Confluence Gallery
In the
JANUARY 15 - FEBRUARY 19, 2021
Artists: Teresa Audet, Martha Bird, and Amy Usdin
Virtual Artist Talk: Tuesday, February 9, 7:00 p.m.
Please join Artistry for a live online discussion with exhibiting artists Teresa Audet, Martha Bird, and Amy Usdin. Learn about their creative process and the stunning artwork featured in their current exhibition, Woven. Participants will be able to to write in questions for the artists throughout the event.
Join the Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/96525563314?pwd=amZlamp5YWJHWEYyaTI0aVBXWWhkZz09 Meeting ID: 965 2556 3314 Passcode: 782640
It is not only a meditative respect of the medium that artists Teresa Audet, Martha Bird, and Amy Usdin have in common. They each wrap, weave, tie, and string together their preferred material to create artwork as a way to process their individual, personal stories and move toward a sense of wholeness and healing. Their tactile and fibrous materials and techniques, often employed in traditional crafts and basketweaving, are used to create unique and complex contemporary sculptures.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Teresa Audet is a sculptor and object maker from Minneapolis. Audet holds a BFA in Furniture Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and has studied at the Mount Fuji School of Fine Woodworking in Yamanashi, Japan. She has been awarded two Artist Initiative Grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and has participated in artist residencies and exhibitions nationwide. Audet teaches furniture making and art nationwide, including the Women’s Woodshop of Minneapolis, the North House Folk School, and Arrowmont School of Crafts. She is currently a MFA candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“My work serves as a visual diary, telling secrets between my inner thoughts and the objects produced from my hands.”
Martha Bird is an interdisciplinary artist, specializing in sculptural basketry. Her education as a Board Certified Holistic RN with an MA in Human Development weaves into her artistic practice. Martha has exhibited regionally and nationally and presents around the country on the health benefits of creating with one’s hands. Committed to community, she has been involved in the arts as a presenter, curator, writer, arts organizer, teaching artist and arts advocate. Martha’s work can be found in collections in Minnesota and New York.
“I am both fascinated and challenged by the very difficult Perigord Technique, used to make these sculptures. There are only a very few people in the US that know this weave, let alone repeat it.”
Minnesota artist Amy Usdin reclaims aging fiber nets as armatures for sculptures that speak to memory, nostalgia, and the meaning of objects. She exhibits locally and nationally with recognition including the 2019 Surface Design Award from the Surface Design Association’s International Exhibition in Print. Amy Usdin is also a fiscal year 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
“My work is nostalgic meditation on personal memory, time, and place.”
Amy Usdin is a fiscal year 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant and Martha Bird is a fiscal year 2021 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
In the Atrium Gallery
Practicing the Presence of Place
JANUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 26, 2021
Artist: Bob Schmitt
Minneapolis brush painter Bob Schmitt brings landscape paintings capturing iconic Minnesota scenes interpreted through his training in and practice of Chinese brush paintings. Viewers will recognize many locales including a monumental five-panel depiction of Minnehaha Falls in winter.
Meet the Artist: Bob Schmitt will be in the gallery on the dates listed below for a pop-up walk and talk. Stop in to visit with the artist and learn more about his work!
Tuesday, January 19, 1 p.m.
Friday, January 22, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, February 3, 1 p.m.
Thursday, February 4, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, February 9, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, February 10, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, February 16, 1 p.m.
Thursday, February 18, 10 a.m.
Due to COVID-19 face masks and social distancing is required. Please note that there is a 10 person capacity in the gallery at a time. No registration is required to attend the event.
Interview with artist, Bob Schmitt.
Painting the Frozen Sound of Minnehaha in Winter
Painting the dreams of six grandfathers
About the Artist
“My goal is to capture the essence of place as it lives in my memory and hopefully to touch that place where it lives in your memory.”
Bob Schmitt is a student and teacher of Chinese calligraphy and painting. He lives, paints and teaches from his little yellow cottage, Laughing Waters Studio, just a stones throw from Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He began brush painting as a 12-year old watching public TV. He has practiced all his life and studied weekly with a Chinese painting master for 22 years.
Gallery Hours
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
Due to COVID-19 face masks and social distancing is required.