Tag Archive: Gamut Gallery

  1. Visage

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    Visage: A Contemporary Portrait Show –  An exhibition featuring Amit Michaels, CL Martin, Brant Kingman, Hend Al-Mansour, Jade Patrick, Kao Lee Thao, Kelly Helsinger, Kristi Abbott, Leslie Barlow, Mat Ollig, Nell Pierce, Pam Eader, Patrizia Vignola, Stephanie Friest, Surelle Strike, Russ White and Van Holmgren – 17 artists exploring the contemporary lens of society by questioning what defines a modern portrait in a digital age. Curated by Francesca Bernardi.

    Amidst the prevalence of selfies and manipulated images, identity is often blurred. In our exhibit, Visage seventeen Minnesotan/Wisconsin artists have used varied artistic styles through collage, photography, oil, and acrylic paintings to create stunning portraits of figures from their imagination, their peers, and women who have impacted society.

    Visage prompts viewers to reflect on the complexities of identity and perception in today’s digital age, delving into contemporary portraiture by questioning what defines a modern portrait in the 21st century. Each portrait acts as a mirror, connecting the viewer to the subject’s image and a deeper reflection of what it means to be human and how we experience emotion while aiming to cultivate curiosity and foster connections between viewer and artwork.

    “Every artist comes from a unique background, whether an emerging artist in Minneapolis or an established artist that has shown worldwide. As I curated Visage I dove deeply into the intricacies of the modern-day human experience, wanting to encourage visitors to engage with diverse perspectives and appreciate the richness of human expression.” – Francesca Bernardi, Curator

    PUBLIC OPENING NIGHT:
    Friday, May 10th  // 7–10PM
    Featuring: Amit Michaels, CL Martin, Brant Kingman, Hend Al-Mansour, Jade Patrick, Kao Lee Thao, Kelly Helsinger, Kristi Abbott, Leslie Barlow, Mat Ollig, Nell Pierce, Pam Eader, Patrizia Vignola, Stephanie Friest, Surelle Strike, Russ White and Van Holmgren.
    • $10 presale available
    • $15 day of the event
    • FREE for members
    • DJ Paul Frett

    FIGURE DRAWING CLASS:
    Thursday, June 13th // 7– 9PM
    Loose instruction and facilitation by Brant Kingman
    • 18+ event
    • Live nude model
    • $20 to reserve your spot (space is limited)
    • Please bring your own drawing materials

    GAMUT 12TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY:
    Saturday, June 22nd 2024 // 7 – 10PM
    A fun-filled evening with muralists painting live in the courtyard, raffle prizes throughout the evening plus music brought to you by House Queens; DJ Sassy G and Michelle Muse!
    • $15 presales coming soon
    • $20 day of event
    • FREE for members 

    ABOUT THE CURATOR 
    Francesca Bernardi is the new Gallery Director and co-owner of Gamut Gallery. They are an art therapist, artist, art collector, and burgeoning curator. Through their work in art therapy, they are a skilled relationship cultivator, attentive communicator, and passionate about building community with multifaceted individuals. Visage is Francesca’s first solo curatorial endeavor. Francesca’s excitement for curating will lead to many more exhibits highlighting artists in Minneapolis.

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS
    Amit Michael is a self-taught artist based in Minneapolis, MN. He started art at a young age after moving to Minneapolis from Be’er Sheva, Israel when he was seven years old. His first group art show was at age nine as part of a youth program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Amit focused on music as his primary art form when he entered college, he graduated in 2015 from MCTC with an Associate’s Degree in Sound Engineering. He has played many venues as a musician, and recently in the past few years has found his way back to his brush. Much like Amit’s music, his process is improvisational and fluid. Working with a color deficiency inspires him to create high-contrast pieces, featuring many layers of bold patterns and textures within his portraits. He experiments with pronounced motifs and does not paint with a preconceived design, this allows him complete spontaneity leaving him open to the end result.

    CL Martin is a queer, figurative artist working in traditional media. She creates mysterious characters who exude their own distinct identities in a kind of still performance, imbued with diverse influences from history, allegory, design, psychology, and social constructs. She has studied art all her life and received a BFA in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 2007, she received an Artist Initiative Grant from the MN State Arts Board and the National Endowment for The Arts. She has exhibited internationally from Italy to New York and her work resides in private collections across the globe.

    Minneapolis artist Brant Kingman trained himself by studying masterworks in the great museums of Europe following graduation from Amherst College in 1976. After returning from abroad, he lived in New York City for seven years booking 62 shows in art venues such as the prestigious PS1 run by MOMA.  Kingman was shot in the chest in 1982. He returned to his hometown of Minneapolis where he maintains a studio in which he paints and creates bronze sculptures for galleries across the United States and in 10 foreign countries. His most recent major exhibits include a show at the Vietnam National Museum of Art in Hanoi and, through April 2018, paintings at MoMA in NYC. Years of exhibiting objects convinced Kingman that object making is but part of the artistic process that fits into the larger envelope of experience design. The artist now considers his primary role that of creating healthy, creative communities.

    As a child, Hend Al-Mansour carved large female figures into sand. Growing up, she was acutely aware of her limited opportunities as a Saudi Arabian woman. So instead of art, she studied medicine in Cairo, Egypt. For many years she practiced as a cardiologist but also built a reputation among her colleagues for the images she drew in the doctors’ rooms. In 1997, Al-Mansour relocated to the United States, where she finally was free to follow her calling: art. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the MCAD and also completed another Master of Art History at the University of St. Thomas. Al-Mansour’s art reflects the female culture of her hometown.  Arabic and Islamic aesthetics influence her work which references gender politics in the Arab world. In vibrant colors, her screen-prints integrate stylized figures, Arabic calligraphy, and designs of Sadou (Bedouin style) and henna. Al-Mansour was awarded McKnight Fellowship in 2018, Jerome Fellowship of Printmaking in 2013/14, the Juror’s Award of the Contemporary Islamic Art exhibition in Riyadh Saudi Arabia in 2012, and Minnesota State Art Board Artist Initiative grant in 2005. She has shown her work in regional, national, and international exhibitions, lectured on Arab art and her journey, and curated exhibitions featuring Middle Eastern artists. Al-Mansour is a co-founder of the group Arab Artists in the Twin Cities and was a member of the Arab American Cultural Institute in Minnesota, where she worked to promote the understanding and expression of Arab culture in the West.

    Kao lee Thaou uses the weapon of coffee my superhero powers are heightened, allowing me to create unique yet stylistic surreal and dream-like landscapes. Her world changed once I picked up a paintbrush.All of her inspirations come from her dreams and personal experiences. With every stroke Kao Lee leaves behind a window into her soul, hoping to spark inspiration in others. Her creations speak to her on a subconscious level defining what the result will be, she opens an inner channel and let my subconscious take over. Kao Lee runs her own 3D animation company called Folklore Studio where they produce animation for television and film. Animation is her window into the world, it enables her to merge her passion for art and love of storytelling to create art that is both personally meaningful and enjoyable for others.

    Kelly Helsinger is a Minneapolis-based artist primarily focused on abstract expressionism. Her work strives to balance chaos and control through color and intricate lines. She holds a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree focused on art, psychology, and creative writing from St. Cloud State University and has been selling her work professionally since 2010. From 2016 to early 2023, Kelly created under the name “MEA”, an acronym for her blog and alter-ego, Messy Ever After. Messy Ever After stood for embracing creative whims and accepting the chaos within an artistic identity and direction.

    As a collage artist, Kristi Abbott is fascinated with the use of color, pattern, and texture and tries to combine these elements in her work innovatively and excitingly using a combination of papers, paints, and other embellishment materials. Kristi also feels challenged to continue to push the boundaries of technique, subject matter, and provocation.  She is keen to understand some of the driving forces that shape our culture, communities, and social patterns.  Therefore each piece and series is thoughtfully researched and conceptualized to tell a story through the use of familiar imagery richly layered throughout each artwork. Her influences in her work include pop art and pop culture, Hollywood, music, and fashion. Kristi’s technique is still evolving and employs an exploratory and playful process, which can incorporate costuming, photography, graphic manipulation, collage, and painting.

    Leslie Barlow is a visual artist who primarily uses oil painting to embrace and investigate the entangled and elaborate web that comprises the intersections of racial identity, community, love, and belonging. Her work often captures community members in intimate forms that reveal vibrant and vital dimensions. Leslie’s work has been featured in the group exhibitions Rituals of Resistance at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (2021–2022), In Search of Lost Time at Dreamsong in Minneapolis (2021), and Creative Confinement at Minnesota’s Rochester Center for the Arts (2020–2021), among others. She has received the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship (2021), the Cultural Community Partnership Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2020), and the McKnight Artist Fellowship (2019). Leslie’s work is in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Weisman Art Museum, and US Bank Stadium, among others. Barlow is also a founding member of Creatives After Curfew, a collective of mural artists formed in the summer of 2020, and a founder of Public Functionary’s PF Studios, an incubator and studio program centering on emerging BIPOC artists.

    Mat Ollig is an oil painter living and working in NE Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at the Accademia di Bella Arte in Florence, Italy, and graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, MN prior to receiving his BFA in Painting & Drawing from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in Minneapolis, MN. Mat’s large, multi-faceted paintings were a result of his continued fascination with memory, reality, and perception funneled through the lenses of history and oil painting. Ollig’s influences include the movements of Cubism, Postmodernism, and Relational Aesthetics, as well as the work of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, and Alexander Ross. Mat Ollig’s work has been featured nationally, has been awarded the 2016, 2018, and 2020 MN State Arts Board Artists Initiative Grant, and has many paintings in notable permanent collections, including the Hyatt Regency, Schecter Dokken Kanter, Code42, Ogletree Deakins, BI Worldwide, and the Weisman Art Museum.

    Nell Pierce is a collage artist, acrylic painter, muralist, and teaching artist who sees art as a powerful tool for telling both individual and collective stories. They are part of the muralist collective, Creatives After Curfew and have been a facilitator and teacher for over a decade, working with organizations like Telling My Story and the Speaking Out Collective to support people of all ages in schools, community centers, prisons, and other settings to connect to themselves and feel agency in creating their narratives through visual art and theater. In 2024, they started teaching art classes for adults out of their studio. In their practice, they create paintings and collages (primarily portraits) on commission. Nell is currently working on a multi-year series, Q’llage, that explores how the strategies that support them and their queer community to stay true to themselves are mirrored in the natural world — drawing from their own experience and interviews with people in their LGBTQ2IA+ community. 

    Pam Eader is an artist working in oils and acrylics. She focuses on stylized portraiture of women, both real and imagined. She has spent the past 30 years buying and selling antiques and collectibles and draws inspiration from vintage photographs and textiles. Although she has been interested in art from an early age, it wasn’t until 2016 that she decided to pursue it as a career. Pam works out of her home studio in Cedarburg, Wisconsin and her work can be found in studio 159 of the Northrup King building in Minneapolis.

    Artistically, Patrizia Vignola’s interests have always manifested with the human form, more specifically with faces. Although she has strong abilities to capture a likeness, traditional portraiture was never her goal. It was always more about portraying something deeper, more emotional or philosophical about being human. Through the eyes of her subjects, she hopes to speak to the viewer on things about the human condition, the workings of the human brain, the individual on the inside vs. the one perceived on the outside, our connection to each other, the word we inhabit, the universe and our purpose in it. In more recent years, starting just after the birth of her daughter, these ideas began to culminate into thoughts around circumstances we are born into. From the time we are conceived, others have expectations of who we are. We “come with” a socioeconomic background, a cultural identity, stereotypes, gender norms, drug addictions, mental illnesses and so much more all built into us by the people in our family histories. These things we “come with” some wear with pride and some struggle to remove, improve, or change their entire lives.

    Russ White is an artist, writer, and designer living in Minneapolis. Born and raised in the Carolinas and Mississippi, he received a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and has maintained a studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis since 2014. White has exhibited his work regionally and nationally and is the recipient of three Minnesota State Arts Board grants (2018, 2020, & 2022). He also works as Senior Editor for MPLSART.COM and as a Communications Specialist for the University of Minnesota Department of Art. He served on the board of directors for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association and was editor-in-chief of their annual In Studio magazine from 2018-2020.

    Stephanie Friest explores how portraiture; particularly the uncanny or the unseen can connect to an audience and in doing so, create an emotional and visceral response. The motives that drive her work – as a whole – is her evocation to expose. The central themes are as diverse as her experience as being human. Drawing from these occurrences, Stepahnie’s work uncovers everyday motifs of sexuality, identity, race, gender, motherhood & death; concepts which we may partake in daily, yet sum to include as a significant part of the daily human experience. She is interested in playing with line and color; to blend the two and in doing so, construct a marriage of cohesion. I primarily use oil paints in my artworks, while the foundation of this particular body of work is illustration, which has been created through the use of charcoal and graphite. 

    Whether it is paint or ink, Surrelle Strike creates visual narratives and tells stories with her art. Since the beginning of time, we’ve told stories. Sometimes these tales were an escape into fantasy, but often storytelling was used as a way to teach morals and to share life-or-death advice. Fairy tales would be filled with love, and disappointment, warnings about types of men that a woman may encounter in the woods, or quiet recipes for ending an unwanted pregnancy. Fairy tales and fables were filled with the realities of both tragedy and hope. When she creates, she wants to tell a story, Surrellle wants you to think about what is happening in an image and find a way to connect with it personally. She loves weaving symbolic details into her artwork, to add to the narrative. She hopes you feel empowered, moved, excited or overwhelmed, and that her artwork speaks to you.

    Van Holmgren was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in central Iowa. He has worked as a professional artist for 10 years and as a full-time artist for the last six. His work has been shown across the United States and as far as London, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. There is a certain visual vibrancy that is consistently seen in his work, be it with color or content. Art is an idea, a way to present a statement to the universe and shout as loud as you can. His work depicts the modern human inevitably confronting and negotiating all of today’s experiences. Actions that have happened, will happen and possibly could happen. Much is the same with Van’s more sculptural work, where he presents the viewer with everyday objects revealing silent intentions, often juxtaposing man-made traps with arrows. He uses smoke in his work to show that humans have been there and have done something to the area. Snakes are often used to depict poisonous people who have no intention to help others than themselves. It is the artist’s job to wade through the muck of society to find truths to present to the viewer.


  2. Coalescence Art Talk

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    An intimate evening for discussion with exhibiting artists Jessica Kitzman and Evan Weselmann, curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, moderated by Russ White

    Russ White will facilitate a conversation between co-curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, delving into the inspirations behind the show, ‘Coalescence.’ Following this, we’ll explore the works of Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman, gaining insight into their artistic processes and sources of inspiration. It is an honor to host both Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman for this artist talk. Their captivating pieces have mesmerized viewers in the gallery with their sheer size and presence.

    Each artist possesses a distinct style that immediately identifies their work. Evan’s expertise lies in illustration and animation, characterized by dynamic hues and a play of positive and negative shapes. While his artworks may convey representational elements, their execution often leans towards abstraction. On the other hand, Jessica has refined her artistic style over years of experimentation with alternative mediums. The tactile quality of her work draws viewers in, prompting them to decipher the hidden meanings behind her choice of found objects and materials. Each piece invites exploration and contemplation, offering layers of depth and complexity

    COALESENCE CURATOR and ARTIST TALK:
    Thursday, April 4th // 7pm
    Russ White will facilitate a conversation between co-curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, delving into the inspirations behind the show, ‘Coalescence.’ Following this, we’ll explore the works of Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman, gaining insight into their artistic processes and sources of inspiration.

    This is a unique opportunity to connect directly with the artists and gain a deeper appreciation for their work!
    • $7 presales available
    • $10 day of the event, Free for Gamut Gallery Members

    GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS + CONTACT INFO
    FREE open hours: Thursday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. 

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS
    Evan Weselmann is an artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, working in illustration, animation, and painting. With an interest in asemic writing and automatic drawing borne from the surrealist movement, his paintings feature subtle line width and color changes, repeated on the canvas creating all-over compositions that explore the relationship between positive and negative space.  Apart from illustrating caricatures of imaginary people, he thinks about movements a lot more than anything. Evan strives for his work to be fun, playful, and easy to interact with. He is represented by Closer & Closer which led him to work with clients ranging from local mutual aid funds to international advertising agencies. Evan has recently produced illustration works for Chet Faker, Kid Cudi, Polaroid, and the MN Twin

    Jessica Kitzman is an interdisciplinary artist in Minneapolis, MN.  Primarily working in found textiles, her art practice is a thawing of conditioning, a digestion of lived experience, and a reconnection with the body. Her visual language braids together domestic, anatomical, and botanical references as a mode of revealing identity. Jessica holds a BFA from the University of Iowa and an MAT from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Jessica lives in South Minneapolis, MN with her two children, who all share a cozy basement studio. She is a member of Embodied Material and teaches K-8 art

    ABOUT THE MODERATOR
    Russ White is an artist, writer, and editor living in Minneapolis. After growing up in the Carolinas and Mississippi, White received a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and has maintained a studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis since 2014, where he works primarily in colored pencil and mixed media. He has exhibited his work regionally and nationally (including a 2016 solo show at Gamut), is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grants (2018 & 2020), and works as the editor of written content for MPLSART.COM.

    ABOUT THE CURATORS
    Cass Garner     is a graphic designer, art curator, project manager, and working in Minneapolis. She co-founded Gamut Gallery, a cultural hub in Minneapolis over the past 12 years promoting the arts in Minneapolis and beyond. Cass led operations and project management for exhibitions and events while she was the Director until February of this year. She has curated dozens of exhibits within Gamut’s walls. In 2018 Cass was the solo Juror of Artistry’s 42nd Annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition. Her curatorial practice expanded in 2020 partnering with The Coven at their St. Paul location to curate a special nook of the Coven, and she partnered with HAUS Salon in 2021 to highlight local, innovative artists from the Twin Cities producing 25 solo exhibits throughout the HAUS Salons across Minneapolis. Most recently Cass was the Project Manager for the Holidays on Nicollet and a juror for Hennepin Theatre Trust It’s the People Project.

    Francesca Bernardi is the new Gallery Director and co-owner of Gamut Gallery. They are an art therapist, artist, art collector, and burgeoning curator. Through their work in art therapy, they are a skilled relationship cultivator, attentive communicator, and passionate about building community with multifaceted individuals. Coalescence is Francesca’s gallery curatorial debut however, they have hosted pop-up art galleries in their home featuring local artists. Francesca’s excitement for curating will lead to many more exhibits highlighting artists in Minneapolis.

  3. C4W Submissions Open

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    VISIT OUR SUBMISSION PAGE TO LEARN MORE!

    We are accepting submissions for our annual Call for Work Exhibition “C4W:2024”, guest curator to be announced soon! Artists of all levels are encouraged to submit now thru Tuesday, May 28th 2024. Submissions will be considered for Gamut’s Summer C4W Exhibition and featured in the online shop as well. All media is accepted, including video, installation art, sculpture, experimental technology, photography, fiber, drawing, painting, collage, and performance art.

    The beauty of C4W is that there’s no predetermined theme. It’s a wild slice of the recent works created by local and national artists. The theme emerges through the nature of the submissions and through the lens of the guest curator. 

    There are two chances to win “Best in Show”. One award winner will be selected by the guest curator and the other by opening night attendees. Both winners will be awarded $100 cash and Platinum Memberships to Gamut Gallery ($400 value). Gamut Gallery will also be considering the submissions for future group shows, solo shows, features on our social media, and new artists to add to our Online Gift Shop & House Collection. About 75% of the artists we have shown at Gamut Gallery are discovered through the open call process.

  4. Coalescence

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    This Spring, Gamut Gallery is kicking off the new ownership team’s inaugural exhibition.

    To kick off the 2024 calendar year, Gamut Gallery’s new Director, Francesca Bernardi, partnered with Gamut’s former director, Cass Garner, to create the collaborative exhibition, Coalescence. To bring this conception to fruition this duo requested artist suggestions from the new ownership team, Francesca Bernardi, Kasi Aten, and Brian Oreck along with the co-founders of Gamut, Cass Garner Jade and James Patrick. As the new ownership team is transitioning into their roles, it was essential for them to connect with the community that has been part of Gamut’s roots.

    The curators combed through all the suggestions to pull the most cohesive artists together who represent each owner and co-founder. Cass and Francesca are very excited to welcome back Briana Auel, Evan Weselmann, Kim Heidkamp, John Foster, Jessica Kitzman, Laurie Borggreve, Madison Rubenstein, Nelson Cain, seangarrison, Suyao Tian, and Rock Johnsen – 11 artists who have been part of Gamut’s story over the past 5 years. 

    Together, this roster of abstract artists was formed to bring a vivid multi-media exhibition that embraces the accessibility of Gamut featuring paintings, sculpture, and fiber art available at all price points and sizes. Many of the artists are creating works in the styles they are currently known for while incorporating nods to their past works that started their careers. This exhibition is guaranteed to give you the feels!

    GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS
    FREE open hours: Thursday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm.

    PUBLIC OPENING NIGHT:
    Saturday, March 16th  // 7-10PM
    Coalescence –  A vivid multi-media exhibition that embraces the accessibility of Gamut featuring paintings, sculpture, and fiber art. Curated by Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi. Featuring Briana Auel, Evan Weselmann, Kim Heidkamp, John Foster, Jessica Kitzman, Laurie Borggreve, Madison Elyse Rubenstein, Nelson Cain, seangarrison, Suyao Tian, and Rock Johnsen.
    • $10 presales available
    • $15 day of the event, FREE for members
    • DJ sets by James Patrick and Clint Lakness

    COALESENCE CURATOR and ARTIST TALK:
    Thursday, April 4th // 7pm
    Moderator, Russ White of MPLSART joins curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi alongside Coalesence artists Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman to talk all things art.
    • $7 presales coming soon!
    • $10 day of the event, Free for Gamut Gallery Members

    THC SIP and PAINT
    Saturday, April 20th, 2024 // 2pm – 5pm
    Bringing back the energy that created Gamut Gallery, this sip and paint will have all the feelings of CoLab. Bring a friend or make a new one while playing art games and picking up a paintbrush. Canvases and paint will be provided.
    • $15 presales coming soon!
    • $20 day of event
    •     21+ event
    • DJ Bobby Kahn brings the funk

    ABOUT THE CURATORS
    Cass Garner     is a graphic designer, art curator, project manager and working in Minneapolis. She co-founded Gamut Gallery, a cultural hub in Minneapolis over the past 12 years promoting the arts in Minneapolis and beyond. Cass led operations and project management for exhibitions and events while she was the Director until February of this year. She has curated dozens of exhibits within Gamut’s walls. In 2018 Cass was the solo Juror of Artistry’s 42nd Annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition. Her curatorial practice expanded in 2020 partnering with The Coven at their St. Paul location to curate a special nook of the Coven, and she partnered with HAUS Salon in 2021 to highlight local, innovative artists from the Twin Cities producing 25 solo exhibits throughout the HAUS Salons across Minneapolis. Most recently Cass was the Project Manager for the Holidays on Nicollet and a juror for Hennepin Theatre Trust It’s the People Project.

    Francesca Bernardi is the new Gallery Director and co-owner of Gamut Gallery. They are an art therapist, artist, art collector, and burgeoning curator. Through their work in art therapy, they are a skilled relationship cultivator, attentive communicator, and passionate about building community with multifaceted individuals. Coalescence is Francesca’s gallery curatorial debut however, they have hosted pop-up art galleries in their home featuring local artists. Francesca’s excitement for curating will lead to many more exhibits highlighting artists in Minneapolis.

  5. 2024 News

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    Closing out the season with another Raging Art On, the Gamut torch is passing to new ownership in 2024 after nearly 12 years on the scene.

    It has been a great honor and most rewarding experience for Cass Garner, Jade Patrick, and James Patrick to be owner-operators of Gamut Gallery in downtown Minneapolis since its inception in 2012. Our fledgling little white cube grew into a thriving community hub for visual art, performance, and connection over the past 11+ years. With reverence, the time has come for @Mplsartbabe, @Jade.Patrick, and @jamespatrick_music to pass the baton.

    We are thrilled to announce that beloved people from within the Gamut community are stepping up to take the reins. To keep the legacy going, new owners, Francesca Bernardi, Kasi Aten, and Brian Oreck will take over leadership in February of 2024 with Francesca serving as the new Gallery Director. They will carry forward Gamut Gallery’s mission to showcase a wide-range of innovative visual art and nurture a supportive community for Twin Cities artists and all over the world while allowing the gallery to grow and take new shape as the future unfolds.

    To read more on the passing of the torch, Russ White of MPLSART has interviewed the current Gallery Director, Cass Garner, and the upcoming Gallery Director, Francesca Bernardi.

    Jade Patrick, James Patrick, and Cass Garner owners of Gamut Gallery since 2012.

    Past, Present, and Future Owners of Gamut Gallery
    Brian Oreck, Francesca Bernardi, and Kasi Aten – New Owners of Gamut Feb 2024.

  6. Raging Art On

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    FEATURED ARTISTS: Astralchemy, Barret Lee, Bekah Worley, Betsey Giles, Ben DiNino, Benja Wuest, Briana Auel, Crisp Motif, Derek Meier, Devin Newby, Destiny Davison, Eli Libson, Em Forbes, Emily McBride, Evan Weselmann, Heather Renaux, Iris Libson, Jake Fifer, Jake Speich, Jorie Kosel, Juliana Ferguson, Justin Snead, Kathryn Flora, Karen Caldwell, Kate Johnson, Kelly Helsinger, Lara Eckerman, Lauren Strom, Marne Skusa, Melissa Sisk, Mike Welton, MK Metten, Monica Helland, Nichole Showalter, Nicole Mueller, Olivia Kor, Patrizia Vignola, Precious Wallace, Rachel Shroder, Russ White, Rock Johnsen, Sarah Sosa, Sander Kolodziej, Sara Kahn, Sean Ferris, Sherstin Schwartz, Spacedoutlulu, Tiff Mueller, Tiffany Lange, Travis Collins and 3drd Crafts (Third Daughter, Restless Daughter).

    That chill you’re feeling in the air means Gamut’s 12th annual holiday market Raging Art On (RAO) is back again to deck your halls! Since the inception of Raging Art On in 2011, we have hand-selected the artists, but leave the rest up to them, leaving it up to the artists to choose their best of the best for the holiday pop-up shop. Let our artists be your elves and continue to support our vibrant community of local artists and makers.  This year we are welcoming 50 MN artists, many names and faces you may be familiar with from past RAO’s throughout the years however, we will also feature 19 NEW artists that have never shown during RAO before. 

    With the gallery walls filled from floor-to-ceiling showcasing original works of all price points and mediums, tick off everyone on your list in a single shopping trip at Gamut. Whether it’s pottery, fiber art, paintings, prints, apparel, jewelry, or home goods that catch your eye, everything in the collection is ready to take home with you that day – giving you plenty of time to put off wrapping ‘til the very last minute. Gamut Members of the gallery are invited to our VIP Preview night, kicking off  the festivities on Thursday, November 30th from 5pm–9pm. The Gallery will open up to the public on Friday, Dec 1st at 10am, followed by six weeks of in-person shopping open to the public – Our longest run yet. Snowed in or live out of state? We’ve got you covered. RAO will be shoppable on gamutgallerympls.com so that you can support your local art community from the comfort of your home (jammies and cocoa optional).  All work will remain online to shop through January 9th. Happy holidays, gallery-goers!

    RAO PUBLIC  POP-UP DATES:
    December 1st – January 6th • 11AM – 6PM
    WEEK 1 December 1st – December 2nd
    WEEK 2 December 6th – December 9th
    WEEK 3 December 13th – December 16th
    WEEK 4 December 20th – December 23rd
    WEEK 5 December 27th – December 30th
    WEEK 6 January 3rd  – January 6th, 2024

    Online Orders
    December 2nd – January 9th
    • Selected works available online
    • FREE local pick-up available
    • Shipping works will be available through January 10th.

  7. 2023 Members Gala

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    It’s Gala time – throw on those bow ties and ball gowns! Saturday, November 11th, we’re honoring the thriving community that helps make our mission possible each year. As a heartfelt thank you to those who make this community what it is, we’ve organized this year’s annual Members Gala. This year’s ‘Las Vegas’ themed black-tie event is hosted during the duration of Ubiquitous – Emily Quandahl’s first gallery-represented exhibition. Dress your best and prepare for a night of art, music, and surprise performances!

    This year’s party will be fueled by the locally brewed beer from Finnegans Brew Co. and there will be plenty of drinks from BLNCD if THC/CBD seltzers are more your thing! The night will feature Omaur Bliss for a full night of dancing, Mike Davis with tricks of Illusion, Kitson Sass for a special burlesque performance, and Sean Anonymous as our headliner! If you are not a member yet but would love to join us for this festive occasion, memberships are available for purchase on our website. Keep an eye out for your digital e-invites as we prepare for a night to remember.

    GAMUT GALLERY MEMBERS’ GALA
    Saturday, November 11th, 7-11PM
    (no regular open hours at the gallery this day in preparation for the event)
    •     21+ event, Must be a Gamut Gallery Member to attend
    • DJ Omaur Bliss + Mike Davis + Kitson Sass and Sean Anonymous
    • Ambiance provided by Ubiquitous Exhibition + Photographer Caleb Timmerman + Event Decorations by the Gamut Gals.

    Already a member? This event is FREE for you!
    We are so grateful for the support of Gamut community members like you and hope that you have enjoyed your experiences at our events and exhibitions. Gamut Gallery has collaborated with artists, curators, and performers to deliver thought-provoking art programming to the Twin Cities. To RSVP check your inboxes for your paperless post invite!

     

    Renew or Become a  Member by Thursday, November 9th to join the celebration!
    As a Gamut Gallery member, you receive free admission to our next two events listed below:
     • Member Gala in 2023 
     • VIP access to RAO 2023

    With our holiday market, Raging Art On, right around the corner, only members get free early access to works by the 50 artists featured in this year’s event. With three membership tiers to choose from, ranging from $60-$300, anyone and everyone can join in the fun! 

    Hailing from Minneapolis Minnesota DJ, producer, singer, rapper, and fitness educator Omaur Bliss released his self-titled debut album in 2005 and has been a prominent performer ever since.  In recent years, Omaur Bliss has undergone an evolution, becoming a “Master of Ceremonies” in all aspects. Whether DJing a high-energy dance party, leading a relaxed yoga event, or hosting an elegant gala, Omaur Bliss has emerged as a dj and performer who can connect, energize, and move crowds of any demographic and age.

    Mike Davis offers upbeat and mind-boggling close-up magic for you and yours. You won’t just watch from a distance, but you’ll interact and be part of the show as Mike creates miracles with playing cards directly under your noses and in the palms of your own hands. Based in Minneapolis, Mike has performed at events for Activision, Red Bull, Minnesota Public Radio, Children’s Cancer Research Fund, and more at venues such as First Avenue, Modist Brewing Company, Alamo Drafthouse, Turf Club, and Sisyphus Brewing Company.

    Kitson is trained in dance, the aerial arts, and life.  She’s a producer of the Nudie Nubie show, Camp Counselor at Tassels Off, and a member of Black Hearts Burlesque, Queer Circus, and GlitterCakes Burlesque.  She’s performed on stages across the country, including The Burlesque Hall of Fame stage in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. When she’s not melting your hearts, Kitson enjoys boxed wine and long walks on the beach with her cats.  Tits, ass, and a whole lotta class, it’s Kiston Sass!!

    Sean Anonymous has been hailed by critics and audiences for his relentless energy and enigmatic style. His crafty wordplay and humble honesty are a breath of fresh air in an industry clamoring for authentic messaging. In 2012 Sean released his first solo debut, the Anonymo E.P. Anonymo displayed his full range of talent, quickly gaining attention from college radio and hip-hop fans nationwide. It rose to #5 on the CMJ charts and remained there for twelve straight weeks, leading to a highlight slot at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. The momentum hasn’t stopped since. He’s achieved everything from a strictly DIY standpoint, building success off pure passion, drive, and raw ability.

    No stranger to big stages and bright lights, the past few years have kept Sean on the move. A U.S tour with Del the Funky Homosapien, performing at Soundset, and appearances on Sirius XM have all recently become notches on Sean’s belt. With an insatiable appetite for connecting with fans, Sean’s words can be heard resonating throughout the world with him rapping everywhere from the L.A. to New York City and Jamaica to Ireland.

  8. Ubiquitous Artist Talk

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    Solo exhibiting artist, Emily Quandahl and moderator Russ White converge for an intimate conversation into the mind that created Ubiquitous

    We invite you to join us for an evening of conversation with Ubiquitous artist Emily Quandahl, and moderator Russ White of MPLSART. The vision of Ubiquitous (meaning, “present, appearing, found everywhere”) has transformed the gallery space into an ethereal sanctuary of textures and colors that Emily has created in an effort to find comfort in the changing seasons of her life, as well as her evolution as an artist. 

    Emily’s process throws away preconceived notions of what her work should be and instead leans into what is – trusting her intuitive instinct to lead her in the direction necessary to express herself in the moment. The result is a body of work born out of trust, experimentation, and constant evolution throughout her practice.  Quandahls background in classical music reveals itself on the canvas; there is a melody of relationships in the movements. Instinctual marking and planned line-work absorbs and records the space and events in and around her. Emily has also lent a nod to domestic handicrafts regarded as women’s work, creating masterpieces that intertwine hand stitching into many of her paintings and has used found materials to create mosaic columns that sit front & center in the gallery.

    UBIQUITOUS- ARTIST TALK:
    Thursday, October 26th // 7pm
    Russ White will lead a multifaceted conversation and a look into the mind, process, and inspirations of Emily Quandahl. Ubiqitious is Emily Quandahl’s first gallery-represented solo show. Emily may be an emerging artist, and her audience is largely local, but she also has a presence nationally and internationally, recently completing an artist residency in Lisbon, Portugal. Quandahl is an artist you definitely want to follow as her career grows. 
    • $5 presale available
    • $10 day of the event
    • Free for Gamut Gallery Members

    GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS + CONTACT INFO
    FREE open hours: Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. Please note we will not have open hours on Saturday, November 11th. 

    View all of Emily Quandahl’s paintings featured in her solo exhibition, Ubiquitous through November 16th.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST
    Emily Quandahl (b. 1994) is a mixed-media painter and muralist based in Minneapolis.  Her compositions utilize bold palettes and textures, starting intuitively on the floor with a base of diluted acrylics.  From there, she draws from experience and impressions of her life through an abstract lens to build up layers until a balance is found, creating a world of its own.  With a background in classical music, her compositions are inherently melodic in their movements, creating an ethereal world that transports the viewer through layers of paint.

    ABOUT THE MODERATOR
    Russ White is an artist, writer, and editor living in Minneapolis. After growing up in the Carolinas and Mississippi, White received a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and has maintained a studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis since 2014, where he works primarily in colored pencil and mixed media. He has exhibited his work regionally and nationally (including a 2016 solo show at Gamut), is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grants (2018 & 2020), and works as the editor of written content for MPLSART.COM.

  9. Benefit for Yuya Negishi

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    Join us for a special night of art, love, and support at Gamut Gallery’s Benefit Fundraiser for Yuya Negishi! 

    Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 5th, 2023, for a special night of art, love, and support at Gamut Gallery’s Benefit Fundraiser for Yuya Negishi! Tickets are only $20 with all proceeds going directly to supporting Yuya Negishi’s journey to recovery and to celebrate his priceless contribution to Gamut Gallery’s heart and the wider community. Let’s rally together for an artist who has given us so much beauty and inspiration. 

    Celebrating the talent of a beloved artist and muralist in the Twin Cities community, Yuya Negishi’s work is a playful blend of classical Japanese calligraphy and SUMI techniques with vibrant Japanese pop culture imagery like koi, dragons, and Buddhas, infused with street-art influences from his time in urban America. His artwork is not just a feast for the eyes; it’s an expression of cultural heritage, wonder, and amusement, resonating with the energy of those around him. Many have experienced the magic firsthand during Yuya’s live painting at events and his murals across Minneapolis.

    Yuya faced a challenging health crisis last year, leaving him unable to work for over 9 months. But his determination and spirit are unwavering, and he’s now on the path to reclamation, slowly returning to his artistic journey. Yuya needs the love and support of his loyal friends and community, which is why we’re coming together to show him just how much he means to us. Let’s shine our light on him, just like he has on our city! Yuya’s captivating artworks will fill the gallery and this is an opportunity to be immersed in his experiential LED light installations featuring more than 8500 bulbs that will transport your senses to the magical world of Yuya-Town. All of Yuya’s works will be for sale, with proceeds being donated directly to Yuya to help with his recovery. Don’t miss this chance to be part of something truly special! 

    Thursday, Oct 5th // 7-10pm
    Save the date, bring your friends, and be ready to be enchanted by Yuya’s latest artistic creation for ONE NIGHT ONLY! Your presence and support will make all the difference in his healing process.

    • Featuring artworks & installations by Yuya Negishi.
    • Music by Paulski, DPC and Sassy G.
    • $20 All proceeds will be donated to Yuya
    • Pre-sale tix are closed. There will be entry at the door all night long
    (tix are NOT SOLD OUT)

    Yuya Negishi portrait photography by Shelly Mosman

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Yuya Negishi is a Japanese visual artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was born in Showa Village, Gunma. Yuya draws artistic inspiration from the memories and sensations of growing up in the Japanese countryside, where he would roam “like a hidden Ninja” exploring the woods, temples and mountain tops of the breath-taking Gunma region. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 2010, Yuya has been a prolific member of the city’s artistic community, involving himself in a wide range of projects. He teaches Japanese artistic styles to students in grade school through college and participates in public art projects, murals, frequently exhibits work, and has a wide portfolio of commissioned work. He also does illustrations and often performs at live paintings events. His work combines his extensive background in the classical Japanese techniques of calligraphy and SUMI with Japanese pop culture images such as koi, dragons and Buddhas, and street-art techniques influenced by his years in urban America.

  10. It Might Be

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    Featuring: Alex Kuno, Briana Hertzog, Chuck U, Evan Weselmann, Ewok, Jennifer Davis, John Sauer, Michael Koehler, Riiisa Boogie, Rodrigo Oñate, Swartz Brothers, Tim Molloy, Vivian Le, WingChow.

    You may find yourself asking, “What is Lowbrow Art?” Lowbrow emerged in the 1960’s in California as an extension of Surrealism, Fauvism, and Dadaism. Recognized as an illustrative street style, lowbrow works traditionally invoke humor and whimsy with imaginative compositions that tell a story. During the 1980’s, Minneapolis had a thriving punk and alternative music scene that fostered lowbrow styles incorporated by local artists. Tom Halzelmeyer, owner of Amphetamine Reptile Records was a pioneer in the movement in the Twin Cities with his former gallery Ox-Op, which featured the works of Shepard Fairy, Camille Rose Garcia, Shag, Delak, and more! By the 1990’s when Robert Williams (“the godfather of lowbrow art”) founded Juxtapoz Art & Culture magazine, lowbrow art had intersected with other subcultures such as street art, tattoo art, and illustration, heavily influencing and cross-pollinating commercial art and fine art.

    Originally, this artistic approach was highly criticized, however, it began to gain popularity due to its stark contrast to “traditional” art. Rejecting “high art” and instead celebrating popular culture inspired by comic books, B-movies, hot rods and kitsch, the lowbrow movement established a platform for artists to create works with fantasy, surreal, and cartoon elements.  “It Might Be” curator, Chuck U’s interpretation will be aesthetically represented in the roster of international, national, and local artists he has assembled whose illustrative lowbrow styles are expanding the definition of fine art, story, and fantasy, continuing this narrative.

    ”I hope to embolden people to explore the inclination to seek narrative and meaning within illustrative art and how this commonality is shared between both viewer and artist whether making or digesting artworks. This exploration is a part of the natural human experience of encountering and digesting art. It is important to me to curate and participate in a show that encourages viewers to find meaning in art that resonates with them and to facilitate opportunities for people to connect with art on a personal level regardless of the intent of the artist. The world-building artists involved each creates illustrative works that are accessible to artists and non-artists alike, evolving the idea of what fine art is, what kind of art is valid in gallery spaces, and how anyone can interpret what they see and know they aren’t “wrong”. – Chuck U

    Opening Night:
    Friday, September 8th // 7-10pm
    Featuring Alex Kuno, Briana Hertzog, Chuck U, Evan Weselmann, Ewok, Jennifer Davis, John Sauer, Michael Koehler, Riiisa Boogie, Rodrigo Oñate, Swartz Brothers, Tim Molloy, Vivian Le, WingChow. 
    • $10 presales available until Midnight on Sept 7th
    • $15 day of the event
    • FREE for members
    • Tunes by DJ Superbrush & Mike 2600
    • Sponsored by Indeed Brewing
    – Not a Gamut Gallery member? Become one today!

    Extended Open Hours:
    Saturday, September 9th // 11am-6pm
    This will be a relaxed setting compared to the “It Might Be” opening party the previous night. Chuck U will be hanging out all day too!
    • 15 Guest per hour
    • RSVP for FREE

    It Might Be – Curator Talk
    Thursday, September 21st // 7pm
    Cass Garner for a conversation and Chuck U. Join us to learn about Chuck’s processes, ideations, and perspectives on his body of work and lowbrow art as a whole.
    • $5 presales available
    • $10 day of the event
    • Limited capacity event
    • Free for Gamut Gallery Members, RSVP required

    GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS
    FREE open hours: Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. We are available by appointment, please request an appointment 48 hours in advance.

    All artworks are available for purchase in person or visit us online today!

    ABOUT THE CURATOR
    Chuck U is an illustrator, painter, and muralist from Minneapolis MN. He has been making and exhibiting work professionally for over 15 years and is known for his signature intensive line work and imaginative subjects, color palettes, and compositions. With “It Might Be” Chuck U adds his influence to his first curatorial debut and hopes to embolden people to explore the viewers inclination to seek narrative and meaning within illustrative art and how this commonality is shared between both viewer and artist whether making or digesting artworks.

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS
    Alex Kuno is a full-time artist and illustrator living and working in the Lowertown Arts District of Saint Paul, Minnesota. His work has been exhibited in galleries around the United States, Europe and Australia, and he maintains a growing list of commission clients and customers around the world.

    Ewok is an Orange County-based artist who began writing graffiti in Minneapolis in the early 90’s. Since then, he has solidified his status as an internationally known Graffiti artist, traveling extensively and painting in several countries, including exhibiting artwork and mural projects with the Seventh Letter artist collective, in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Taiwan, Barcelona, and Seoul. More recently Ewok was one of several artists who completed the Guinness Book of World Records’ longest continuous graffiti scroll in Dubai which was part of their UAE day celebration. His fine art has been exhibited at LA’s Known gallery, and his solo exhibitions ‘Revisionist History’ and ‘Pageantry’ have been featured on Hypebeast and in Juxtapoz magazine.

    Michael Koehler (b. 1983) studied graphic design, graduating in 2006. Working as an in-house and freelance designer for several years, he eventually found his interests turn to painting. Since then Michael’s work has been shown in galleries across the U.S. including Seattle, San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Philadelphia in group and solo shows. He has been featured in publications such as Widewalls, Brut Magazine, Dish Rag Magazine, and Supersonic Art. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his partner and studio-mate, Masha. Michael’s work, which is brought to life by acrylic paint, is inspired by our shifting relationship to nature in an increasingly technologically dependent world. Many pieces attempt to strike a delicate balance between the enchanting allure and latent peril of both the natural and unnatural worlds.

    Tim Molloy was born and raised in New Zealand, he now lives in regional Queensland, Australia with his Wife and Son. Tim makes ridiculous apocalyptic psychedelic art mostly in the form of surrealist comic books, paintings and digital art. ”My work is an ever expanding and interconnected web of dreamlike and nightmarish storylines soaked heavily in delusion, confusion and a general sense of unease. I draw heavily on surrealist techniques, symbolist ideas, synchronicity and dreams to construct my stories. Recurring themes include (but are not exclusive to) death, rebirth, the nature and expansion of consciousness, self-destruction and discovery… There is a kind of pre- apocalyptic tension throughout, balanced (I hope) with a sense of humor that stops it all from getting too serious…”

    As a Northern Virginia native, Briana Hertzog’s interest in art began at a young age and motivated her to pursue a career in illustration and fine art. She received her BFA in Communication Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University and has since created illustrations for Richmond Magazine, North American Review, and Evolved Publishing. Her paintings have been displayed in multiple galleries, including international exhibitions. The majority of her time is dedicated to creating and exploring narratives of characters from her ongoing body of work.

    John Sauer is Minneapolis based painter whose background in illustration has instilled a great sense of freedom to approach painting via a wide variety of themes and interests both highbrow and lowbrow. His goal is to capture the emotional and psychological aspects of modern life through narrative and a bit of mystery. John’s hope is that viewers are drawn to the work and find personal meaning.

    Jennifer Davis is a Minneapolis-based artist known for her colorful, imaginative paintings of surreal and whimsical characters. She has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions at venues such as The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Minneapolis, MN); The DeVos Art Museum (Marquette, MI); Foster Museum (Eau Claire, WI); Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (Santa Cruz, CA); The Lesher Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA); ArtSpace (Raleigh, NC); Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (Boone, NC), as well as several galleries in major cities across the United States, Canada and Europe. Davis is a recipient of the 2013 Next Step Fund Grant from the Minnesota Regional Arts Council/McKnight Foundation. She holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota.

    Evan Weselmann is a Minneapolis-based artist and designer working primarily in illustration, animation, and painting. He has worked with clients ranging from local mutual aid funds to international advertising agencies. Evan has recently produced ilustration works for Chet Faker, Kid Cudi, and the MN Twins.

    Risa Tochigi, aka Riiisa Boogie, is one half of the dynamic duo boogieREZ. Boogie is a Japanese Ameri-can artist who crafts detailed imaginary through textile, nature, portraits, flowing abstractions and uniquely creative characters. Her body of work taps into the flow of the streets, nature and the vibrations of dance and culture. Her creative spirit blends the technical mastery of traditional Japanese prints with urban imagery, materials and locations. She is an illustrator, painter, maker and a muralist who truly lives life to the fullest. She can’t stop, won’t stop creating! She works on a wide range of projects in a number of mediums. Recently, she has been deeply involved in using ply-wood to bring her illustrations to life. Her imagination and love of nature and design has led her to create many organically inspired pieces.

    TC Weaver aka REZONES aka one half of the dynamic duo known as BOOGIEREZ is a self taught visual artist. Starting out in the early 80’s with graffiti art… The platform eventually brought him to graphic design, which transitioned to graphic design which eventually led him to photography.his primary sources of inspiration are his life’s experiences as well as his environment. pulling heavily from his trials and tribulations as a youth growing up in Long Island, Brooklyn, New Jersey and Poughkeepsie. Then folding in his love for hip hop as well as it’s connecting elements (sci-fi anime, martial arts and comic books) he’s been able to craft works that are oddly familiar but at the same time strikingly different. As a team, WE ARE BoogieREZ!!! A Dynamic duo that TRULY lives life to the fullest, and we CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP CREATING! HEAVILY inspired by the culture of HIP HOP and all the incredible people that cross our path on a daily basis.

    The creation of characters and fantastic worlds are the universe that defines the work of Rodrigo Oñate (Roco Drilo). Originally from the city of Queretaro, Mexico, Roco embarked on his career as a self-taught plastic and graphic artist, influenced by the pop culture of the 80s, comics, graffiti and various artists representing Mexican art. By extracting himself from his context and looking at it from the outside, he found a better appreciation and understanding of Latin American culture, thus conceiving a style with a contemporary and modern vision of Latino folklore, mixing techniques that since his career have gained great relevance as in graffiti or pop art.

    Swartz Brothers Art is the partnership between Colorado-based artists Jon and David Swartz. The brothers have always been drawing and painting. Both went to the Creative and Performing Arts high school in Philadelphia and went on to graduate from Tyler School of Art with degrees in Graphic Design. After college, they decided graphic design wasn’t the best fit for them. They found their love for painting again and have been working as full-time artists ever since. Heavily inspired by the natural world, emotional experiences, and the creative process; the Swartz Brothers work in mixed media to create surreal worlds, where the only limit is their imagination.

    Vivan Le’s work explores my fascination with how history and contemporary media continue to portray children in art as romantic symbols. The characters she depicts collectively inhabit a single dystopia Vivian continuously develops in her imagery. Through using dolls as metaphors, she is raising questions about the adult gaze and what it means to have agency as an adolescent.

    Wingchow is a muralist and fine artist who began her career in Richmond, VA, and is now based in Washington, DC. Her work is often recognized by her use of distinct abstract forms. These flowing bubbly shapes were originally inspired by human viscera- symbols of the unconscious inner workings shared among us all. These shapes can remain abstract, or they can create a playful and surreal world where themes such as self discovery and creation are explored. She is influenced by nature, color, good feelings, and magical thinking.

  11. The Periphery of Power Artist Talk

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    C4W:2023 Artists Talk Features: CL Martin, Henry Tyson, Perci Chester, Jessica Eckerstorfer

    In alignment with the concepts of The Periphery of Power, guest curator, Esther Callahan will be sparking conversation with four featured artists in a moderated panel discussion. These conversations provide the artists a platform where they have the opportunity to speak on their artistic processes and current inspirations within contemporary contexts. Accompany us in welcoming CL Martin, Henry Tyson, Jessica Eckerstorfer, and Perci Chester as they share the role they and their art play in our collective history. 

    Making their return to Gamut are CL Martin and Perci Chester. CL’s use of traditional media like charcoal, graphite, and acrylic creates mysterious characters with their own unique identity and presence. Her portrait, The Snake, is enigmatic and rebellious, but more colorful than many of the past works she has shown at Gamut Gallery over the years. Perci Chester has made her return to the gallery after 7 years with her sculpture, Tore So Glow. Her use of non-traditional materials such as an aluminum glass door, wire, steel filings, rusted nails, paper cups, a plastic torso, and metal springs create her featured sculpture. Perci’s work may be cold to the touch, but her abstract style is warm with human emotion, rooted in human and animal forms, often expressing motion, tension, and balance.

    We are delighted to welcome newcomers Henry Tyson and Jessica Eckerstorfer. Henry’s hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramic sculptures investigate the functions, associations, and assumptions of the body, pottery, and the points at which they overlap. Tyson’s sculpture, Inreflection, posits queer intimacy as a counter to normative views of sex, gender, and tenderness. While Jessica Eckerstorfer book and paper project, The Matriarch is part of a larger collection, entitled Voices in a Room. The project, which includes 12 pieces, uses short story, letterpress, handmade paper, and sculpture to bring voices to male-made, female forms in the art world. Each piece is soft in nature with her use of cotton pulp, thread, and natural foliage inserts creating this handbound book in its deconstructed form as it spills from the walls onto the gallery floor. 

    C4W:2023 The Periphery of Power ARTIST TALK
    Thursday, August 3rd // 7pm
    • $5 pre-sale available
    • $10 day of the event
    • FREE for members

    Esther Callahan was inspired by the importance of creating a space that originates from a need to delve into all sorts of wide-ranging, hot-topic issues, through the works she chose in her curation of this open call for work, C4W:2023. This exhibition references The Periphery of Power through love, social mores, gender, intimacy, beauty, materiality, maternity, and more. The pieces Callahan chose convey her vision of art as a vehicle of agency and power. Join us as we learn about each artist’s processes, perspectives on their bodies of work, and the role of art in contemporary society as a whole.

    FREE GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS
    Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 6pm and
    Saturday 11am – 4pm. We are available by appointment, please request an appointment 48 hours in advance.

    ABOUT THE CURATOR & MODERATOR
    Esther Callahan     is an African American curator, arts organizer, and feminist scholar. Over the past 20+ years in the Twin Cities, she has created and co-created various platforms for cultural production rooted in interrogating the impact of racial and gender equity. She is the former Co-Director of the Emerging Curator Institute (ECI), a Minnesota based nonprofit designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators from diverse backgrounds. In addition to ECI, Callahan was a Curatorial Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), where she co-founded the Curatorial Advisory Committee as a model to help inform Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion practice in curatorial work. She is also the Co-Artistic Director for Arts & Rec US, a design and development company in Mpls.

    ABOUT THE PANELIST
    Henry Tyson’s (they, them) work consists of hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramic sculptures that investigate the functions, associations, and assumptions of the body, pottery, and the points at which they overlap. Henry posit’s queer intimacy as a counter to traditional views of sex, gender, and tenderness. Is it not a basic function of the body to hold another? To love? By blending the human form with functional pottery, they ask: “if we are indeed vessels, may we choose what we were made to carry? What does my body hold and why?”

    CL Martin (she, they) is a queer figurative artist who uses traditional media like charcoal, graphite and acrylic to experiment with enigmatic characters and their own unique identity and presence. She has studied art all her life and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is continually inspired by history, graphic & digital design and the performing arts. In 2007, she received an Artist Initiative Grant from the MN State Arts Board and the National Endowment for The Arts. She has exhibited internationally from London to Italy and her work resides in private collections in London, Italy, Paris, Ukraine, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York.

    Perci Chester (she, her) is an American visual artist working across disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography, and printmaking. Her work is abstract in style but rooted in human and animal forms, often expressing motion, tension, and balance in vivid color through imaginative invention. Created variously from metal, glass, wood, found objects, and industrial artifacts, Perci Chester’s work ranges in scale from intimate pedestal pieces to large public art installations, reflecting her sense of humor with the depth and complexities of memory and the human experience. She is best known for large-scale anthropomorphic installations that appear to defy gravity in suspended equilibrium and elicit an emotional connection as dialogue between spirit and matter.

    Perci Chester’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and is represented in private and public collections internationally. With an extensive background in art education, she has taught in Boston, New York, San Francisco and the Twin Cities and, for many years, served on the advisory board for College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. She holds an MFA as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. Perci lives and practices in Minneapolis.

    Jessica Eckerstorfer (she, her) is a 2nd generation, Filipina-American who grew up all over the Midwest, but settled in Minneapolis in 2012. She is a strong feminist, who believes in the intersectionality of social justice and the necessity of empathetic creativity. In addition, she is the Co-Founder and Artistic Community Director of Paranoid Tree Press. Her background is solidly based in arts nonprofit programming. She has dual Bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy with a focus of civic life and engagement from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Fiction from Columbia College Chicago. She is a two time recipient of the Albert P. Weisman Award, and her work can be found in The Ivory Tower, Pilcrow & Dagger, and Paper Darts Lit + Art Magazine.Her day is split between co-directing The Southeast Asian Diaspora Project (SEAD) and art directing Paranoid Tree Press.

  12. C4W:2023 The Periphery of Power

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    “Radical self-love demands that we see ourselves and others in the fullness of our complexities and intersections and that we work to create space for those intersections”. – Sonya Renee Taylor

    C4W:2023 Features: Andy Jacobs, Becky Roberts, Ben DiNino, Brian Britigan, Briana Auel, Brooke Bartholomew, Caitlin Rose, Christopher Jones, CL Martin, Daniel Allyn Lee, Desirée Forgét, Devin Newby, Dustin Steuck, Erin McKillip, Henry Tyson, Jennifer Chilstrom, Jess Eckerstorfer, Karen Caldwell, Kathryn Blommel, Kelly Helsinger, Kevin Bergkvist, Kristi Abbott, Lindsay Alsaker, Lorelei Beckstrom, Lucy Comer, Nick Kim, Nikolina Lazetic, Perci Chester, Peter Giebink, Renée Boynton, Samantha Rickner, Sarah Sosa, Sarah Swan-Kloos, Sarah Vanasse Miles, Sean Ferris, Sepia Edwards, Shalom Ukwesa, Shanna Allyn, Shea Maze, Steve King, Travis J Collins, Von Dickens Ulsa, Wil Natzel, Yvette Griffea-Gray

    Our annual Call-4-Work exhibition is not a show that influences what art should be. Instead, the chosen guest curator brings their unique perspective and interpretation of the submitted works ranging the full “Gamut” of visual media. When Esther Callahan accepted the invite to curate this year’s C4W:2023, she went in as a blank canvas and let the artwork choose her, empowering the 254 artists to lead the way through all 1,076 submissions. Through our guest curator’s lens and perspective, this body of work presented the theme, The Periphery of Power.

    This year’s group exhibit will feature 45 artworks from 44 artists, 33 of which have never been exhibited at Gamut Gallery. The pieces Callahan chose convey her vision of art as a vehicle of agency and power.

    Art invites us to experience both the relatable and the unrelatable. It offers us a space to break down the confinements of expectation and it lives alongside, and informs, the intersections of daily life. Art opens the world of exploration – of the self, of our shared spaces, of our shared futures – and is a consistent truth-telling experience.

    “Collectively the works are joyous and fierce, honest and intimate, encouraging a crowd-shared consciousness to sew together multiple narratives and channel a bit of revelry and reflection. Inspired by the importance of creating a space that originates from a need to delve into all sorts of wide-ranging, hot-topic issues, this exhibition references The Periphery of Power through love, social mores, gender, intimacy, beauty, materiality, maternity, and more.”

    “This exhibition covers a range of artistic mediums, from highly detailed paintings rendered in acrylic on panels – paintings that complicate the relationship between artist and subject; beautifully emotional digital photography that denote resilience and resistance; to high fire stoneware ceramics whose visceral context embraces transformation in both the material and the conceptual.”

    “Each selected piece is part of the fearlessly celebratory nature of the exploration of beauty, autonomy, representation, and desire, and serves as an homage to all the fragmented pieces of human beings and the central note that art has played within our collective history.” – Esther Callahan 

    OPENING NIGHT:
    Saturday, July 15th // 6-9pm
    • $10 pre-sale, $15 door
    • Pre-sales available and recommended
    • FREE for Gamut Members
    Featuring 44 local and national artists, Icy Icy Baby Shaved Ice Truck & DJ Ramses

    • Entry will be available at the door
    Returning this year, there will be two “Best in Show ” awards. One will be selected by the guest curator and the other by opening night attendees. Both winners will be awarded $100 cash and Platinum Memberships to Gamut Gallery ($400 value). You will not want to miss the opportunity to help one of these artists take the “Best in Show”!

    The Periphery of Power ARTIST TALK
    Thursday, August 3rd // 7pm
    • $5 pre-sales, $10 door
    • FREE for members
    • Pre-sales coming soon!
    • Entry will be available at the door

    C4W guest curator, Esther Callahan, moderates a conversation with CL Martin, Henry Tyson, Perci Chester, and Jessica Eckerstorfer; four artists featured in this year’s C4W:2023 exhibition, The Periphery of Power. Join us to learn about their processes, ideations, and perspectives on their bodies of work, and art as a whole.

    Summer Markers Market
    Saturday, July 29th // 1-4pm • FREE
    Celebrate a summer day in our courtyard with amazing Twin Cities makers Alicia Speich, Jake Speich, Rock Johnsen, SNEW Ceramics, Third Daughter Restless Daughter, VCKSZ and more! From functional glass art and cross-stitches, to ceramics and home goods, we guarantee you will not leave empty-handed.

    Esther Callahan is an independent curator, arts organizer, and feminist scholar with roots in Minnesota. Over the past 20+ years in the Twin Cities, she has created and co-created various platforms for cultural production rooted in interrogating the impact of racial and gender equity. She is the former Co-Director of the Emerging Curator Institute (ECI), a Minnesota-based nonprofit designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators from diverse backgrounds. In addition to ECI, Callahan was a Curatorial Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), where she co-founded the Curatorial Advisory Committee that embraces all departments in Mia, from facilities, security, accounting, visitor services, and curatorial, as a model to help inform Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion practice in curatorial work.

    Some notable exhibitions include co-curating the exhibition Mapping Black Identities at Mia, an exhibition championing the diverse experiences of artists from America, Africa, and the diaspora; Stand Up Prints at Highpoint Center for Printmaking showcasing contemporary printmakers working to amplify the messages of people and communities who demand racial and social justice in America, and These Things are Connected, a part of the FotoFocus Biennial in Ohio, where the theme of connection for artists and opportunities was represented. Besides curating for commercial spaces she is sought after as a speaker, moderator and panelist at various universities, galleries, and museums, among others.