Land & Spirit

April 9 – June 11, 2006

The North Dakota Museum of Art is interested in the difference between art of the region and what one finds throughout the nation. It is with this idea in mind that Land and Spirit, a collection of work by 27 regional, national and international artists.

In this collection, visitors will find art that is wholly regional—from Marley Kaul’s backyard to Leo Kim’s big sky. Many of the artists in this exhibition, such as David Krueger, grew up in this region but now live and work elsewhere. Their work, however, remains rooted in their past and thus this region. But even the artists who are not from this region have something to share. Georgie Papageorge, a white South African woman, confronts borders, a subject not foreign to citizens of the Red River Valley, in her piece African Rifting–Lines of Fiber, Namibia/Brazil. Paula Santiago’s creations, made out of rice paper, human hair and blood, can be seen as feminine and beautiful or visceral, depending on one’s perspective. Xu Bing extends spiritual boundaries with his language-based art.

“It seems to be that artists from our region are closer to the land, and this reveals itself in the preponderance of animals in regional art,” says Laurel Reuter, the Museum’s director. Indeed, visitors will find many animal figures in this exhibition, including horses by Walter Piehl and Jaune Quick-to-see-Smith, deer by Erik Budd and fish by Adam Kemp.

Artist include:
Erik Budd
Carol Hepper
Frank Gohlke
Georgie Papageorge
Mark Klett
Paula Santiago
David Krueger
Kathryn Lipke-Vigesaa
Ron Schaefer
Shel Secunda
Marley Kaul
David Madzo
Xu Bing
James Craig
Nancy Friese
Alex McClean
Terry Evans
David Hanson
Shelly Rusen
Jen Wright Champlin
Steve Sorman and Patricia Hampf