art? Many of our members are ready to help you do just that. Here are a few events to give you a head start on your shopping.

Ribbon Ring with a Floating Bezel and Channel Surround by Stephen Vincent

Begin your shopping this weekend with a jewelry trunk show by Stephen Vincent Designs at Grand Hand Gallery. With a wide selection of work in metal and gemstones by the Minneapolis duo Stephen Vincent and Catherine Lehman you are sure to find a great gift while supporting local artists.

Saturday, October 29 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, October 30 from 12 to 5 p.m.

Handcrafted wooden reindeer by Sticks

Once Halloween is over, head to SEASONS on St. Croix Gallery for their First Friday Celebration on November 4th. Enjoy music and refreshments while browsing a wide selection of hand crafted and original work that are sure to be a hit with friends and family.

Friday, November 4 from 5 to 9 p.m.

Ceramic vessels by Tom Willis

Don’t miss the annual Arts of the Holidays Show and Sale at Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Check out hand-made works in glass, jewelry, painting, sculpture and more during the opening reception Thursday, November 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Show runs November 17th through December 31st

For more information, visit the Grand Hand Gallery, SEASONS on St. Croix Gallery, and Minnetonka Center for the Arts online.

Remembrance of Past things

Chapel, Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, photo by Olga Ivanova

Head over to University of St. Thomas for Remembrance of Past Things: Memory, Mourning and Ritual, an exhibition that opens this week and runs through Jan. 26th, 2012.

The show features items of primarily local origins that create remembrance and assure that an idea, event or person is “gone but not forgotten.”  Included are photographs of memorials and the people they honor, clothing, accessories and other ephemera of mourning.

Dr. Steven Nelson will present the lecture “Mary Magdalene Campos-Pons: Memory is Feminine” in conjunction with the exhibit on Thursday, Nov. 17th at 6 p.m. in the O'Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium with a reception afterwards.

Free and open to the public.





O'Shaughnessy Educational Center lobby gallery
2115 Summit Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105

For more information, visit University of St. Thomas online.

Best of Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization Award Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the first ever Best of Twin Cities Fine Arts Awards! Voter turnout was excellent with people standing strongly behind their favorite galleries. The winners are:

Outstanding Art Gift Shop: 
The Shop at Textile Center

Outstanding Curator: 
Betty Bright and Jeff Rathermel (Minnesota Center for Book Arts) for Fine and Dirty: Contemporary Letterpress Art

Outstanding Reception: 
Anita Sue Kolman Gallery for their grand opening

Outstanding Artist Talk:
Mark Allen of Machine Project (Soap Factory) for “Conversation with Mark Allen”

Most Memorable: 
A Reasonable Facsimile at Christensen Center Art Gallery at Augsburg College

Most Inspiring: A tie!
I Am a Link: Pictorial Rugs by Dorothy Sauber at Textile Center 
Convergence at Traffic Zone Gallery

People’s Choice:
Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Thank you all for your votes! See a gallery on the list you aren’t familiar with? Go check it out! Find hours and addresses on our website.

Iron Maidens

Tamsie Ringler, Mare Fecundiatus (Sea of Fertility), cast iron, bronze, gold leaf, 2006

Don’t miss Iron Maidens which debuts its US tour now at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University. The show features women artists from Wales, England and America who work in iron casting.

Iron casting has a long history of use for the production of functional items but developed as an art form in the 1960s with the introduction of studio sized equipment. The practice has now gained popularity world-wide. The exhibition celebrates the unique contribution of women to the medium.

Exhibition runs through October 30.
Free and open to the public

For more information call (651) 690-6644 or visit the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery online.

2011 PhotoExposure Benefit Auction

Support the photography community in the Twin Cities and go home with a beautiful print from Photography at the Center’s first annual benefit auction on October 28th, 2011 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The auction features works by 53 well-known and up-and-coming photographers with local roots. Tickets cost $35.
All proceeds go to support the mission of Photography at the Center to further the photographic arts in our community by funding talks, lectures, workshops and other programming. Help this great new nonprofit organization realize their goals by attending what is sure to be an exciting event!

Mpls Photo Center
2400 North 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55411

 For more information, to view the works up for auction or to purchase tickets visit Photography at the Center online.

Five Days Left!

We are already halfway through Art on the Town but there is so much more yet to do! There are lots of great events to attend this week from opening receptions to demonstrations and more.

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite galleries for the Best of Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization awards! There are tons of great shows, curators, shops and galleries to choose from so make sure your voice is heard. Go online to vote now.

Planning to attend an Art on the Town event? Attended on already? You qualify to be entered to win prizes! Once you attend an event, simply tell us what the event was and you could win a print of the 2011 Art on the Town poster designed and screenprinted by Adam Turman or gift cards and memberships to local museums and galleries. Go online to enter!

For more information, visit www.artonthetown.org.

Vote for Your Favorite Galleries in the Best of Awards

The Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization (TCFAO) announced the finalists for the first ever Best of Awards. The awards recognize outstanding work in the arts from among the more than fifty TCFAO member organizations. The winners will be announced at the close of the Art on the Town ten-day event. Voting ends noon CST October 14th, 2011.

VOTE HERE>>

(One vote per person)

Outstanding Art Gift Shop finalists are:
The Shop at MCBA
Northfield Arts Guild Gift Shop
Northern Clay Center Sales Gallery
Textile Center Shop
Minneapolis Institute of Arts Museum Shop

Outstanding Reception finalists are:
Grand opening of Anita Sue Kolman Gallery
Winter Carnival Children’s Art Show at AZ Gallery
The Waiting Room at Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University
Book Art Biennial—MCBA Prize gala and award ceremony
Low Brow, High Octane at Northfield Arts Guild

Outstanding Curator finalists are:
Betty Bright and Jeff Rathermel (MCBA) for Fine and Dirty: Contemporary Letterpress Art
Kathy Daniels (Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University) for The Waiting Room
Rex Mhiripiri (Mhiripiri Gallery) for African Sculpture at Bloomington Theatre and Art Center
Anastasia Shartin (The Phipps Center for the Arts) for The Artful Rain Garden
Jan Shoger (Northfield Arts Guild) for New Impressions Print Invitational

Most Memorable finalists are:
A Reasonable Facsimile at Christensen Center Art Gallery at Augsburg College
Belfast Print Workshop: Celebrating 35 years of Prints at Highpoint Center for Printmaking
Many-Fold Manifolds at Hillstrom Museum of Art
Three Jerome Artists at Northern Clay Center
Rosemary Williams’ Belongings at The Soap Factory

Outstanding Artist Talks finalists are:
Mark Allen of Machine Project (The Soap Factory) for “Conversation with Mark Allen”
Richard Amos (Homewood Studios) for “Reaching Ancient Connections—from Modern America to Africa”
Brett Kallusky (Bethel University Galleries) for “Witness”
Julie L’Enfant, Ph.D. (Minnetonka Center for the Arts) “The Changing Face of Portraiture”

Most Inspiring finalists are:
Esperanza at Gordon Parks Gallery
1x1xOne at Homewood Studios
Made in Her Image at Robbin Gallery
I Am a Link: Pictorial Rugs by Dorothy Sauber at Textile Center
Convergence at Traffic Zone Gallery

People’s Choice finalists are:
AAW Gallery of Wood Art
Anita Sue Kolman Gallery
Form + Content
Groveland Gallery
Minneapolis Institute of Arts

VOTE HERE>>

(One vote per person)

TONIGHT: Opening Reception and Member Show at Open Book!

Art on the Town kicks off tonight, Thursday, October 6th, from 7 to 10 p.m.

Enjoy art, wine and music with your friends in the art community. 

Open Book building
1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

Get directions!

Participating members:
AAW Gallery of Wood Art • Anita Sue Kolman Gallery • AZ Gallery • Bloomington Theatre and Art Center • The FrameWorks Gallery • Form + Content Gallery •The Grand Hand Gallery •Katherine E. Nash Gallery • MCAD Gallery • Mhiripiri Gallery • Minnesota Center for Book Arts • NEMAA • Northern Clay Center • Northfield Arts Guild • Savage Art Studios & Gallery •Textile Center • Traffic Zone • Tychman Shapiro Gallery at Sabes JCC • University of St. Thomas • The Westminster Gallery

Speak Out for the Arts

If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check out this piece from the Star Tribune.

Mayor R.T. Rybak had some blunt words for supporters of the arts in our cities. After having his “head kicked in” over artist-designed water fountains, the mayor is calling out for more support from art leaders and the arts community at large. He is right though. If we want the arts to be supported and funded through rough economic times, supporters need to be vocal about it.

Please consider commenting on this article and voicing your support for the arts in the Twin Cities. Take his message to heart: be aware of legislation regarding the arts and in the future be sure to speak out in support of the wonderful arts community that we have created.