Moms and Art
“Fjord”, 24 x 36 mixed media on canvas
My mom went into the hospital as I was gearing up to write the Artworks newsletter for May. It seemed serious (docs suspected a brain bleed, stroke, heart failure), but all that was ruled out and she seems to have had some short weird episode that might be unique to 103-year-olds. Just being 103 makes any misstep, any sneeze a red flag. I’ll be heading to Iowa City to see her and check on her progress for a few days before returning to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District “art week”—two weekends for open studios, starting with the Casket Arts Art-a-Whirl Preview (May 9) and then the biggest open studio event in the U.S., Art-a-Whirl (May 15-17)—see details below. But meanwhile, Mothers’ Day is coming and I’m reflecting on how my mother not only supported my forays into visual arts, but how she pushed my father into his own art career nearly 70 years ago.
My mom grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in the 1920s-30s. A relative metropolis in the state—second only in size to Des Moines, Cedar Rapids wasn’t exactly known as an arts mecca. But that general area of eastern Iowa had its ties to culture. “American Gothic” painter Grant Wood (see my brother’s portrait of our mom and dad “Gothicized” below) spent much of his childhood in Cedar Rapids and ran an art colony in nearby Stone City. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak spent a summer vacation in Spillville in northeast Iowa, where he composed his famed “American Quartet.” My mom took piano lessons as a young girl, and apparently had some interest in painting as well. Around age 10, she became a summer student at Grant Wood’s Stone City Art Colony, taking classes for children. She is pretty sure her teachers did not include Wood himself, but likely some of his own students.
“American Gothic—Miriam and Arthur Canter” (adapted by Larry Canter). Also adapting Miriam Canter’s connection to Grant Wood.
Mom did not become an art or music student as she moved on to high school and college, where she instead studied Spanish, French and Home Economics. But she remained a serious admirer of classical music and the visual arts, loves that she and my dad passed on to my brother and me. Their early dates on the University of Iowa campus were free concerts; my own early exposure to the arts was through free band concerts and museum visits, wherever we were living. I took the piano lessons that were more or less obligatory for middle class children of the 50s and 60s—my brother would continue through high school and today is the one who still owns a piano. But I was the one who attended children’s art classes at the Baltimore Museum of Art. And that happened because one night, probably in 1956—57, my mom pushed my dad to finish dinner quickly so he would be on time for his first session of adult Evening Classes in painting, held at the Baltimore Museum of Art. (We lived in in suburban Baltimore from 1955-60.) Tired of his comments that “I could do that” while viewing the latest exhibit of abstract painters, she signed him up for “ intro to oil painting” at the Museum. He attended for the next three years until we moved (to Iowa City). And so did I attend Saturday children’s classes for those three years.
Neither my father nor I attended (or could find) art classes in Iowa City (other than the weekly classes offered in elementary and junior high schools). My father set up a small studio in the basement where he secluded himself many evenings for the next 30 years, not revealing his efforts until a painting was finished to his satisfaction. I doodled a bit but turned my interests toward other things like photography, rocks, and writing. But fast forward 50+ years and my mom was cheering on my renewed interest in painting. She often admits that she does not understand my abstract efforts but still finds them “interesting.” Often she finds a bird image that I had not yet discovered myself. I’ve always wondered if she also found birds in my dad’s works.
I don’t think parents have to understand what their children are doing to inspire and support them. Just letting it happen can be enough. Even better, setting the stage for interests, talents, even interests without talent to happen --without pushing it. So thanks, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day for the 76th time. (OMG.)
Art-a-Whirl, The Biggest Art Crawl!
Over 1,600 Northeast Minneapolis Artists Association (NEMAA) artists, galleries, and businesses participate across all of Northeast Minneapolis at 100+ locations. Art-A-Whirl is a unique way to connect with artists in their own spaces, enjoy demonstrations and interactive activities, listen to live music, and enjoy merchants. Free and open to the public, AAW has been voted in the top three art crawls in the country multiple times (USA Today). Over its 30 years, AAW has also grown in scope as well as attendance. Today the weekend encompasses live entertainment at multiple area breweries and other non-art venues, but the focus still remains on the visual arts, in large studio complexes, individual studios and leased or loaned spaces, including front yards! You can get around on a bike, in a car, via public transportation or the annual AAW trolley. See the NEMAA website (www.nemaa.org) for maps, schedules, lists of activities and live music, and more. To avoid crowds and find parking, consider the previous Saturday when some of the studio buildings will have “preview” open studio events.
“Isles, Lagoon,” acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24
Art-a-Whirl Preview, Open Studio Saturday, May 9, Casket Arts, 11 am – 4 pm. We know that many potential and previous visitors shy away from the crowds and traffic of Art-A-Whirl weekend (May 15-17)—so we are excited to offer you a low-key alternative the Saturday before! Our Preview Saturday offers a calmer opportunity to view (and acquire!) new art and interact more personally with the artists. Plenty of on-street free parking! Studio 218 will be open—see new works (e.g., “Fjord” at the top, “Tax Day” below, and my ICE Paintings), see or revisit older works, check out some “artworks pots” for your new spring flowers. I will be set up for AAW—you can see it first! No frills (no food trucks or live music) – just art! 681 17th Av NE, Mpls.
“Tax Day,” 30 x 24, acrylic on canvas
Art-a-Whirl, Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, May 15-17. The nation’s biggest outdoor art crawl, the 31st annual Art-a-Whirl® weekend offers a unique experience—open studios and displays of original art from all media, for all budgets. And all the makings of a weekend extravaganza with food trucks, live music, demos and more. Casket Arts offers live music in the 4th floor lobby (Friday 5:30-10 pm; Saturday noon-7:30 pm), food trucks throughout the weekend, and over 50 open studios and 100+ artists in the three buildings on campus. Studio 218 will be open throughout the weekend, all event hours. Visit www.nemaa.org for complete info. Casket Arts, 681 17th Av NE, Mpls. Friday May 15, 5-10 pm; Saturday May 16, Noon- 8 pm; Sunday May 16, Noon- 5 pm.
On Exhibit
Hopkins Center for the Arts Annual Members Show, through May 17. This show has become so popular among Hopkins members that we are now limited to only one work each! My 24 x 36 acrylic abstract “OrcaFest” earned an Honorable Mention. Open daily. 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; www.hopkinsartcenter.org
“Aesthetic Essence II,” Burl Gallery, April 4-May 30. The Burl Gallery in St Paul Lowertown hosts four juried exhibits each year with a generic theme. The theme for 2026, “Aesthetic Essence”, refers to “the fundamental qualities that give an artwork its artistic merit and unique identity, such as its emotional impact, beauty, or symbolic meaning.” My mixed media “Daffodils” seems timely! Burl Gallery, 308 Prince Street, St Paul; open Saturday and Sunday 10-4; www.burlartgallery.org
Coming in June!
“Expressions of Nature: Abstract Landscapes and Colorscapes” at the Robbin Gallery, June 5-26, opening reception June 6, 2-4 pm. My friend Letitia Little and I combine a collection of abstract paintings influenced by our response to nature and color, and often both. More details in June. Gallery open Friday/Saturday Noon-5; Sunday Noon-4. 4915 42nd Av N, Robbinsdale. www.robbingallery.org
“Arctic Retreat” (Andrea Canter), “Synergy IV-Spring” (Letitia Little)
Once the Robbin show is hanging, my summer should provide sufficient time to explore ideas for my summer 2027 show at Hopkins, “Essence of Place.” We have no open studio events between Art-a-Whirl and the October Open Studio Saturday (October 11). But I am mostly in town and happy to take appointments, talk about commissions, etc. Give me a call or text or email and let’s get together. Even to just catch up. No purchase necessary.
Andrea
612-501-8812
andreacanterartworks@gmail.com
Andrea Canter
Artist and Owner
andreacanterartworks.com
Andrea Canter Artworks
The Casket Arts Building
681 17th Ave NE, Studio 218
Minneapolis, MN 55413