Hunter Smith's "Assume Form" on display in GI & GII Join us for an Artist Reception on Friday, November 6th 7:00-8:30 pm

Full House~Hunter Smith

Artist Statement//HUNTER SMITH

These compositions are an exploration of how our state of mind can augment our perceptions of self.  Our emotional disposition is deeply connected to bodily awareness and how we navigate and interpret physical space. 

I have always felt that moments of anxiety, stress or frustration have an immense physical presence on myself. Tension in my chest and jaw, apparent lack of oxygen in room, the subtle grinding of my back teeth.

The characteristics of these reactions inform the material composition and abstraction within the figures. By personifying these reactions, it has helped me explore the actual emotional weight these moments have to the summation of my own character.

Biography//Hunter D. Smith      

Hunter Smith is from Springbrook, North Dakota – a small enough town where just about everyone gets a shot at being the mayor.  Despite having moved for school and the sale of his childhood home - Smith has never stopped calling western North Dakota home.

Smith graduated from Williston State University with his Associates in humanities while also serving as a student ambassador during his program. Smith went on to Black Hills State University to earn a degree in fine arts and gallery management. Hunter recently completed his MFA in sculpture with an emphasis in foundry arts at the University of South Dakota. 

In his spare time Smith is a prolific cat rearer and semi-professional dancer.

Wendy Kimble's "Spiritual Media" in Gallery I along with "Spooky" Community Juried art show & "Art by the Inch" in Gallery II

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WENDY KIMBLE’S “SPIRITUAL MEDIA”

Wendy’s exhibit entitled, “Spiritual Media” includes Shadow Boxes, Sculptural Dolls, and Photograph Transfers. Wendy says, “I have always had an interest in the “Unusual…” Growing up experiencing unexplained things, in my Grandparents house in Kenmare, ND that had a rambunctious spirit, that we called Jeremy, to having the ability to sense & feel “energies”; the “unusual” has always been the “usual” for me. My intuitive ability and passion for the arts lead me to create this paranormal inspired series. It’s a way for me to honor the places & spirits that I encountered and connected with on my travels and investigations. These works are integrated media(mixed media) pieces, created with photos, photo-transfer processes, found objects, clay and paint.”

Wendy Kimble was raised in Minot, ND. Her passion for the arts pushed her to pursue both her BA and BFA at Minot State University. While earning her BA in Art, she received specializations in Graphic Design, Printmaking, Drawing, Photography, with minors in Sculpture and Creative Theater. Her BFA is in Integrated Media with a minor in Art History. Wendy volunteers and teaches through the Taube Museum of Art, is an Artist Member at Artspace Suite 1 Gallery, and is the Founder & Project Manager for Creative Night Out First Thursday Events in Downtown Minot. In her spare time, she is the Lead Investigator and co-founder of the ND based paranormal group Paranormal Investigators of North Dakota and Creative Director for Minot’s largest Annual Haunted House!

Wendy Kimble’s “Transend”

“SPOOKY” COMMUNITY JURIED ART SHOW

The James Memorial Art Center is hosting a “Spooky” Community Juried Show in Gallery II, starting October 2nd. This Exhibition was open for all ages and media. We did ask for all entries to be season appropriate, i.e. Halloween, spooky, Fall, etc. Prizes and ribbons will be given out and a $50 cash prize for Best of Show will be awarded in both Adult and Youth categories. Join us for an Artist Reception on Friday, October 2nd 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. This exhibit will run from October 2nd-October 31st.

Art by the Inch Community Juried

Art Show Fundraiser

Mark your calendars and join us for the opening of “Art by the Inch” at an Artist Reception on Friday, October 2 from 7-8:30 pm. Stop by and have a look at the art available purchase. We cordially invite all participating artists, Members of the James as well as the general public to attend. The canvases will be on display in Gallery II as one large Mosaic. This collection of colorful art works represent the diversity and range of style by youth artists in our community. Throughout the course of this exhibit, each canvas is available for purchase by means of a “blind-buy” meaning the public is invited to buy numbers at random. Each artwork is assigned a number and corresponds to the number randomly sold. At the time of purchase, the buyer will not know which piece they are purchasing. Art will remain on display and can be picked up after October 31st. The price of each canvas is $20. Each piece of work is done on a 6”x 6” stretched canvas and will be available to purchase beginning October 5th. We are anticipating some amazing work! You won’t want to miss the opportunity to own you very own piece of this collection!  

Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild's "Harvest of Quilts"

During the month of September, the Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild will hold a quilt show with featured quilter, Ellen Harris. In Gallery I, the quilts will be on display from September 1-29 and in Gallery II, the quilts will be on display from the 1-9 of September. These are all handmade and will be all different types and sizes of quilts on display. Come check out these handmade beauties while you can!   

The Dakota Prairie Quilt Guild’s Artist Reception scheduled for  September 25th has been canceled due to new Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines put in place by Williams County. A smaller Artist Reception may take place in the future so people still have the chance to chat with featured quilter, Ellen Harris. Thank you for your understanding during these uncertain times.

Avis Veikley's "Of This Place"

Avis Veikley’s “Of This Place”

Avis writes, “This collection of paintings is about the quiet “empty” spaces of North Dakota—-the land and sky—-and indirectly, it’s people. There are no humans in these images, but we see them in the working of the land, the occasional building, the rowed trees, a fence line. They, too, have been slow, patient shapers of the landscape, like the glaciers, the wind, the rain, and the frost cycles.”

“For a few years I have been toying with the idea of painting a scene from each of North Dakota’s 53 counties, as a way of expressing my “sense of place.” It’s a bigger project than I expected, and I have only just begun. In preparing this body of work, I began a wandering of the back roads of the state, and shooting reference photos and gradually expanding my “country list.” I can’t even say at this point what my county score is—I keep getting lost.”

BIO:

Avis Veikley served as Director of the Northwest Art Center at Minot State University from 2006 until 2018. She is an adjunct instructor in the MSU Music Division, teaching percussion and assisting with the MSU Marching Band, and choir director at the Minot Congregational United Church of Christ.

Veikley received her BS degree in Music and Art from Minot State University, and Master of Music from Northern Illinois University at DeKalb. She worked as a graphic designer with Lowe’s Printing in Minot for over 20 years. Veikley has studied painting and drawing at the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock, NY, Art Students League of New York, Art Students League of Denver, and in numerous workshops. She grew up on her grandfather’s homestead near Glenburn, ND, and continues to be a partner in the family farm with her three nephews.

Avis Veikley’s “Of This Place” will be on display in Gallery I at the James Memorial Art Center until August 28th. The James is hosting an Artist Reception on Friday, August 7th from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm. Come chat with Avis and other art enthusiasts. Free and open to the public.

This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.