Fall Art Update From Studio 218
"White Canyon" 30x40 mixed media (paper, acrylic)
The fall exhibition season is winding down, sort of. Seems in the past two months there have been submission deadlines every week for shows at area art centers, even beyond. (The annual international Arts North show, although held at the Hopkins Art Center, is truly an international exhibit with a local host.) I had work accepted in some, rejected for others, and still awaiting decisions from others. Now there is a (welcome) break in calls for submission, I guess for the holidays! These calls tend to pick up again in late winter/early spring. Not all artists think these calls are worth the effort for a variety of reasons—the applications can be time consuming; even if work is accepted there is a very small chance of sales as area art centers seem to attract viewers far more than buyers or collectors. (I have been told that Minnesota, maybe the Midwest more generally, is not a hotbed of art collectors, and that pricing around here is far lower than in other parts of the country, particularly the west and south.) Artists are also at the whim of the juror(s) whose decisions can be very discouraging. Despite it all, some of the annual shows in our area are drawing more and more submissions every year—which in turn means more and more competition and more rejections.
So why bother? I have sold far more work via my studio events and website than via art center and gallery shows. My reasons are pretty basic: I want to show my work, in person, to a larger, broader audience than I will draw to my Northeast Minneapolis studio. It’s not because I am likely to have more sales, but because you never know who will see the work. I have been invited to show work in a few galleries because a curator saw it somewhere else. I’ve had curators visit my studio (during Art a Whirl etc) because they liked a painting they saw in another exhibit. I’ve had a few sales in my studio or off my website because someone saw my work at one of those galleries. And sometimes it is worth submitting to an exhibit because it’s...fun. I like attending an “opening” event because it’s interesting to hear what others (jurors, fellow artists, total strangers) say about my work and others’ work. And it’s more fun, and often more worthwhile, to attend an exhibit with others, particularly other artists. We learn from each other, and we can do some venting as well. (What, another exhibit where abstracts were shut out of the awards?) I have to look at each exhibit as a learning experience, and usually it is. And yes, once in a while, someone buys my work!! For November, note the annual member juried show at Artistry (I am in it), the annual juried Extremely Minnesota exhibit underway at the Robbin Gallery (I am not in it), the annual members nonjuried show at the White Bear Center for the Arts (I am in it), and the annual nonjuried “That’s What Eye Saw” (photography) show at the Hallberg Center for the Arts in Wyoming (I am in it).
And meanwhile I will be preparing for a small exhibit opening in January (through February) in the On 2 Gallery at the California Building in Northeast Minneapolis. This is a three-artist show organized by textile artist (and California Building tenant) Deborah Foutch to showcase the concept of “mentorship” in visual arts, featuring work by two of her mentees—me and John Stumme, as well as her own work. Our “opening” will be a discussion of our experiences as mentor/mentees. More details later.
Meanwhile, get ready for two open studio events this month!
Second Saturday/Open Casket Preview at Casket Arts, November 8. Our monthly “Second Saturday” will be the last “simple” open studio event of the year, and a preview of the upcoming major weekend event, Open Casket (see below, November 14-16). It will be a low key Second Saturday in Studio 218, offering an early look at the work I will display at Open Casket, including new paintings (see “White Canyon” above and “Sunday Morning, below), a small collection of notecards, and a few prints of recent and not so recent paintings. The prints are digital images on photographic paper, sized 11 x 14 and 13 x 19, ready for matting/framing. If you see a painting you really like, but it’s too big for your space or beyond your budget, a high quality digital print is a good alternative. (If you want a print at a larger size or on canvas, I can special order via our fabulous “Image Works” on the first floor of Casket Arts.) I have no guest artist or live music during this Second Saturday—no frills, just art, and conversation, of course. Studios will be open throughout the campus. 11 am – 4 pm, Casket Arts, 681 17th Av NE, Mpls.
“Sunday Morning,” 30 x 40 mixed media
Open Casket—Fall Open Studios, November 14-16. The Casket Arts campus invites you to our biggest fall/winter event, Open Casket. From Friday (5-9 pm) through Saturday (Noon-8 pm) until Sunday (noon-5 pm), enjoy original art from 100+ artists, featuring everything from painting, drawing, printmaking and textiles to photography, jewelry, woodworking… and more. Four floors of studios in the main building, three floors of studios in the Carriage House, and the adjacent NE Sculpture Factory and Gallery welcome you to browse, learn, buy. In addition to new work and artist demos, you will enjoy live music in the Fourth Floor Lounge (Friday night and throughout Saturday); food trucks; coffee/hot drink cart and cookies; and our annual basement SpeakEasy, featuring craft cocktails and raising funds for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. This event, which is scheduled with similar events at Northrup King (Art Attack), Solar Arts (Art This Way), California (“California Dreamin’), and more , is much like Art-a-Whirl but 1) smaller in general, 2) easier traffic and parking, and 3) more art-friendly. Actually it is a lot like Art-a-Whirl used to be! Studio 218 will be open all hours of Open Casket.
Coming in December! Open House. Holiday Market. Stay tuned to details in the next mailing but mark your calendars: December 6, Noon-4 p.m., come for a casual Open House in Studio 218. Art, treats, and solo guitar from Joan Griffith. The following weekend will be Casket Arts annual Holiday Market on December 13, 11 am – 5 p.m., with open studios, coffee/cookies, live music and more.
On Exhibit. As noted above, it’s been a busy fall season, and it keeps going:
Artistry 49th Annual Members’ Juried Exhibition, through November 30 (Inez Greenberg Gallery). Always what I believe to be one of the finest annual exhibits in the area, and this year is no exception. A diverse range of mediums and styles, this show is a great cross-section of area artists and their work. I am pleased to have “Iowa” included this year. 1800 Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington; www.artistrymn.org
Wyoming Creative Arts Community, Hallberg Center for the Arts 11th Annual “That’s Why Eye Saw” exhibition, November 20-January 17; opening reception November 20 5-7:30 p.m. This is an annual nonjuried show of photography, film and digital. My two digital prints, “Red Railing” and “Shades of Gehry”, will be hanging with the rest. 5521 E. Viking Blvd, Wyoming; open Tueday-Saturday; www.wyomingcreativearts.org
“Shades of Gehry” (digital photo)
White Bear Center for the Arts Annual Members Exhibition, November 17-January 23, Ford Family Gallery, Exhibition Hall, and Atrium; opening reception December 4, 4-8 p.m. An annual nonjuried show of members’ work, there will be a parallel “junior” exhibition in the adjacent Community Hall for young artists age 6-15. My “Summer Quilt” mixed media work (below) is included this year. 4971 Long Av, White Bear Lake; open Monday-Saturday; www.whitebear.org
Minnesota Artists Association Annual Fall Juried Exhibition, White Bear Center for the Arts (Exhibition Hall and Atrium), September 25-October 31; opening reception September 25, 6-8 pm. MAA presents two juried exhibitions each year, rotating among area art centers and galleries. I am pleased to have two works included this fall, “September Shore” (below) and “Mourning After” (above). Open Monday-Saturday; 4971 Long Av, White Bear Lake; www.whitebeararts.org
“Summer Quilt,” 20 x 24, mixed media on canvas
Don’t Miss….
Did you know that Casket Arts is home to MacArthur “Genius” Grant awardee Dyani White Hawk? And now a mid-career retrospective of her amazing work (“Love Language”) fills four levels of the Walker Art Center through mid-February. White Hawk’s work blends indigenous traditions with modern western abstraction, creating unique, beautiful work unlike anything I have seen before. I expect to go back several times. You can learn a lot more about this artist and her work on the Walker website; see interviews and a round table discussion (www.walkerart.org)
See You Soon! Hope to see you before the year ends, at an open studio event or privately arranged visit. I enjoy visitors regardless of your intent—to buy, propose a commission, or just check out the artwork and catch up. Children welcome, even encouraged! I’ve enjoyed the observations and questions of youngsters from 2 months to teens. Email or text to set up a time.
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