Northfield Arts Guild

Artist Studio Visit
2017-04-20 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago)
​Kathy Miller, well-known watercolor artist (visit her website) is hosting our third Studio Visit on Thursday, April 20 from 6 – 8 pm. We have 6 spaces remaining, please RSVP by Tuesday, April 18 if you would like to join us.
Have you ever wondered about how other artists work, and the spaces where they create? As part of our continuing efforts to connect artists, and provide opportunities for artist professional development, the Arts Guild is organizing regular Studio Visits.

Local, professional artists will host these Studio Visits for 8 – 12 guests. After a brief tour/ demo, this will be a time for guests to network and share stories. These visits are intended to provide a space for asking questions about techniques, the technical aspects of setting up or redoing a studio space, and for learning about how other working artists are creating.

"6 Fifths" Exhibition Opens
2017-04-13 12:00 - 18:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
St. Olaf and Carleton 5th-Year EA Exhibition
Every year, a select group of senior art majors are invited to continue their studies at St. Olaf College and Carleton College as part of a 5th-year emerging artist/education assistant program. The Northfield Arts Guild is proud to showcase these up-and-coming artists!
This exhibition consists of various pieces created during the duration of their 5th-year experience.

Exhibition Sponsor:

2016-17 Gallery Season sponsored by:

Meet and Greet New Staff!
2017-04-12 16:30 - 18:30 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Megan Proft, Education & Volunteer Manager
Bridget Novak, Teaching Artist & Education Coord.

The public is invited to a “Meet and Greet” for Megan Proft and Bridget Novak on Wednesday, April 12 from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Northfield Arts Guild (304 Division St. S). Light refreshments will be served.
Megan Proft will take on the role of Education and Volunteer Manager. The Education and Volunteer Manager will oversee all education programs at the Arts Guild; coordinate volunteer efforts, including recruitment, training, and retention, across the Guild’s various programs; and spearhead social media engagement. Proft is “thrilled to join the staff” in this position as her passion is nonprofit arts work. An Owatonna native, Proft has a B.A. in Arts Management and B.A. in English from University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Prior to coming to the Arts Guild, Proft gained wide-ranging nonprofit experience as the Community Engagement Coordinator at Rice County Habitat for Humanity, Executive Director of the Owatonna Arts Center, and Enrichment Coordinator for the Northfield Public Schools Community Services Division. She has been involved as an artist with the Arts Guild, though, for almost 15 years, first getting involved through the 2002 production of Honk! and most recently made her directorial debut with the Arts Guild this past fall by co-directing The Rocky Horror Show. Outside her work, Proft is a worship leader at her church, and a local actress, singer, dancer and choreographer. Proft says, “I look forward to bringing my best to the Arts Guild and can’t wait to meet everyone involved in this great organization!”
Bridget Novak will take on the role of Resident Teaching Artist and Education Coordinator. The Resident Teaching Artist and Education Coordinator will lead classes and arts making experiences out in the community in various places, assist with administration for Arts Guild classes, work on strengthening our community partnerships and collaborations, and help coordinate social media engagement for the Arts Guild. Novak, an Iowa native, graduated from St. Olaf College with degrees in Studio Art and Sociology/Anthropology. During college she spent her summers leading art programming for families at a YMCA camp in northern Minnesota. As a Fifth Year Emerging Artist at St. Olaf, Novak explored community-based interactive art, including a roaming couch discussion series that took place around Northfield. Novak shares, “I love to create opportunities for people of all ages to find their inner artist, and I am excited to make art and connections with the Northfield community.”
These staff positions are generously funded through a three-year capacity building grant from the Ames Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation.

Handbells and Oddballs: The Northfield Handbell Ensemble & Friends
2017-04-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
The concert will showcase music by Dave Brubeck, Edvard Grieg, and George Gershwin adapted for handbells, as well as contemporary music written for handbells. The handbell choir will share the stage with a clarinet trio, a trombone quartet, and a recorder quintet. Poetry included. The concert will be at 7 p.m on Saturday, April 8 in the Arts Guild upstairs performance space.

The Studio - FREE Drop-in Studio
2017-04-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Supported by YouthBank, this is a FREE drop-in open studio for middle school and high school youth. Stop by with your friends and get creative! Art-making supplies will be available.

All School Show exhibit closes
2017-04-08 08:00 - 17:00
Each spring, the Northfield Arts Guild hosts an All-School Art Show featuring visual artwork by K-12 students in Northfield Public, Private, Charter and Home Schools.
Exhibit Sponsor:
Professional Pride Realty

2016-17 Gallery Season Sponsor:

Auditions: Pirates
2017-04-04 19:00, 2017-04-02 19:00
Auditions for The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan
Details coming soon.
Directed by Bob Gregory Bjorklund
Music Direction by Dan Kallman
Choreography by Shari Setchell

Imagination Celebration
2017-04-01 10:00 - 14:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Join us at our annual Imagination Celebration event!
Imagination Celebration is a free day of art and performances on Saturday, April 1, 2017 from 10 am- 2 pm. This family-friendly event features the All-School Show in our Main Gallery, mini performances, demonstrations, and hands-on art activities in our Art Studio, Clay Studio, and Dance Studio.
This celebration of all things great about art is a popular, long-running event drawing hundreds of people to the Northfield Arts Guild’s Center for the Arts. Imagination Celebration will showcase Artopia: Northfield Area All-School Art Show, an exhibition of colorful 2D and 3D artwork created by K-12 students from Northfield Area schools. Though this exhibition runs March 15 through April 8, and during Imagination Celebration, local art teachers will be present to guide visitors through and answer questions regarding the show.
This exhibition features student work from Arcadia Charter School, Area Learning Center, Bridgewater Elementary School, Greenvale Park Community School, Northfield Area Homeschool Classes, Northfield High School, Northfield Middle School, Prairie Creek Community School, Sibley Elementary School, and St. Dominic Catholic School.
In addition to the Main Gallery exhibition, The Up Gallery in the Center for the Arts features a community art exhibit The Brighter Other Side.
Other events at Imagination Celebration include mini-performances and workshops.
* 11:30 am – 2 pm: participate in different art-making projects in the Art Studio
* 10 am: Northfield Youth Choir’s Junior Singers demonstrate a rehearsal
* 11:30 am: Kate Southwick leads a Middle Eastern Dance performance, followed by a * chance for attendees to join in the dancing
* 12:15 pm: Northfield Arts Guild Folklorico dancers perform
* 1:30 pm: Northfield Arts Guild’s Dance Theater Company performs
All Day (10 am – 2 pm):
*Visit all of the creation spaces in the Arts Guild Collect to collect stamps in your Imagination Celebration Passport, and turn it in for a small prize.
*Commemorative Artopia coloring posters will be available to purchase. All proceeds from poster sales will benefit the Northfield Arts Guild Scholarship for a Graduating Senior, and the Education Program at the Northfield Arts Guild, including class scholarships.
Imagination Celebration is a full day of community celebration of the arts and will take place at the Northfield Arts Guild’s Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street South, Northfield. This is a free event. For more information call our office at 507-645-8877.

Dance Studio
Various mini-classes and demonstrations all day long!
Art Studio
Interactive Art Activities
12 noon-2 pm
Clay Studio
Demonstrations
10 am – 2 pm
Main Gallery
Art Educator-led tours of the exhibition
10 am – 2 pm
Main Level
Community Art Project – create a leaf to fill our “Artopia Tree”!
10 am – 2 pm

Artist Conversation
2017-03-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Northfield Library Upstairs Pye Meeting Room, 210 Washington Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Topic for March 23: Things to consider when applying for a grant
Judy Saye-Willis and Tom Willis will kick off the conversation with a brief overview of their extensive knowledge and experiences on this topic. After this introduction, the rest of the time will be for attendees to ask questions, and discuss their experiences, tips and ideas with the group.
Interested in attending? Please reserve your seat by emailing heather@northfieldartsguild.org or calling (507) 645-8877.
Join us for our monthly Artist Conversations! This is a time (every 4th Thursday from 6-8 pm) for emerging and professional artists to gather in a small group setting to discuss topics relevant to visual artists. These gatherings are free and open to the public, but as space is limited, please reserve your seat by emailing heather@northfieldartsguild.org or calling (507) 645-8877.
Each conversation will focus on one topic such as:

The business of art – taxes, taking payments, etc.
How to regularly show your work
Blogging for artists
Framing – simple DIY frames versus purchased frames – what works best?
What does success as an artist mean to you?
Activism & Art

Topic for April 27: TBD
Have a topic to suggest? Please email your idea to heather@northfieldartsguild.org

Twisted Apples
2017-03-19 14:00 - 17:00, 2017-03-18 19:30 - 22:30 | Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 West Third Street, Northfield, MN, 55057
Find out more on our Theater Special Events page!
Listen to playwright Brendon Etter talk about Twisted Apples on MPR’s Art Hounds!
“But first, the sublime: Twisted Apples by Nautilus Music-Theater. What other words can I use to describe this original piece of musical theater/opera/”music-theater?” Breath-taking. Heart-wrenching. Quietly powerful. Beautiful. The best thing I’ve seen at the Fringe so far, and I have a hard time imagining that anything else I see this week will move me more.”

http://www.cherryandspoon.com/2011/08/fringe-festival-twisted-apples-by.html

Twisted Apples
2017-03-17 19:30 - 22:30 | Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 West Third Street, Northfield, MN, 55057
*Members please note: Because this is a special theater event, member vouchers may not be redeemed for Twisted Apples.*

Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 18 at 7:30pm
Sunday, March 19 at 2:00pm
Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third Street W, Northfield

Listen to playwright Brendon Etter talk about Twisted Apples on MPR’s Art Hounds!
TWISTED APPLES: STORIES FROM WINESBURG, OHIO is a new music-theater piece based on Sherwood Anderson’s classic American novel Winesburg, Ohio. Created by librettist JIM PAYNE and composer ROBERT ELHAI, it tells the story of residents of Winesburg, as they struggle to overcome loneliness and isolation, and long to create a life of the imagination in a small town in the early 1900s.

The production is directed by Nautilus’ artistic director BEN KRYWOSZ, and features performers GARY BRIGGLE, JP FITZGIBBONS, JOSHUA HINCK, NORAH LONG, and ERIC MORRIS, with musical direction by JERRY RUBINO and JILL DAWE. The production is touring communities throughout Minnesota, thanks to a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Nautilus commissioned and developed the work, and has presented semi-staged-workshop productions over the last few years in the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Sherwood Anderson’s novel Winesburg, Ohio is a series of interconnected short stories, published in 1919. Seen as a precursor to the great American novelists such as Fitzgerald, Faulkner, and Hemingway, it is widely respected and now considered to be one of the most influential portraits of small-town life in the United States.

Honoring Anderson as their source material, Payne and Elhai have created an extraordinary trilogy of theatrical portraits. The score is rooted in musical Americana, including “roots“ orchestration (piano, violin, accordion, and string bass), in a vernacular folk style consistent with the characters’ rural culture and psychological state. Gorgeous melodies and expressive harmonies complement lyrics which are both clever and poignant, creating a masterpiece of musical storytelling that combines the accessibility of musical theater with the emotional scope of American opera.

TWISTED APPLES: STORIES FROM WINESBURG, OHIO consists of three one-act pieces: Act One is “Answered Prayers”, which tells of the Reverend Hartmann’s struggle with his sexual attraction to Kate Swift, the local high school teacher. Kate, in turn, is drawn to her former student George Willard, both as an intellectual protege and a possible lover. Act Two is “Untold Lies”, about farmhand Ray Pearson, whose friendship with a young co-worker re-ignites in Ray his own longing for domestic freedom and youthful aspirations. Act Three, “Twisted Apples”, tells of George’s mother Elizabeth Willard, her thwarted artistic ambitions, and her determination to ensure that George will not be railroaded into a conventional life of mediocrity.

AUDIENCES AND CRITICS RESPONSES:

ANSWERED PRAYERS: “Beautifully staged, gorgeous and evocative libretto and score, and knock-out singing / a human character study set to music and acted with superb and believable nuance / what a gorgeous show! / another fine example of how Nautilus and its typically superb composers, actors, and musicians pay attention to the subtle details that establish real characters and show us what they think and feel; they take away the extraneous, punctuate musically, and the heart reveals itself onstage”

UNTOLD LIES: “It’s hard to imagine a more deeply affecting work / The musical idiom is hearty Americana, with the simplicity of folk music and an operatic richness and complexity / the songs are beautifully complex and the singers and musicians are well up to their demands / gorgeous, moving, and beautifully done show / plenty of musically rewarding moments / the music and lyrics are rich and compelling / very well written, composed, and performed, this show is probably more folk opera than musical theatre, but utterly accessible”

TWISTED APPLES: “This show has been mounted by seasoned and richly talented professionals / the subtle, nuanced text is amplified by delicate, gossamer music / an excellent script and some truly gorgeous music, approachable and singable, yet boasting Charles Ives-like intensity / breath-taking; heart-wrenching; quietly powerful; beautiful / both the music and the libretto are fantastic; poetic, yet always serving to develop the characters and story / it gives beauty and nobility and a clear voice to natural facts that are easy to repress / as usual, Nautilus comes through with top quality in all aspects.”

ABOUT NAUTILUS MUSIC-THEATER:

Nautilus provides opportunities for the artistic growth of music-theater artists who create, develop, and produce new operas and other forms of music-theater that are emotionally expansive, dramatically engaging, and spiritually stimulating. Since 1986, Nautilus has been dedicated to the development of new work, along with innovative productions of existing work, in order to contribute to the quality and diversity of new American music-theater. Nautilus seeks to form partnerships between creators, performers and audiences, as well as to create professional training programs for artists. They use music-theater as a tool to create enriching experiences for artists and audiences, supporting the individual and collective growth of the human spirit. Contact them at staff@nautilusmusictheater.org or at 651-298-9913, follow them on TWITTER at @nautilusMT, and become a fan on their FACEBOOK page.

"Artopia" Opens Northfield Area All-School Show
2017-03-15 12:00 - 18:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Artopia
Northfield Area All-School Show
March 15-April 8, 2017
This exhibition features student work from Arcadia Charter School, Area Learning Center, Bridgewater Elementary School, Greenvale Park Community School, Northfield Area Homeschool Classes, Northfield High School, Northfield Middle School, Prairie Creek Community School, Sibley Elementary School, and St. Dominic Catholic School.
The gallery walls are filled top to bottom with 2D and 3D artwork from local students grades K-12! See the progression of fantastic arts education here in the Northfield community and be sure to join us for Imagination Celebration on Saturday, April 1 from 10 am- 2 pm!
During Imagination Celebration, the local art teachers will be present to guide visitors through and answer questions regarding the show.

Exhibition Sponsor:
Professional Pride Realty, LLC

2016-17 Gallery Season sponsored by:

CVRO: Music for Strings Woodwinds, and Brass
2017-03-12 15:00 - 17:00 | St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 Third Street West, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Music for Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass
Hear sections of the CVRO soar in intimate chamber pieces! Guest conductors include Michael Berger, Natalie Kruger, and Rachel Gorden Mercer. Selections include Capriol Suite for String Orchestra by Peter Warlock, Old Wine in New Bottles by Gordon Jacob, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Three Brass Cats by Chris Hazell, and Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony Finale.
Saturday, March 11, 7 pm- Kenyon-Wanamingo High School Auditorium
Sunday, March 12, 3 pm- St. John’s Lutheran Hall, Northfield

Advanced sale tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. “Pay-what-you-want” tickets will also be available at the door. Patrons are encouraged to support CVRO through a suggested admission of $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.
Concert Sponsor:

Media Sponsor:

Reception Sponsor:

Season Sponsor:

CVRO: Music for Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass
2017-03-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Kenyon-Wanamingo High School Auditorium, 400 6th St, Kenyon, MN, 55946, United States

Jack & Kitty: Music for Little Folks and their Families
2017-03-11 10:00 - 11:00 | Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 West Third Street, Northfield, MN, 55057
Jack & Kitty: Music for Little Folks and their Families!
We had such a great time with these excellent musicians last year, that we’ve invited them back. Join us for the fun!
Saturday, March 11, 10:00 am
Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third St. W.
Jack and Kitty are back for another fun concert and a chance for kids to dance! Bring the kids to sing along to their favorite songs and to learn some wonderful new ones. They can get up and dance along with Jack and Kitty… Mom and Dad, you can too.
Jack and Kitty perform for both kids and adults and have been called “one of the most entertaining acoustic groups in the Midwest” by the Mpls Star Tribune. A rich musical stew forms the blend of Jack and Kitty’s Emmy Award winning artistic approach.
Tickets are only $10 for adults and $3 for children (youth ages 3 and younger are FREE if on a parent’s lap – although that won’t last long because they’ll want to get up and dance!).

Bevy of Marks: Karen Peters, Justin Peters, and Mary Ellen Frame Exhibition Closes
2017-03-11 08:00 - 17:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Karen Peter Artist Statement:
Process is deeply rooted in my practice. Process builds form; it provides a beginning and an end. My current sculpture pairs cast iron with wool elements to complete an idea. The work starts with a knit pattern; that is traditionally viewed as soft, comforting and flexible. Then the pattern is cast in iron and becomes rigid, inflexible and heavy. Once the cast piece has been cleaned and finished the wool component of the sculpture is created, using knit or wet felting techniques. This creates sculptures with sharp contrast in color and texture.
Sharp contrast that is intended to challenge the roles implied by process, materials and history. In this recent body of work, the soft object will support the rigid sculpture – challenging the ideas of strong and supportive.
The prints I’m currently creating use a reduction process. The linoleum block is carved away to expose the color printed previously, building the layers of the print. Once this is done you can’t go back – you can only move forward and work with the colors you have chosen. The content of the prints are color and shape, used to form thoughts and ideas that are abstract in daily life. In the prints I meticulously place lines, circles and other shapes to organize these observations. The colors and size of the prints define these feelings or expressions. I enjoy this process as it always pushes me forward.

Justin Peters Artist Statement:
Currently working with cast iron, concrete, and fabricated steel to form and shape sculptures that are representative of boats, air planes and wind turbines. Vessels that have a perceived motion or movement. Images that have long lines pulled from agricultural and industrial machinery. The true integrity of the materials used is important to show the process and fabrication methods used.

Mary Ellen Frame Artist Statement:
I take great joy in all the combinations of colors, shapes and lines of the elements in whatever environment I find myself; I find novelty in their arrangements, how they are sometimes surprisingly juxtaposed.
There are so many different ways that plants express concentric circles and spirals. It’s amazing what water does to sand, how frst and snow transform man-made objects as well as trees and weeds, how changing seasons give us shifting shapes and colors. Water, having no shape or color of its own, takes shape from vessels and wind action, from evaporation and freezing. It transmits and reflects color. Regularity is displayed in the spacing of plants of the same species, or leaf arrangements on individual plants and the clustering of fruit and seeds. Sometimes lines become more appealing when they deviate from parallel. There’s often a sweetness to fringes and frills and feathery texture. Leaves have such myriad veining, shapes, textures and edges that are scalloped, jagged, or smooth. We move through a visual feast.
Mary Ellen Frame

2016-17 Gallery Season Sponsor:

Auditions: The Tempest
2017-03-05 | Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 West Third Street, Northfield, MN, 55057
Auditions for The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Directed by Deon Haider

Dial M for Murder
2017-02-26 14:00 - 16:00, 2017-02-25 19:30 - 21:30, 2017-02-24 19:30 - 21:30, 2017-02-19 14:00 - 16:00, 2017-02-18 19:30, 2017-02-17 19:30 - 21:30 | Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 West Third Street, Northfield, MN, 55057
February 17 – 26, 2017
When murder calls…hang up! Deception, betrayal, passion and greed prove potent ingredients for a perfect mystery in this gripping thriller, famously filmed by Alfred Hitchcock. Ex-tennis professional Tony Wendice married his wife Margot for her money. Now he plans to kill her for the same reason. When his precise murder plot goes awry, can he improvise an equally deadly plan B? The exciting ending of this psychologically suspenseful story, which has thrilled audiences for decades, will leave you breathless at the edge of your seat.
Performance Sponsor:
and The Hideaway Coffeehouse and Wine Bar
Many thanks to our 2016-17 Theater Season Sponsors!

Artist Conversation
2017-02-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Northfield Library Upstairs Pye Meeting Room, 210 Washington Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Topic for February 23: How to prepare for a juried show
Jill Ewald, a Northfield, MN artist working in painting and drawing will kick off the conversation with a brief overview of her knowledge and experiences on this topic. After this introduction, the rest of the time will be for attendees to ask questions, and discuss their experiences, tips and ideas with the group.
Interested in attending? Please reserve your seat by emailing heather@northfieldartsguild.org or calling (507) 645-8877.

Join us for our monthly Artist Conversations! This is a time (every 4th Thursday from 6-8 pm) for emerging and professional artists to gather in a small group setting to discuss topics relevant to visual artists. These gatherings are free and open to the public, but as space is limited, please reserve your seat by emailing heather@northfieldartsguild.org or calling (507) 645-8877.
Each conversation will focus on one topic such as:

The business of art – taxes, taking payments, etc.
How to regularly show your work
Blogging for artists
Framing – simple DIY frames versus purchased frames – what works best?
Discussing local resources for supplies, such as handmade papers, presented byThe Sketchy Artist
What does success as an artist mean to you?
Activism & Art

Topic for March 23: How to apply for a grant
Have a topic to suggest? Please email your idea to heather@northfieldartsguild.org

Opening Reception: A Bevy of Marks: Karen Peters, Justin Peters, and Mary Ellen Frame
2017-02-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
A Bevy of Marks
Featuring Mary Ellen Frame, Justin Peters & Karen Peters
February 10 – March 11, 2017
Karen Peters
Justin Peters
Mary Ellen Frame

Join us for an Opening Reception on Friday, February 10 from 7-9 pm; Artist Talks at 7:30 pm
Karen Peters
Bio:
Karen Peters is a sculptor and printmaker working out of her home studio on the North side of Minneapolis with her family and dog, Woody. She is a member of Ironhead sculptural services that brings foundry arts to the public. Most recently she participated in a group show at Rosalux Gallery and sold a body of work to the Southeastern Community College in Faribault, MN. She received her BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, receiving the Dolly Fitterman merit award her senior year.
Artist Statement:
Color and shape come together to form thoughts and ideas that are abstract in daily life. In the prints I place lines, circles and other shapes to organize these observations. Using color and size to create the tone and feeling of the print. I’m currently creating prints that use a reduction relief process. The linoleum block is carved away to expose the color printed previously, building the layers of the print. Once this is done you can’t go back — you can only move forward and work with the colors you have chosen.
Justin Peters
Bio:
Justin Peters is a sculptor working in Minneapolis. Creating freestanding cast iron and steel sculpture. He is a member of Ironhead sculptural services that brings foundry arts to the public, specializing in furnace operation. Freelance fabricator and welder at Atomic Props and Effects. Received a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Artist Statement:
Using images that have long lines pulled from agricultural and industrial machinery, wind turbines have a perceived amount of energy and movement. Blending the old wind mill base with the new shape of the wind turbine to think about, how capturing the wind has changed from a single farmer to a wind farm. Leaving some of the marks created during the process and fabrication used to create the sculpture, reminds the viewer of the hand built aspects of the piece. The surface is left for a similar reason, to show the natural oxidation of the materials used.
Mary Ellen Frame
Artist Statement:
I take great joy in all the combinations of colors, shapes and lines of the elements in whatever environment I find myself; I find novelty in their arrangements, how they are sometimes surprisingly juxtaposed.
There are so many different ways that plants express concentric circles and spirals. It’s amazing what water does to sand, how first and snow transform man-made objects as well as trees and weeds, how changing seasons give us shifting shapes and colors. Water, having no shape or color of its own, takes shape from vessels and wind action, from evaporation and freezing. It transmits and reflects color. Regularity is displayed in the spacing of plants of the same species, or leaf arrangements on individual plants and the clustering of fruit and seeds. Sometimes lines become more appealing when they deviate from parallel. There’s often a sweetness to fringes and frills and feathery texture. Leaves have such myriad veining, shapes, textures and edges that are scalloped, jagged, or smooth. We move through a visual feast.

2016-17 Gallery Season Sponsor:

Free Lunch & Learn
2017-02-04 11:30 - 12:30 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
Free Lunch & Learn Opportunity:
Eat, relax, and be transported by the power of storytelling! Jean Wakely leads guests through The Jewell Wolk Story Quilt Project, a collection of 11 story quilts created over a period of 20 years by Jewell Wolk (1924-2011) of Cut Bank, Montana. The quilts depict a wide scope of topics from Jewell’s childhood memories, her children’s lives, women’s history and biblical storytelling. Jewell left her quilts to her eldest daughter, Jean, who manages the project in Jewell’s honor. At each hour-long Lunch and Learn, Jean will share Jewell’s artistic process and cover the stories included in one of her mother’s quilts, including time for questions from attendees. Guests should bring a bag lunch. Space is limited; please reserve your seat by emailing heather@northfieldartsguild.org or call 507-645-8877
January 18 11:30-12:30 The Time & Life of Ruth quilt
January 25 11:30-12:30 Women of the Plains quilt
February 4 11:30-12:30 The Purple Sandwich quilt
Jewell Wolk
Jewell was a student of life, a teacher at heart, and a curious person about life. She was also an extraordinary artist and creative storyteller. Born in 1924 to a German sodbuster farmer, Henry Otto Peterson and schoolmarm, Mary Blyth Peterson, Jewell was their third child of five. Jewell attended country school and Cut Bank High School. After high school, she was a telephone operator for the Cut Bank party line system. Jewell married Robert Walter Wolk and they raised seven children in Cut Bank. She found her quilting passion after her seven children left home. She was a strong believer in the art form of storytelling, which she felt was becoming lost in the multi-media age.
Each new quilt that Jewell made started with a question, launching Jewell on a research adventure. It would take her one to three years to fully develop the theme of each quilt.
As Jewell entered her 80’s, she was going blind, and eventually had to pack away her fabric, thread and needles and stop making her story quilts. The object of her quilts is not perfection in art nor in stitch, but in the story it depicts.
Each quilt tells a story, taking about 45 minutes to cover. Her quilts have traveled extensively, have been widely published and documented, and have been used for many storytelling events. Her daughter Jean is creating a booklet for each quilt, and presents a portion of the collection in this Storied Design exhibition.
Jean Wakely
Jean’s storytelling with her mother’s quilts has taken her across the county to many quilter and museum programs. Jean is currently creating booklets documenting each of her mother’s quilts and the stories they tell. To book Jean as a speaker, to find out more information about the quilts, visit www.StoryQuiltProject.com

Tim Schacker & The Jewell Wolk Quilt Project exhibit closes
2017-02-04 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
The Jewell Wolk Quilt Project (shown by Jean Wakley) and New work by Tim Schacker

January 5th – February 4th, 2017
Jean Wakley will show The Jewell Wolk Quilt Project featuring up to 11 story quilts created by her mother.
Tim Schacker Artist Statement:
I have always been interested in the design of a building as a statement about our culture and way of life. A stunning example of this is the entire city of Brazila, Brazil where an entire city was designed to reflect the values and culture of a modern Brazil. The same can be said when local communities design and build a house of worship that reflects the religious values of the religion and the age and time in which it was built.
The photographs in this portfolio were taken in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples over the last 2 decades of my travels throughout the world. They share a common theme of reverence and faith to what I think ultimately is the same core value. When I was traveling with my family on the island of Santorini, Greece our guide stood on the worn steps of the local church we were visiting and took the hand of my eldest son and placed it in the worn grooves of the banister leading up to the church entrance. He asked him to feel all of the stories, all of the hope, all of the grief, and all of the joy of the people who had walked these steps before him into his church that had been built 500 years ago. He called it an almost perfect place. I didn’t think to ask why it was “almost” perfect but now believe that he wanted us to understand that how we interpret our faith and the way we live in that faith is through our own human eyes and imperfections. This body of work, which continues to grow and evolve, examines our houses of worship, through a lens of when it was built and how it has served its faithful overtime.

2016-17 Gallery Season Sponsor:

Auditions: The Miracle Worker
2017-01-30 19:30 - 21:30 | Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield, MN, 55057, United States
The Miracle Worker

AUDITION DATES AND TIMES:
Sunday, January 29, 5:00 – 6:30 pm CHILDREN ONLY for the roles of Helen, Martha, Percy, Blind Children (ages 7+)
Sunday, January 29, 6:30 – 8:30 pm ADULTS/TEENS ONLY (includes the role of James Keller)
Monday, January 30, 7:30 – 9:30 pm ADULTS/TEENS ONLY (includes the role of James Keller) Callbacks for the role of Helen might also happen during this time.
General callbacks will occur as needed.

PLACE:
Northfield Arts Guild Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street South, Northfield

AUDITION INFORMATION:

Open call- no appointment necessary. Actors should try to arrive as close as possible to the start time of the audition. Bring a list of potential rehearsal conflicts.
Actors will read from the script at the auditions. Scripts will be available in January for 24 hour perusal at the Center for the Arts, 304 Division Street, Northfield.
Girls auditioning for the role of Helen Keller should prepare a 1-2 minute pantomime showing physicality and a range of emotions including, but not necessarily limited to: fear, joy, confusion and anger. The role of Helen is extremely physical; intense rehearsals with both Annie and Helen will include stage combat, stage falls and developing the poignant visuals necessary to show Helen’s inability to see or hear.

The Northfield Arts Guild encourages new people, artists of color, multilingual actors and actors with disabilities to audition.

IMPORTANT INFO:

Rehearsals begin the week of March 5 (with potential time-off during spring break)
Performances are April 21-23 and April 28-30 at the Northfield Arts Guild Theater
Story: The Miracle Worker is based on Helen Keller’s autobiography, “The Story of My Life.” Blind, deaf, and mute since her formative years, young Helen’s inability to communicate has left her frustrated and violent. In desperation, her parents seek help from the Perkins Institute, which sends them a “half-blind Yankee schoolgirl” tutor named Annie Sullivan. Through persistence, love, and sheer stubbornness, Annie breaks through Helen’s walls of silence and darkness by teaching her to communicate.
