During the months of April and May, students in Mrs. Madden’s St. Peter High School class participated in a 4-week artist residency program coordinated by the Arts Center of Saint Peter.  The program was funded by VSA of Minnesota.  VSA Minnesota’s mission is to create a community where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in and access the arts.  VSA Minnesota, founded in 1986, is an affiliate of VSA in Washington D.C. which was founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith. VSA Minnesota is a non-profit agency that provides programs and services that make the arts available and accessible to Minnesota people with disabilities.  During the residency, students worked with local artist, Sara Leadholm to develop a greater understanding of art concepts by working with a range of media including paintings, clay, wire sculpture, and mixed media.  This interactive residency actively engaged students of all abilities, encouraging socialization and self-exploration.  The exhibition is a culmination of their creative explorations.

Heather Nameth Bren used her McKnight Fellowship year to explore large-scale work, as well as to identity new and deepen past gallery connections for later exhibition of this new body of work. Bren received her MFA from the University of Kansas in Lawrence and was part of an international exchange at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent in England. She is an assistant professor of art at Northwestern College. Prior to her appointment at Northwestern she taught at Bethel University in Roseville, Minnesota; Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas; and Lawrence Art Center in Lawrence, Kansas. Bren’s work has been included in such exhibitions as Northern Exposure: A Survey of Contemporary Ceramics in Madison, Wisconsin; NCECA 2009 Clay National Biennial Exhibition, Tempe, Arizona; Not Not Clay: Really Contemporary Works, Minneapolis; and From Our Perspective: A National Women’s Art Exhibition in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Bren creates conceptually based sculptures that incorporate a combination of traditional and experimental ceramic-making techniques. Bren states; “ I create images and forms re-framed by abstraction and inspired by historical reference. Whether I am handbuilding, casting, re-casting or re-glazing ceramic objects, I always address transformation. The re-appropriation of an existing object re-contextualizes and opens surrounding ceramics in contemporary art.”

Jonas Arčikauskas received both his BFA and MFA in ceramics from Vilnius Academy of Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, where he currently maintains his studio with his wife, Dalia Gentvainyte, also a ceramic artist. In addition to having been a professor of ceramics at Vilnius Art Academy, Arčikauskas has held various positions in the theater world in Lithuania, including stints as the Art Director at Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, a stage and costume designer at Kaunas Drama Theatre, and a decorator at the Lithuanian Russian Drama Theatre. In addition, he has done stage, costume, and makeup design, video installation, and lighting design for dozens of theater productions in Lithuania, Latvia, and Japan. Arčikauskas has received numerous grants and awards for his ceramic work, including four Lithuania Federal Grants.  Arčikauskas is interested in ceramics as the “art of personal expression.” Its connection with the earth and its role as a key player in modern interior and exterior design, and modern culture, is of great interest to him. He recently completed the construction of his second “Pit”, which he describes as containing ideas and holding the meaning of an art object and its motivation. “A pit or a hole is a dark side of a human being. Every artist wanders, as Dante had done, through his vision of hell,” says Arčikauskas. His pit sculptures are dug into the floor/ground and lined with high relief sculptural tiles of stoneware and porcelain clay bodies. The pit is covered with a large piece of glass that blends with the floor’s surface.  During his residency, Arčikauskas created a composition of 21 sculptural figures. He described the opportunity of sharing creative experiences with his fellow studio artists at NCC as “priceless.”

Ryan Matthew Mitchell received his MFA from the University of Montana at Missoula and his BFA from Montana State University at Bozeman. He recently completed an artist residency at the HAP International Tri-City Wood-Fire Festival in Beijing, Fuping, and Guilin, China. Prior to that, Mitchell was a resident artist under the LH Project in Joseph, Oregon; at Australia National University in Canberra; and at The Clay Studio in Missoula, Montana. His wood-fired sculptures have been included in such exhibitions as Altered Narratives in Phoenix, Arizona; Ceramic Montana at the UC Gallery at the University of Montana; In the East at XYZ Gallery in Beijing, China; and Beautiful Conundrums at Plinth Gallery in Denver, Colorado.  Mitchell looks “for meaning and truth in the residue and rubble of our daily world, rather than in the pursuit of our ideals.” His large-scale works average two to four feet in height and employ wood-fired stoneware and porcelain, as well as such mixed media as steel rebar and concrete.

Linda Christianson used her Fellowship year to produce work that will be featured in upcoming exhibitions in England and France. Additionally, she is currently in the process of converting her library of images to a digital portfolio. Christianson received a BA in studio art from Hamline University in St. Paul. She has been a studio potter for over 30 years and maintains a studio and woodkiln in Lindstrom. Her pots have been included in group shows such as La Mesa, Santa Fe Clay, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Yunomi Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa; Tablewares: An International Collection, Rex Irwin Gallery, Sydney, Australia; and Ahead of the Need, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, Montana. Christianson has presented workshops and lectures around the globe, most recently at North Harris College in Houston, Texas; Sheridan School of Art in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; and Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island. Christianson creates beautiful wood-fired pots which speak to everyday use and function. She states; “The pots must have a compelling visual interest on their own, yet give way to utility. In many ways they act as a stage set: appearing and disappearing at rest and in use.

Alexandra Hibbitt currently lives in Athens, Ohio, where she is the assistant professor of ceramics at Ohio University School of Art. She received her MFA from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, a Higher Diploma Ceramics from Gerrit Rietveldd Academy of Art and Design in Amsterdam, and her BA in 3-D design from the Central School of Art in London. She has been a visiting artist at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Arizona State University in Tempe, and the University of Minnesota, among others. Hibbitt’s ceramic work has been featured in such publications as 500 Ceramic Sculptures (Lark Books) and Ceramics Monthly. Recent exhibitions include 3 Weeks at the International Ceramic Studio in Kecskemet, Hungary; In the Margins, the Icehouse Contemporary Arts Center, NCECA, in Phoenix, Arizona; 23rd International Ceramics Symposium Bechyne, the School of Ceramics, Bechyne, Czech Republic; and Souvenirs of Louisiana, Rosewood Gallery, Kettering, Ohio.

While in residence, Hibbitt created a body of work that addresses “the mediation of experience through technology,” the intersections of craft, art and design, and notions of cultural identity. She combined handcrafted and digitally formed materials as she created ceramic forms that will be scanned and later digitally fabricated into medium density fiberboard and Plexiglas.

Lifeworks mission is to serve the community and people with disabilities as we live and work together.  Lifeworks is passionately committed to fostering a greater understanding of people with disabilities so that they are heard, their interests are respected, and their contributions valued.  Lifeworks provides customized services for people with disabilities that help them to live full and meaningful lives.

Bryan has worked professionally as an artist, a graphic artist, and a college professor. He is currently resides and works as an artist in Minnesota, where he continues to work both independently and collaboratively. His work has been in numerous exhibitions, from solo to regional and national juried and invitational exhibitions. His work has been published in several journals and is part of many collections.

Bryan’s most recent work is a mix of digital images, photo manipulation, collage, found art, image transfer techniques, painting, and a variety of other techniques and experimentation. His work is influenced by graphic design, vintage art, painting, photography, mythology and a little bit of philosophy.

A PLRAC/McKnight Emerging Artist grant in 2005 set the foundation for a number of solo and group exhibitions in St. Peter, Mankato, Waseca, Owatonna, and Minneapolis. Pam is known as a painter whose work has focused on themes related to the internal lives of women through simple forms and dramatic use of color. As a recipient of the PLRAC/McKnight Foundation Fellowship, Pam has worked for the past year with professional conceptual artist and teacher, Cheryle Melander to shift to new themes, media, and presentation.  She characterizes the relationship as extremely challenging and extraordinarily rewarding. Her new work evolved in unexpected ways and with unexpected methods and media. The finished pieces became investigations of the fragility of the vessel skin creates as it shields the inner physiology.

In 2010, Kay photographed and interviewed 13 retired School Sisters of Notre Dame for her first solo exhibit, Blessed Are the Hands that Have Served.  Following her exhibition, she was awarded a PLRAC fellowship grant to continue her series with a new group of subjects. This led to her current series, a collection of words and photographs highlighting individuals who worked the land in south central Minnesota.

Referencing her current body of work Kay says, “If you held a drop of water in your hand, you would be holding the brief moment written of each person’s life.  If you study each hands photo, you will get a fleeting glimpse of a moment of their story.  Learning how the people in the exhibit have used their hands throughout their lives has been a gift to me, as I hope it will be to you.”

“We are pleased to use the Arts Center of Saint Peter,“ noted Brenda Byron, PLRAC Executive Director.  “The arts center has two levels and can accommodate over 40 pieces of art work.” At the reception, artists will be introduced and allowed to discuss their work and Michael Jorgensen, St. Peter a baritone vocalist will perform.

Artists featured in the exhibit are: Pamela Bidelman, St. Peter-oil painting; Cheryl Casteen, St. Peter-photography; Denise Friesen, North Mankato- monotype works; Michael Jorgensen, St. Peter-vocalist; Mika Laidlaw, Mankato-ceramics; Lois Peterson, St. Peter-mixed media; Patti Ruskey, Mankato-mixed media; Todd Shanafelt, Mankato-mixed media sculptural works; Janice Tanner, Janesville-mixed media; Brad Widness, North Mankato-printmaking.

Mai Yia Moua

Cassie Napoli

Sam Hemmerich

Passang Chozom

Eydie Kramer

David Pedersen

Evan Taylor

Heather Pallas

Blong Lor

Zabrina Stellburg

Encapsulating the outstanding talent of a handful of Minnesota’s acclaimed rural artists, the RACA group exhibition will feature:

Karl Unnasch
Michon Weeks
Liz Miller
David Hamlow
Gregory Euclide
Benjamin Gardner
Alan Montgomery
Lisa Bergh
Andrew Nordine
Diana Joseph
David Clisbee
Erik Waterkotte
Brian Frink

Curated by Mankato-based artist, Brian Frink this group exhibition features everything from prints to paintings and installations to photography.