It’s not just the how but the WHY.
Why do we Create?
Frederic Arts is sponsoring a series of artist talks that we hope will help artists of all stripes better understand this part of the creative process. One approach is to think of technique, or the How, as below the elbow. The Why - above the elbow - involves the heart and mind. Decisions, theories, evaluations and even strategies for expressing and communicating our art.
The artists presenting our 2024 series are being scheduled now for dates tentatively set for June 20, July 18, August 22 and September 19. Please check back, or better yet, sign-up for our News and Events email which will notify you of upcoming classes and events!
All lectures are FREE and open to the public and made possible by a Valley Arts grant through the St Croix Valley Foundation and the Frederic Arts Programming fund. The series is curated by local artist Lizzie Wortham.
This year the series will be held at the Frederic Art Center, 310 Lake Ave South. Artist talks begin at 7 pm and will last approximately 45-60 minutes and include a question-and-answer period.
We hope to see you there!
***Below are last year’s presentations***
September 7th, 7 PM 2023
This will be our last lecture of the season - Please Join us!
August 3rd 7 PM 2023
The End of the Northwoods
July 6th, 7 pm 2023
Why Do We Make Images?
June 8th, 7 pm 2023
Kim Benson received her MFA from University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2015 and her BFA from the College of
Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN in 2008. She has attended residences at La Macina di San Cresci in Tuscany, Italy, Adams State University in Alamosa, CO, McCanna House with the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks,
ND, Jentel Foundation in Banner, WY, and The Soap Factory in Minneapolis, MN. Benson works in her studio located in South Minneapolis and teaches at Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Website: https://kimbensonart.cargo.site/
Jim Williams is a sculptor, living and working in Clam Falls, WI, whose work has been featured in nationally recognized venues. He fuses his technical training with artistic desire to create “contemporary primitive” sculptures in cast and welded metal, industrial found objects, and wood. These materials are the historical underpinnings of human civilization and provide a contextual language for his work that links past and present - primitive and contemporary. His sculptures are personal expressions of his explorations into natural forms, new growth on old foundations, and answers that become the next questions.
Morgan Barrie will discuss her series "The End of the North Woods." This work explores how the mythology of wilderness is commodified, and how that commodity can outlive the wild spaces it references.
Morgan is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and lives in Menomonie, WI, a small town that was built up by lumber barons.
Her image-based practice includes work with photography, digital collage, and video.
Ryuta Nakajima was born in Tokyo, Japan. He grew up in many places around the world, including Lebanon, Kuwait, Switzerland, Egypt, and Japan. He is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Art and Design. Ryuta received his MFA from the University of California San Diego in 1997, Ph.D. from Kyushu University in Design in 2019, and is an ordained Esoteric Buddhist priest. Ryuta merges biology and art, publishing scientific papers on cephalopods behavior while highlighting art and design represented in this class of animals. He explores various art forms, including painting, sculpture, and installation. In 2015, Ryuta launched Okinawa Seaside Laboratory, focusing on coral reef conservation working closely with local scientists and educators conducting lectures and workshops, especially for children from underprivileged families. Nakajima will address the contemporary issues surrounding artistic practices focusing on the socio-political responsibility of an artist by closely examining the relationship between ideation and practice. ryutanakajimaworks.com
