McKnight Artist Fellowships for Visual Artists

The 2012/13 McKnight Visual Arts Fellowship application site is now open! Visit the application website for more information about the application process and to submit materials. The deadline for submission is Friday, April 6th at noon.

The McKnight Foundation’s Arts program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Established in 1981, the McKnight Artist Fellowships provide annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in 12 areas. The Arts program supports the conviction that the arts cannot flourish or enhance community life without the ideas, energy, and drive of individual artists, and that artists cannot make these contributions without unfettered creative time.

For more information, contact Kerry Morgan, program director, at gallery@mcad.edu or (612) 874-3667.

Call for Artists: The Soap Factory

The Soap Factory is looking for artists to exhibit during their 2013 season. Group exhibitions curated from submissions could include up to 8 artists. Of particular interest are proposals created specifically for The Soap Factory galleries. Projects that use the entire 12,000 square feet of gallery space are encouraged but not mandatory.

Because the galleries are located in a 120-year-old industrial warehouse, there is no climate control, air conditioning or permanent heating system. Please keep this in mind when choosing work to submit.

Proposals must be received by mail (NO email submission will be accepted) before April 30, 2012. For more information on submission guidelines, go to www.soapfactory.org/submissions.php.

Art Social Club

Are you a visual artist, dancer, writer, musician or arts enthusiast looking for like-minded people to socialize with? Hopkins Center for the Arts has just the thing for you.

The Arts Social Club was created to fill a need for informal networking events that would bring together a wide variety of people in the creative fields. These events have been very successful and enthusiastically embraced by attendees. Meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month. Everyone is welcome to come and participate in what always promises to be an interesting discussion. Free appetizers are provided by Wild Boar.

The next Arts Social Club date is February 27th and no reservation is necessary.

Fourth Monday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.
Wild Boar
1022 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN 55343

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

The Gordon Parks Gallery Legacy Lecture

Portrait of Gordon Parks

Don’t miss Gordon Parks Gallery’s second annual Legacy Lecture on Tuesday, February 21st. Author and professor Alexs Pate will give a presentation entitled “The Big Dream: Gordon Parks in the White World.”

The talk will focus on the unique life of Gordon Parks as recorded in his autobiography To Smile In Autumn. Parks traveled the globe during his lifetime and interacted with world leaders and celebrities, making his story unlike that of any black artist who preceded him.

Tuesday, February 21 from 7 to 8 p.m.
Metropolitan State University, Library and Learning Center, Ecolab Common Room
645 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106

For more information, call (651) 793-1631 or visit The Gordon Parks Gallery online.

BTAC Accepting Exhibition Proposals

Artists living in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin are encouraged to submit exhibition proposals to be considered for Bloomington Theatre and Art Center’s (BTAC) 2014 Exhibition Program. Artists who are chosen for exhibition may be given a solo show or combined into a small group show in either of BTAC’s two galleries.

BTAC’s Exhibition Program strives to present high-quality work of diverse subjects, styles and media which spans the familiar-to-challenging continuum in an attractive and professional setting. Artists who would like to receive an informational prospectus may call (952) 563-8570 or can find a printable .pdf at www.bloomingtonartcenter.com.

Must See Art: American Museum of Asmat Art

Roy Villevoy, The New Road, 2007.

Where to go:
University of St. Thomas--Anderson Student Center
2115 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55105

What to do:
1. Come to the grand opening reception Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m.

2. Listen to graduate student, Natalie Andron McMonagle, introduce "Deconstructing Eden: Asmat Identity Rediscovered" in which she explores the fluid, multifaceted identity of Asmat culture in Papua, Indonesia through carvings, weavings, photographs and video. Lecture to be given during opening reception.

3. View photographs and video of the Asmat people from Dutch artist Roy Villevoye as he shows his body of work as part of the exhibition, now through June 4.

Must see right now:
As one of the most comprehensive museums of Asmat art in the United States, the University of St. Thomas's American Museum of Asmat Art has over 2,000 peices ranging from sculptures to fiber art, all never been seen collectively in a permanent space.

While you're in the area:
Situated in Saint Paul’s beautiful Summit Avenue community, St. Thomas offers a variety of activities for visitors from the O’Shaughnessy Education Center lobby gallery to the many food venues at the new Anderson Student Center to simply walking along Summit Avenue and enjoying the architecture. Also be sure to visit the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery south on Randolph Avenue or Concordia University St. Paul Galleries.

Want more info?

Call Julie Risser at (651) 962-5512 or email jarisser@stthomas.edu.

Support Savage Art Studios

Savage Art Studios has recently experienced financial strain with the current economic climate. Due to this stress, director Jo Storey has been forced to notify the City of Savage that the organization will need to restructure or vacate their lease by spring.

Storey reports that the City and the Savage Arts Council have responded positively. Says Storey, “It is not a case of ‘going out of business’ but rather a case of hoping to find a long-term plan for a permanent arts community or center in Savage.”

The Savage City Council will discuss recommendations during their meeting on February 13th. Members of Savage Arts Council will be in attendance. If you would like to have input in the process and support Savage Art Studio, please attend.

Monday, February 13 at 7 p.m.
Savage City Hall
6000 McColl Drive, Savage, MN 55378

For more information about Savage Art Studios, call (952) 895-0375 or visit them online.

2012 Minnesota Book Artist Award Given to Cave Paper

Cave Paper founders Bridget O'Malley and Amanda Degener

Congratulations to Cave Paper, winner of the 2012 Minnesota Book Artist Award! This annual award recognizes excellence throughout a body of work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota’s book arts community.

Cave Paper was founded by Bridget O’Malley and Amanda Degener, who have been book artists for more than 17 years. The two work together daily to forward Cave Paper’s mission and reputation for attention to detail and high-quality finished products.

Join Minnesota Center for Book Arts tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. for the opening reception of a show featuring O’Malley’s and Degener’s works in Open Book’s Cowles Literary Commons. Don’t miss this chance to see this award-winning work!

Friday, February 10, 2012 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415

For more information, call (612) 215-2520 or visit Minnesota Center for Book Arts online.