In the Field: Artists from Greater Minnesota

In the Field features fifteen artists who live in rural areas of the state and showcases the variety and depth of work being created by Minnesota artists outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The show serves as a capstone to the college’s Greater Minnesota Arts Initiative. Over the past year, and with support from the Bush Foundation, MCAD instructors taught two Design in the Community classes focused on the Upper Minnesota River Valley and the greater Grand Rapids areas. The MCAD students who participated met with local residents and discussed creative ways to use skills learned at MCAD to help address challenges faced by rural communities.

Based on the community discussions occurring in these classes, MCAD developed a summer fellowship program where students lived in the Montevideo and Grand Rapids areas for two weeks. While living in the communities, student fellows worked on community service projects that capitalized on their art and design talents.

Throughout this process, the college came into contact with many rural artists dedicated to practicing their art while also working to ensure that greater Minnesota’s vibrant and eclectic arts scene continues to flourish. In the Field is a sampling of the work of these talented and dedicated individuals.

Participating artists include: Audrey Arner, Jon Billing, Gregory Euclide ’08 MFA, Kristi Link Fernholz, Malena Handeen, Richard Handeen, Laurie Jacobi, Karen Jensen, Glenna Olson, Deborah Page ’74, Tom Page ’71, Dale Pederson, Franz Allbert Richter, Gene Tokheim, and Lucy Tokheim.