A Timothy Ray Retrospective: Grids, Blobs, Smears, and Stripes

February 17 – April 7, 2013

The show “Grids, Blobs, Smears, and Stripes” samples Ray’s abstractions from 1968 to his most recent work. “His work defines a very distinct voice here. His work with material, paper for example, was unique to this area,” said Mark Weiler, founder, and director of ecce gallery in Fargo, who helped curate the “Raytrospective.”

Ray was born in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, and taught at Minnesota State University Moorhead from 1970 to 1997. “I always saw Tim as a model of the artist. Something I always hoped to achieve. Tim viewed his students as artists worthy of his friendship, concern, and respect,” wrote artist and former student T. L. Solien.

Ray was an early advocate for abstract artists in the area. “It took longer for abstraction to reach the Red River Valley than it did the East Coast,” said Jane Gudmundson. “He was the sole voice here for a while.” The two worked together on a 2010 show at Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gallery, “Abstraction 100,” which examined a century of abstract art and how it affected Red River Valley artists.

The retrospective at the North Dakota Museum of Art will be Ray’s first solo show since a 2002 exhibit at Concordia College. While Ray won’t get to see his work hang at NDMOA, he was able to see his nine-panel acrylic painting, “Day Garden-Night Garden,” purchased by the city of Fargo and hung this summer above the stairs at the Fargo Public Library. “This work is monumental in scale and one of his best works,” said Weiler.

Sadly, Tim Ray is no longer with us, but his spirit remains through his art. 1940 – 2013.

Installation Images