WAVA's exhibit entitled, "Inspired Visions" in Gallery I & Bill Lord's exhibit entitled, "Prairie Rose"

   Williston Area Visual Artists “Inspired Visions” & Bill Lord’s “Prairie Rose” exhibits at the James in July

Stop into the James during the month of July to view WAVA’s (Williston Area Visual Artists) exhibit entitled, “Inspired Visions” in Gallery I and Bill Lord’s exhibit entitled, “Prairie Rose” in Gallery II. Both exhibits are on display throughout the month of July. WAVA’s exhibit is filled with different artist’s work from area artists who work with different mediums and Bill Lord’s exhibit is his Photography works. There will not be an Artist Reception for the month of July per the artists’ request. Gallery admission is always free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Mondays through Thursdays, 9am-2pm and Fridays, 1-5pm.

WAVA(Williston Area Visual Artists) Mission Statement:

The purpose of the Williston Area Visual Artists(WAVA) is to provide a nurturing and supportive environment by which artists feel inspired and encouraged to pursue the arts in carious mediums. The organization does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, handicap, nationality or any other ethnic origin, in the processes of administration or any of its action or functions.

WAVA’s Member Challenge to reproduce a 12” x 12” piece of artwork in the member’s own medium and style. When all finished, it was assembled to complete one piece of art(picture shown here). Inspiration from “Melody of the Night” by Leonid Afremov

Bill Lord’s Artist Statement/Bio on “Prairie Rose”:

“I’ve Spent my entire life in NE Montana but I was born in Williston, because Plentywood was between doctors at the time. I was the neighborhood kid with the camera when I was growing up. I took over the family ranch in 1972 and farmed ad ranched until 2015 when my son took over. Rose was my Ranching partner from 1979 until we retired. I bought my first of many SLR’s in 1973 and have been photographing the ranch, the prairie, and the people of the area ever since. I’ve used many cameras, SLR’s and point and shoots(pocket cameras)and many types of film. A lot of my portraits were done with point and shoots (my favorite was the Leica Mini-Lux) because i carried one most of the time, The prairie was hard to put on film, then I started taking photos of Rose and she turned the prairie into a true thing of beauty. She was the artist and i just did the mechanics. I especially loved the Black and Whites because because the were so forgiving. I now shoot digital and love it but for me the photos taken with film had a feeling that’s hard to get with the digital. The oil boom in the Williston Basin was, and still is, a wonderful opportunity for photography.

A piece from Bill Lord’s exhibit, “Prairie Rose”

James Memorial Preservation Society's Board of Director's show

The JMPS’s Board of Directors is happy to present their exhibit, on display at the James March 1st until March 18th. Each member of the board has a special connection to some form of art, be it photography, painting, writing, mixed media, and more. The show will consist of works of art from members currently serving on the board. The Board of Directors are happy to share their artistic talents with the community. You can even purchase some of the work!

Miranda Merritt’s “Gerald”

Mitch Melberg’s “Sunflowers”

Deana Novak’s “Llama” “Sloth” & “Narwhal”

Andrea Placher’s “Triumphant”

February Exhibits: Garrett Norsten's "Photographs by Rascal" in Gallery I & Sarah Wilson-Boda's "Enigmatic" in Gallery II

Garrett Nosten’s exhibit entitled, “Photographs by Rascal” will be on display in Gallery I starting Sunday, February 2nd until Friday, February 28th. “Garrett is 24 and was born & raised in Central Minnesota. He moved to Williston to chase the dream in 2015. Garrett has been taking pictures since he was in 4th grade. He mainly focuses on nature and landscape photography but he isn’t scared to do self portraits. Most of Garrett’s photographs are taken with an iPhone!” -Garrett Norsten

The James will hold an Artist Reception for Garrett Norsten and Sarah Wilson-Boda on Friday, February 7th from 7:00-8:30 pm. Come chat with the artists and enjoy some light refreshments. Open to the public!

Sarah Wilson-Boda’s exhibit entitled, “Enigmatic” will be on display in Gallery II starting Sunday, February 2nd until Friday, February 28th. “Enigmatic” is a collection close to my heart because there is a deep meaning to me behind every piece. However, if you ask me what that meaning is, I will not tell you. One thing I’ve always adored about any work of art, is the way the viewer interprets it. It’s easier to form a connection with a piece, if what you decided it’s telling you isn’t sullied by any preconceived definition by the artist. I’ve named them what I would name them, but you may decide you would’ve named a piece differently. I love that. If you have found your own name for it, that means you’ve made your own connection. My goal with anything I create, whether it be a charcoal piece, a painting , or any of my theater project, is to spread, not joy, but contemplation.”-Sarah Wilson-Boda

Come see things through Garrett and Sarah’s perspectives and view their incredibly unique exhibits, you wont want to miss these!

North Dakota Student Art Show at the James January 5th-31st, 2020

The North Dakota Student Art Show features North Dakota youth’s art from all over the state. The North Dakota Student art Show will be on display at the James Memorial Art Center, in both galleries, January 5th-31st. The James will hold an Artist Reception on January 18th, 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend, come show your support for our youth artists.

This exhibit is presented by the Taube Museum of Art