Northwest Minnesota Arts Council 
 

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The Northwest Regional Arts Council=s ninth annual art show successfully took place at the Roseau City Center and Library from April 30- May 4, 2008.  During the five days that the exhibit was displayed, over 450 people viewed the 124 pieces of art on display.  The Friends of the Library in Roseau and the Artists Unlimited group provided over twenty volunteers throughout the week to assist in the registration and hanging of the show, as well as coordinate the artist reception.  

The exhibit ended in an Artists Reception on Sunday afternoon.  The reception was attended by over 200 people. The Friends of the Library and Roseau Arts Arts Association hosted the reception and provided audience members with a wonderful array of food and beverage on a Scandinavian theme.  Since the Roseau County Historical Museum is within the same building they provided wonderful Scandinavian artifacts to adorn the tables.   This year’s juror was an accomplished painter and sculptor Suzi Rhae Ross of Cass Lake, MN.  Cindy Tsukichi of Thief River Falls, the current Northwest Regional Arts Council Chair, gave a presentation at the reception and distributed the $1,650.00 of awards to the winning artists listed below. The program was organized and facilitated by Mara Wittman, Regional Arts Council Director.  Music of Hope, a chamber orchestra from the Roseau area, played several selections for the audience.  A poetry piece was also read by a young student drama student from Roseau. 

The Northwest Minnesota Artist of the Year award was presented to Bernie Wilebski of Kennedy for her tireless commitment to bringing the visual arts to youth.  The Northwest Minnesota Arts Advocate of the Year award was presented to Annette Hermansen of Roseau for her outstanding volunteerism in literary and visual art in the Roseau area.  Both were presented with an engraved award and $500.00 to use on an arts activity of their choice.  More information on the Artists of the Year and Arts Advocate of the Year >>> 

Award Winners Announced

The Northwest Regional Arts Council=s eighth annual art show successfully took place at the Stephen Arts Center from April 11-15, 2007.  Participants in the show included 22 adult and 68 high school visual artists from the seven Minnesota counties of Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau.  During the five days that the exhibit was displayed, over 400 people viewed the 134 pieces of art on display.  The Stephen Arts Council provided over thirty volunteers throughout the week to greet guests and assist in the coordination. 

The Stephen Arts Center is relatively new to the city of Stephen.  A few years ago, the Stephen Arts Council purchased and renovated a church in town to be a charming Arts Center.  They provide year round programming in the facility and rent it out for various functions.  This town of 700 people is alive with arts and culture and we enjoyed having the exhibit occur here.  Stephen is only an hour northeast of Grand Forks, ND or an hour southeast of the Canadian border.   

The exhibit ended in an Artists Reception on Sunday afternoon.  The reception was attended by over 190 people. The Stephen Arts Council hosted the reception and provided audience members with a wonderful array of food and beverage.   This year’s juror was an accomplished painter Luther Pokrant of Winnipeg www.lutherpokrant.ca .  Kimberley Johnson of Kennedy, the current Northwest Regional Arts Council Chair, gave a presentation at the reception and distributed the $1,700.00 of awards to the winning artists listed below. The program was organized and facilitated by Mara Wittman, Regional Arts Council Director.  Michelle Jensen of Stephen played piano music for the audience, and a group from 42^nd Street Song and Dance entertained the audience with a vocal selection. 

The Northwest Minnesota Artist of the Year award was presented to Robin and Lorrie Foster of Red Lake Falls for their outstanding contributions to the use of local clay in pottery.  The Northwest Minnesota Arts Advocate of the Year award was presented to Lee Hoekstra formerly of Kennedy for his outstanding contributions in 42^nd Street Song and Dance Company and the Stephen Arts Council.  Both were presented with an engraved award and $500.00 to use on an arts activity of their choice.  More information on the Artists of the Year and Arts Advocate of the Year >>> 

The Northwest Regional Arts Council is the primary coordinator and sponsor of this popular area exhibition.  The exhibition is supported primarily with funding from The McKnight Foundation.  Additional funding support comes from an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature to the Northwest Regional Arts Council through the Minnesota State Arts Board.  The Northwest Arts Council provides a variety of programs and services to the artists, arts organizations, and arts specialists in the seven county service region. 

 Northwest Regional Arts Council home page >>>

General Information and History of the Exhibition >>>

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See the staff page to direct your questions to the correct person at the Northwest Regional Development Commission (NWRDC). 

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