Exhibitions

Seven Folds from Tires to Roof

By heathercarroll February 28, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, University Gallery, Weisman Art Museum

“If big things come in small packages, what comes in a 10 pound, seven ounce, brown paper package that measures 2 feet by 2 feet by 5 1/2 inches?

A 10 foot 3 1/2 inch[-tall] 36 foot 2 inch-long life-size poster of a Greyhound bus, what else?”

 

That was the beginning of an article by Sandee Krupp for an unnamed publication, a clipping of which was found in a University Gallery Press Book from 1969. The photo in this article shows the artwork being unfolded in a hallway in Northrup Auditorium, the former home of the art collection and the University Gallery. The unfolding and refolding of a life-sized screen-printed photomural of a Greyhound bus sounds like happening in itself!

Page from the 1969 Press Book in the Weisman Art Museum archival collection at the University of Minnesota.

This enormous print was conceived by Mason Williams. Williams is known more for his music and the theme song he wrote for the (sometimes controversial) Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour than for his other artistic expressions. One of the Weisman Art Museum’s registrars shared this enlightening document from the object file of Actual Size Photograph of an Actual Size Bus.

120 feet of Scotch brand double-faced tape? Is that archival?!

Document from WAM’s object file for “Actual Size Photograph of an Actual Bus”, circa 1967.

Krupp’s article ends:

One observer suggested a new gallery–just for the bus.
And so, after many “Well, what can we do with it?” and not one workable answer, the bus was folded back up again, seven folds from tires to roof and 32 folds from headlights to the rear bumpers.

“Seven folds from tires to roof and 32 folds from headlights to the rear bumpers”, it lay safely tucked away in 1969 and waiting for decades to come. It took not just a new gallery but a whole new building for there to be enough space to display this work of art.  Seen here, too large to be framed, photographed while on display in the exhibition Reviewing the Real (6/8/2013 to 9/8/2013).

Mason Williams, with photography by Max Yavno, Actual Size Photograph of an Actual Bus, 1967, screenprint on paper, 123-1/2 x 434 in., Collection of the Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Ruben, 1969.30.

And “seven folds from tires to roof and 32 folds from headlights to the rear bumpers”, it lays today, safely tucked away and waiting for the next time.

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

 

 

Power, Mutiny and Monster Island

By heathercarroll February 2, 2018
Exhibitions, Processing, Uncategorized, Weisman Art Museum

While processing the archival materials of the curatorial department of the Weisman Art Museum, I came across an article from MN Daily called Imaginative Immersion: Three Days, Five Artists, which was about an atypical exhibit at the Weisman Art Museum in February of 2008. These five artists were part of a group independent study with UMN’s art department inspired by Paul Shambroom’s exhibit at WAM the previous spring titled Picturing Power. The independent course culminated in “a semi-impromptu mural” titled Mutiny. The students–Andy Brinkman, Brett Gustafson, Miles Mendenhall, Rhett Roberts and Travis Hetman–formed the group known as Monster Island. Over the course of three(ish) days, Monster Island installed Mutiny in the Shepherd Room of the Weisman Art Museum.

Monster Island

mon·ster is·land
-noun

  1. Multi-headed art beast originating from Minneapolis, MN. Known to eat art.
  2. Geographical location designed specifically for the containment of gigantic creatures.
Thanks to the Wayback Machine for the snippet above from Monster Island’s former website

To exhibit in a museum is a truly amazing opportunity for students. The only caveat to this opportunity: they could leave no mark or trace on the walls of this room. Instead the students used large sheets of paper “(sketched, painted and chalked) and a whole lot of blue masking tape.” 

“In their five-day project, Monster Island sought to address this relationship between public and private space, and the power between and throughout those spaces, not only through the final piece, but also through the interactive experience of construction. While the process unfurled as a sea of paper, paint and chalk onto the carpeted floor of the Shepherd Room, the guys encouraged museum-goers to enter, examine and discuss.”

MN Daily reporters followed the mural project’s installation, evolution and soundtrack from beginning to the opening celebration on Feb 24, 2008. The article mentions a timelapse of the installation that I’d love to see someday.

For more, click on the images below or contact nationalsales@mndaily.com for the more information or a copy of the article.

Mutiny article, part 1.

Mutiny article, part 2.

Mutiny article, part 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Jacob Lawrence: Thirty Years of Prints

By heathercarroll January 22, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, Weisman Art Museum

Jacob Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an artist, storyteller, educator and chronicler African American life in America. Lawrence’s works are in collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Art Institute Chicago, and Seattle Art Museum. Locally, Lawrence’s works are included in collections of the Walker Art Center, and Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the Weisman Art Museum.

In early 1996, the Weisman Art Museum shared Lawrence’s print works on paper in the exhibition Jacob Lawrence: Thirty Years of Prints. There were many events associated with this exhibition beginning with a special opening reception and preview honoring Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence on Jan 20, 1996. This event came to my attention while I processing binders of photos and slides (now foldered in box #250). One binder titled “Photos of Important People”  included whole section dedicated to the Lawrence tribute.

Here’s a selection of the images from that evening:

Jacob Lawrence approaches the podium, WAM director Lyndel King applauding

Artist Jacob Lawrence holds up honorary degrees from UMN

Mayor Norm Coleman presents Lawrence with a Proclomation

Nils Hasselmo welcomes guests

Sunny Givens and Archie Givens, Jr.

 

 

 

 

Louis Bellamy with guests

Bobby McFerrin with guests

Judge Alan Page, Nancy Sims Page and Jacob Lawrence

 

 

 

Judge (and former Viking) Alan Page with Mia’s Evan Maurer

Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence and Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton

 

Phoebe Givens (left), Robyne Robinson (right)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other archival materials related to this exhibition:

Lawrence Opening and Preview Program, front and back. Note the long list of events!

Lawrence Opening and Preview Program, inside

Postcard for a later Tribute event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

 

 

In the Spirit of Martin

By heathercarroll January 15, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, Weisman Art Museum

Fifteen years ago this weekend, the anticipated exhibition In the Spirit of Martin: The Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. opened at the Weisman Art Museum with a full schedule of events. The purpose of the exhibition is clearly stated in the invitational brochure:  “By juxtaposing accounts in Dr. King’s life with visual renderings of those events, In the Spirit of Martin speaks to the power of art to shape collective national memory.” 

Although the exhibition was assembled by an outside curator, the local planning committee was comprised of over 38 individuals. Events associated with the exhibition included a preview party, choral performance, a community tribute to john powell, founder of the Institute on Race and Poverty, a talk with MLK’s friend and Pulitzer prize-winning author Roger Wilkins, Special MLK Day programs, Minneapolis Urban League’s documentary screening and a lecture by renowned artist Faith Ringold titled Art, Activism, and African-American Experience.

“Confrontation at the Bridge” by Jacob Lawrence, 1975. Included in WAM’s invitational brochure for the exhibition “In the Spirit of Martin”.

“Let Kingdom Come” by Paul Goodnight, 1992. Included in WAM’s invitational brochure for the exhibition “In the Spirit of Martin”.

“Peaceable Kingdon” by Malcah Zeldis, 1999. Included in WAM’s invitational brochure for the exhibition “In the Spirit of Martin”.

“In the Spirit of Martin was the first major museum exhibition to use the visual arts to explore the inspiring life and enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights leader, statesman, minister, and martyr, Martin Luther King is one of the most compelling figures in American history. An overview of the Civil Rights movement set the stage for the exhibition’s impressive range of artistic offerings. In the Spirit of Martin included paintings, works on paper, prints, sculpture, and mixed-media pieces by such artists as Elizabeth Catlett, Thornton Dial, L’Merchie Frazier, Jacob Lawrence, May Stevens, Charles White, and John Wilson. Some of the artworks cast Dr. King as a martyr and comment on violence in American society. These images convey the tremendous sense of outrage and loss caused by Dr. King’s death. Others examine his status as an icon of popular culture or a source of African American pride. Through its presentation of work in the visual arts, the exhibition demonstrates the extraordinary influence of Dr. King and speaks to the power of art to shape our collective national memory. A wide range of visual artists responded to Dr. King’s life and grappled with his message.”

~from Verve Editions

It wasn’t only visual artists that responded to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the archives in an oversize box, there is a black spiral bound sketchbook that was used as comment book for this exhibition. Visitors–especially children–were so inspired by the exhibition that many took the time to share their own inspired thoughts and creations.
Here are just a few:

To quote Mary from Central Senior High, “This I learned and will hold in my mind to help me see, when other’s are blinded”.

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Time Capsules: A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

By heathercarroll January 10, 2018
Exhibitions, Processing, Uncategorized, University Gallery

 

 

 

 

Photography has a curious way of encapsulating and immortalizing what might otherwise be a fleeting moment. Contemporary architectural photography is often devoid of people, sometimes placeless and gives a sense that the structures exist outside of time. While processing hundreds of photos for  A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, these uncropped, raw, pre-published versions of the architectural photography struck me as time capsules, outside the norms of architectural photography. Even knowing the intended use, there still seem to be more questions than answers in these photos. Some capture people or places during everyday moments like sprinklers watering a lawn or filling up a battered hatchback at a quaint gas station. Some are dated by non-architectural objects like automobiles and signs, and some imply movement while others are hauntingly still. Moments of happenstance frozen in time.

Fifth in a series, this photo-post was inspired by A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, published in 1977 as a supplement to University Gallery’s Bicentennial exhibition The Art and Architecture of Minnesota.

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Hard Lines: A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

By heathercarroll January 8, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, University Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

Straight lines, crisp angles, geometric forms, and openly planar surfaces in buildings become an embodiment of human’s power over the elements and ability to manipulate materials and environments. A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota defines most of the buildings included in this post as Moderne (Art Deco) Style, International Style, New Brutalist or New Formalist. Contemporary architectural photography–where buildings appear timeless, monumental and almost separate from their actual locations and with a general absence of people–seems to accentuate and highlight these particular styles.

Fourth in a series of photo-posts inspired by A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, published in 1977 as a supplement to University Gallery’s Bicentennial exhibition The Art and Architecture of Minnesota, this post samples some of the awesomely geometric, monumental and sometimes hauntingly sparse buildings so popular at the time this book was published.

The first few photos of the post exemplify the Guide’s glossary definition and characteristics of New Brutalism: “heavy, monumental and emphatically permanent…[with] a picturesque variety of forms–volumes projecting horizontally and vertically, contradicting shapes, shed roofs, cylinders.” Click the image to the left for the full description from the Guide.

 

 

St. Catherine University’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul, MN (below)

Dakota County Government Center in Hastings MN circa 1977. (below)Power Plant at the University of Minnesota in Morris, MN circa 19877 (below)

The “new” dormitories at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN circa 1977 (below)

The following photos of the post might better exemplify the Guide’s glossary definition and characteristics of International Style: “light horizontal volumes (often cantilevered), horizontality strongly emphasized, walls and glass surfaces in the same plane…extensive use of glass…” Click the image to the left for the full description from the Guide.

 

 

 

The United Airlines Hangar (below) was near the intersections of 34th Ave S and 494 in Bloomington MN. Described in the Guide as “a giant and workable hyperbolic paraboloid. Saarinen’s TWA building at Kennedy Airport transformed from concrete into angular steel.”

Southwest Junior High School in Albert Lea, MN circa 1977 (below)St Louis County Courthouse in Hibbing, MN circa 1977 (below)

Butler Brothers Warehouse Building in Minneapolis, MN circa 1977 (below) was remodeled inside with walls of glass and the original heavy wood beams.The image (below) of a humble commercial building turned residence in Tower, MN didn’t make it into the book but instead is described as Streamline Moderne style which the Guide’s glossary describes as “an outgrowth of the machine aesthetic” and characterized here by the “non-symmetric compositions, glass brick for walls and windows, [and] round windows”. 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

 

Sculptures: A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

By heathercarroll January 5, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, University Gallery


 

 

 

 

Minnesota has no shortage of roadside attractions, including sculptures of monumental scale. Third in a series of photo-posts inspired by A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, published in 1977 as a supplement to University Gallery’s Bicentennial exhibition The Art and Architecture of Minnesota, this post is dedicated to just a few of the architectural sculptures across the state.

A detail (below) from the previous post–just one of the quirky sculpture areas of the Nordaas American Homes former landscape/architecture folly in Minnesota Lake.

Hermann Heights Monument aka Hermann the German (below) of New Ulm, MN.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, statues standing 18′ and 10′ tall respectively, made their public debut at the 1937 winter carnival in Bemidji, MN. Paul and Babe have continued to captivate imaginations ever since.

Inspired by the enduring success of  Paul & Babe in Bemidji, Pelican Pete (below) “is a 5:1 scale model [in concrete] of a mounted stuffed pelican which is located in the Old City Hall” of Pelican Rapids.

The giant Dalecarlian Horse or Dala Horse in Mora, MN honors the towns Swedish roots.

While this winking lumberjack no longer stands outside Bigfork’s WPA-built Village Hall, a new lumberjack does.

St Joseph’s Church sculpture garden in Browerville MN (below). “To the right and left of the church are what appear to be an eighteenth century English folly and grotto, only in this case the intent is religious– a depiction of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. The boulder composition on the right with its sculptured figure, and the cascade on the left were created in the early twentieth century by Joseph Kieselewski.” ~A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, 1977.

The A&W Root Beer stand in Luverne, MN. This image didn’t make it into the final publication but a description did:
“Three creatures from the wilds of Disneyland, each holding a hamburger and a mug of root beer.”
Creatures from the wilds of Disneyland?? I can only imagine–but will probably never know–the sculpted expressions from the other side.

 

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Quirkiness: A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

By heathercarroll January 2, 2018
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, University Gallery

Idiosyncratic and quirky architecture seemed to abound at one time in the not-so-distant past. The purpose of these buildings remains in most cases a mystery–perhaps in some cases necessity was the mother of invention or in other cases people someone took matters into their own hands to make the building of their dreams a reality.

The book A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, which was created “to supplement and augment the Bicentennial exhibition, The Art and Architecture of Minnesota‚ organized and presented by the University Gallery in conjunction with the Minnesota Society of Architects”, includes many unique structures. Here is a just a selection of the unique, quirky and idiosyncratic buildings across the state:

This unique structure (below, circa 1977) known as the Corner House Restaurant no longer exists but stood near what is now a car dealership off Cliff Road and 35W South in Burnesville, MN. I can only hope that this tympanum suspended by exaggerated columns was used as an outdoor dining area or observation deck looking out at the nearby Minnesota River valley.

Bruce Goff, inspired by Antoni Gaudi, Frank Lloyd Wright and more, developed an architecture style was all his own. The small southwest Minnesota town of Mountain Lake was home to two of Goff’s creations: the Jacob Harder House and the Glen Harder House. A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota describes the Jacob Harder House (below) as “somewhat like a pregnant spaceship, sheathed in fish-scale shingles which really look more like chicken feathers.”

Goff’s “Glen Harder House” (below) was described in A Guide: “Three gigantic tree-trunk chimneys of river boulders project upward, each topped by an upturned piece of metal, and between them floats the house in birdlike (turkey?) fashion. The roof is covered with bright orange indoor/outdoor carpet.” Barn swallow perhaps, but turkey seems a bit harsh. Sadly, this house was burnt to the ground in a fire in the 1990’s.

Built by J.B. Johnson the Hurricane House (below) in Osakis, MN “was the home of a man who adjusted very little to any convention and admired bees.” While the home did withstand a tornado, it is apparently a misnomer that it was designed to do so and rather the shape was inspired by industrious bees (according to Historic Homes of Minnesota by Roger G Kennedy).

West of the Twin Cities in Dassel MN, what was once Danielson Auto Sales is today known as The Mushroom Building (below) was restored by the Dassel Area Historical Society and now serves ice cream and hosts town events.

Artichoke Town Hall, was described in A Guide circa 1977 as a shape that strongly suggested an artichoke with trim painted (appropriately) in artichoke green. However, the later application to the National Register of Historic Places suggests it is named for the nearby lake rather than its shape. Prior to becoming a town hall, this was the District 13 School House and is the only known octagonal school house in the state.

The Greek revival bank in Frontenac, MN–aka Frontenac Cycle Sales–has a cast iron facade identical to the historic bank in Marine-on-St-Croix, according to A Guide.

This miniature replica of the Villa Maria Academy in Old Frontenac, memorializes the girls’ school that burned to the ground in 1969 after being struck by lightening. Read more about it in the Old Frontenac history here.

This North Minneapolis garage (below, circa 1977) is still in use but no longer for the birds–today this garage is home only to automobiles and lawn mowers.

“[Kasson’s] major landmark. A circular stone base with a metal spiral staircase wrapped around it and the tank on tom–utility and romance, all in one.”
~from A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, 1977.

From A Guide: ” Here is an architectural/landscape folly which should be preserved. The main building is a dream version of Mount Vernon, surmounted by a triple tiered drum, a dome and a small replica of the Statue of Liberty. In the adjoining area are fenced statues of cows and horses. The nearby pond has a bridge, a fountain and a battleship…”
If you can believe it, the description of the folly* goes on. Although the site no longer exists, the business Nordaas American Homes is the biggest business in Minnesota Lake. The last building in this post is included as much for its interesting interpretation of Greek Revival architecture as for it’s sculptural adornments, which preview the next post in this series.

*Folly      noun
Architecture. a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend interest to a view,
commemorate a person or event, etc.: found especially in England in the 18th century.

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Familiar Places: A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota

By heathercarroll December 28, 2017
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, University Gallery

It was a great day when I opened a banker box to find hundreds of glossy, black and white photos of buildings–I love the nostalgia of old photographs, I love how architecture can be a time capsule reflecting the sensibilities and priorities of a community at a particular point in time and I have a growing curiosity about what was here before. I was delighted to discover they are all photos of structures that exist(ed) in Minnesota. There are over 2800 2″x 2″ contact prints of over 900 buildings and structures and more than 700 8″ x 10″ glossy photos.  Given my job, naturally I ask: How are these connected to the University and the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) archives? Were they in an exhibition? For a catalog?

With a little digging I found the photos were included in the book A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota, by David Gebhard and Tom Martinson and published by the U Press in 1977.

“This book was conceived from its inception to supplement and augment the Bicentennial exhibition, The Art and Architecture of Minnesota‚ organized and presented by the University Gallery in conjunction with the Minnesota Society of Architects. The exhibition was more than three years in the planning stages, and at every step our desire was to publish something other than an exhibition catalogue — something at once less ephemeral and more comprehensive yet not boring that ubiquitous person, the “interested layman,” with heavily erudite prose. In the end we decided to publish A Guide to the Architecture of Minnesota.”

~From the forward by Barbara Shissler, Director of University Gallery (UMN) and Daniel Sheridan, Executive Director of MN Society of Architects.

Based on the large amount of large format photos in the archives, I incorrectly expected this to be a coffeetable book. Instead, the book is small, thick and crammed with words in a small font.

Inside: razed buildings

Inside: typical page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the book is brimming with information, the pictures are tiny and surprisingly few. Here at the WAM Files, you get to enjoy a select few digital versions in comparatively glorious medium-high resolution! All the photos are believed to be taken in the mid-1970s by co-author Tom Martinson. The dates included on the labels usually refer to the construction dates of the buildings.

Mickey’s Diner (below), now on the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1977 (when 9 year olds could wander downtown St. Paul alone).

 

Cedar Square West (below), today known as Riverside Plaza, was designed by famed local architect Ralph Rapson who ran with the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia and Eero Saarinen. It is an icon of the Minneapolis skyline with its primary colored panels, located just outside Minneapolis’ downtown district.

The Stone Arch Bridge (below), today a pedestrian bridge, was in use as a train bridge until at least 1978, just a year or so after this picture was taken.

This view of the milling district (below) on the North side of the river is surprisingly similar today.

Minneapolis wouldn’t be Minneapolis without Skyways (below). Minnesotans have come up with some pretty clever ways to adapt to winter-life here and Skyways have got to be one of my favorites. This shot was taken between the IDS tower and (I believe) the former Dayton’s department store, crossing Nicollet Mall. Circa 1977.

The shelter on the west side of Loring Park (below) is a far cry prettier today with fresh paint and a cupola restored.

The ever-evolving Walker Art Center (below), designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes, opened in 1971 and shown here with two Alexander Calder sculptures, Spinner and Octopus.

Modern Cleaner building (below) is today the Modern Times Cafe in south Minneapolis. You’ll know it when you see it by its bright lime green and orange exterior. 

 

Mayflower Congregational Church on Diamond Lake Rd off of Highway 35 W, circa 1977. Today, this is The Museum of Russian Art.

Southdale Shopping Center (bellow)was the first fully enclosed shopping mall in the nation. It was quite luxurious, complete with Harry Bertoia sculptures, at least one of which remains in the space today.

Is that a two-story bird cage?

This is a fraction of the photos that seemed most familiar, but there were so many more. Hence, this is just the first of a few posts yet to come that will contain sculptures, architectural quirkiness, futuristic and brutalist buildings and more. Or if you’d rather, the photos and notes of co-author Tom Martinson are tidily awaiting your visit in box number 248.

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Twist and Seek(ins)

By heathercarroll December 7, 2017
Exhibitions, Uncategorized, Weisman Art Museum

 

I’ve been deep into processing photographs this week and was warmed by these photos from the 2001 opening for “Minnesota Art with a Twist”. Winter can be long and cold here, and maybe to some we seem a little wacky for putting up with it. Perhaps that’s just what inspired the theme of this exhibition–unconventional and a bit off-the wall, yet perfectly Minnesota. Cheese curds and french fries were served with wine at this event. There were roving jugglers and dancers, and for the kids, balloon animals and Twister. WAM Director Lyndel King wore a striking Nancy MacKenzie textile creation made from unexpected materials. Even more and rightfully so, the humorous, quirky, anything-but-normal works by Minnesota artists stole the show.

King wearing a Nancy MacKenzie creation for MN Art with a Twist

Gallery opening for MN Art with a Twist, with works by Donald Myhre and Herb Grika.

Art, off-the-wall and right back onto it. Guests marvel at the artworks in MN Art with a Twist.

Local artist and persona, Scott Seekins even made an appearance. I haven’t seen much of this local legend recently, but if ever there was an exhibition where I think he would fit in, this might be it. Perhaps he’ll make another appearance at WAM’s preview party for Prince from Minneapolis this week?

Local artist and persona, Scott Seekins shaking hands with Colleen Sheehy, former Director of Education at WAM (now head of Public Art Saint Paul), at the opening of MN Art with a Twist.

 

—Heather Carroll is the processing archivist for the Weisman Art Museum‘s collection at the University of Minnesota Archives. This project was made possible by funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

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