Feel that chill in the air? It’s time for Gamut’s 13th annual holiday market, Raging Art On! Since 2011, RAO has been a celebration of local talent, showcasing a handpicked selection of artists who bring their best creations to our festive pop-up shop. This year, we’re thrilled to welcome familiar faces from past markets and a few exciting new artists making their RAO debut.
As is tradition our walls will be decked from floor to ceiling with original works across a variety of mediums and price points, perfect for finding unique gifts for everyone on your list. From pottery and fiber art to paintings, prints, apparel, jewelry, and home goods, everything is available to take home the same day—leaving you plenty of time to procrastinate on wrapping!
Gamut Members are invited to join us for a VIP Preview Night on Thursday, December 5th, from 5pm–9pm to kick off the festivities. The market will officially open to the public on Friday, December 6th, at 11am. We are extending our regular gallery hours until 7pm Thursday – Saturday to ensure everyone has a chance to shop the magic of RAO.
Can’t make it in person? No worries! A large selection of RAO gifts will be available online at gamutgallerympls.com, so you can shop from anywhere, anytime, until December 21st.
Celebrate the season by supporting our vibrant community of local artists and makers. Happy holidays, gallery-goers!
Members ONLY Preview Night
Thursday, December 5th // 5-9pm
Our Members only “first dibs” opener is not to be missed!
GAMUT GALLERY MEMBERS’ GALA Saturday, November 9th, 7-11PM (no regular open hours at the gallery this day in preparation for the event) • 21+ event, Must be a Gamut Gallery Member to attend
Step back in time to the glitz and glamour of the Roaring 20s at our 2024 Gamut Gallery Members Gala! Join us for an unforgettable evening of art, elegance, and entertainment as we celebrate the vibrant creativity of the past and present and dream about the future!
This year’s theme, The Roaring 20s Reimagined, invites you to don your finest 20s attire (flapper dresses, tuxedos, or really anything you want that you feel fits the theme! and OF COURSE sparkling accessories as we recreate the opulence and charm of the Jazz Age, with a modern twist. Guests will be treated to an immersive experience featuring live performances, vintage-inspired cocktails, and a dance floor buzzing with energy.
Already a member? This event is FREE for you! We are so grateful for the support of Gamut community members like you and hope that you have enjoyed your experiences at our events and exhibitions. Gamut Gallery has collaborated with artists, curators, and performers to deliver thought-provoking art programming to the Twin Cities.
Renew or Become a Member by Thursday, November 8th to join the celebration! As a Gamut Gallery member, you receive free admission to all exhibition openings and closings, as well as invitations and discounted tickets to preview events, such as VIP access to our annual Raging Art On holiday marketplace. Gallery members are committed to the local art scene and we celebrate them with our black-tie Member’s Gala in the fall. The Platinum membership level receives additional benefits, most notably a 10% discount on artwork sales.
If you have any questions about the renewal process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: Francesca@gamutgallerympls.com.
Comments Off on Figure Drawing Class Facilitated by Guest Artist: Surelle Strike
Please arrive early as class will begin promptly at 6pm. This class will be facilitated by Surelle Strike. Surelle is no stranger to Gamut Gallery or the Twin Cities art scene. You may recall her pieces from the “Visage” exhibit earlier this year. She is an experienced figure drawing facilitator and we are excited to have her as our guest artist for this session.
Chairs and a few tables will be provided but please bring your own materials. Towards the end of class there will be an option to discuss our work as a group.
Figure Drawing Class Facilitated by Guest Artist Surelle Strike.
Wednesday, October 23rd//6-8pm
This is an 18+ event
Subject will be a live nude model
A fee of $20 reserves your spot as space is limited. Reserve your spot here.
This is a bring your own drawing materials event.
Please bring paper, drawing tools and something hard to draw on if you do not wish to be at a table.
GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS Thursday & Friday //11am – 6pm Saturday // 11am – 4pm
Comments Off on Call For Work:2024 Into the Madlands
Join us at Gamut Gallery for our much-anticipated annual “Call for Work” show of 2024, “Into the Madlands.” This year’s exhibition is an eclectic display of artistic expression, featuring works selected from an astounding 570 submissions by 125 talented artists.
This show is a vibrant tapestry of colorful and emotional landscapes, inviting viewers on a journey through the “Madlands.” Featuring a diverse array of media, including stonework, collage, beaded sculpture, painting, photography, and drawing, this exhibition showcases the unique voices and creative expressions of 28 exceptional artists.
Featured artists:
allison Anne, Anthony Art, Brooke Bartholomew, Del Bey, Tiffany Bolk, Renee Boynton, Jamie Davis, Aidon Dillon, Nicholas Fuelberth, Toni Gallo, Barret Lee, Madie Ley, Chuck Martens, CL Martin,Patricia Nanoff, Roya Nazari Najafabadi, Mike Olson, Özge Özdemir, Erin Peña, Kristin Maija Peterson, Denise Presnell, Morgan Seemann, Mary Catherine Solberg, Grace Stewart, Meranda Turbak, Margaret Vergara, and Jake Zirbes.
We are honored to have the illustrious Brant Kingman as our guest curator for this year’s show. A long-time supporter of Gamut Gallery, Brant Kingman is a revered figure in the Minneapolis art community. Known for his vast range of styles, dedication to community building, and extensive knowledge of art history, Kingman brings a unique and visionary perspective to the curation of “Into the Madlands.”
“I intentionally approached this curatorial task free from personal desires. I wanted to see what is on today’s artists’ minds and in their hearts. Naturally, I made my choices based on my experiences. In addition to being an artist myself, I am an avid student of art history.” – Brant Kingman.
GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS Visit for FREE during our open hours: Thursday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm *Closed on exhibit opening day
Want to become a Gamut Gallery Member? As a Gamut Gallery member, you receive free admission to all exhibition openings, artist talks, and invitations to preview events, such as VIP access to Artists Preview Nights, our annual Raging Art On holiday marketplace. Gallery members are committed to the local art scene and we celebrate them bi-annually with a Spring Celebration and our black-tie Member’s Gala in the fall.
Join us for a fun-filled evening as we celebrate 12 incredible years of Gamut Gallery! This year’s anniversary party promises to be a vibrant celebration of art, music, and community spirit. This is a special anniversary party as it is the first under the new ownership team!
What to expect? Experience the creative energy of local muralists: @kimmyartco, @teejay.art and @vanholmgren painting live in our beautiful ivy filled courtyard in the heart downtown Minneapolis! Throughout the evening, we’ll be hosting exciting raffle prizes, giving you the chance to take home a piece of the magic.
Our musical lineup will keep you dancing all night long with beats brought to you by House Queens; DJ Sassy G and Michelle Muse, who will set the perfect tone for a night of celebrating Gamut and it’s fabulous community!
This is also a great opportunity to view our current exhibition, “Visage” A Contemporary Portrait show”. If you have not had the chance to check out this incredible show this will be your last chance as this show comes down after June 22nd.
Visage features 17 exceptional portrait artists from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visage prompts viewers to reflect on the complexities of identity and perception in today’s digital age, delving into contemporary portraiture by questioning what defines a modern portrait in the 21st century.
For over a decade, Gamut Gallery has been more than just an art space; it’s been a hub for creativity, performance, and collaboration. Our community is the heart of what we do. It’s a place where people “come for the art, and stay for the party.” We remain as dedicated as ever to fostering a welcoming environment where art, music, and community thrive together!
Don’t miss this special evening as we celebrate the amazing community that defines Gamut Gallery. Let’s make it a night to remember!
GAMUT 12 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY Saturday June 22nd // 7pm – 10pm
Visage: A Contemporary Portrait Show – An exhibition featuring Amit Michaels, CL Martin, Brant Kingman, Hend Al-Mansour, Jade Patrick, Kao Lee Thao, Kelly Helsinger, Kristi Abbott, Leslie Barlow, Mat Ollig, Nell Pierce, Pam Eader, Patrizia Vignola, Stephanie Friest, Surelle Strike, Russ White and Van Holmgren – 17 artists exploring the contemporary lens of society by questioning what defines a modern portrait in a digital age. Curated by Francesca Bernardi.
Amidst the prevalence of selfies and manipulated images, identity is often blurred. In our exhibit, Visage seventeen Minnesotan/Wisconsin artists have used varied artistic styles through collage, photography, oil, and acrylic paintings to create stunning portraits of figures from their imagination, their peers, and women who have impacted society.
Visage prompts viewers to reflect on the complexities of identity and perception in today’s digital age, delving into contemporary portraiture by questioning what defines a modern portrait in the 21st century. Each portrait acts as a mirror, connecting the viewer to the subject’s image and a deeper reflection of what it means to be human and how we experience emotion while aiming to cultivate curiosity and foster connections between viewer and artwork.
“Every artist comes from a unique background, whether an emerging artist in Minneapolis or an established artist that has shown worldwide. As I curated Visage I dove deeply into the intricacies of the modern-day human experience, wanting to encourage visitors to engage with diverse perspectives and appreciate the richness of human expression.” – Francesca Bernardi, Curator
PUBLIC OPENING NIGHT: Friday, May 10th // 7–10PM Featuring: Amit Michaels, CL Martin, Brant Kingman, Hend Al-Mansour, Jade Patrick, Kao Lee Thao, Kelly Helsinger, Kristi Abbott, Leslie Barlow, Mat Ollig, Nell Pierce, Pam Eader, Patrizia Vignola, Stephanie Friest, Surelle Strike, Russ White and Van Holmgren. • $10 presale available • $15 day of the event • FREE for members • DJ Paul Frett
FIGURE DRAWING CLASS: Thursday, June 13th // 7– 9PM Loose instruction and facilitation by Brant Kingman • 18+ event • Live nude model • $20 to reserve your spot (space is limited) • Please bring your own drawing materials
GAMUT 12TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Saturday, June 22nd 2024 // 7 – 10PM A fun-filled evening with muralists painting live in the courtyard, raffle prizes throughout the evening plus music brought to you by House Queens; DJ Sassy G and Michelle Muse! • $15 presales coming soon • $20 day of event • FREE for members
ABOUT THE CURATOR Francesca Bernardi is the new Gallery Director and co-owner of Gamut Gallery. They are an art therapist, artist, art collector, and burgeoning curator. Through their work in art therapy, they are a skilled relationship cultivator, attentive communicator, and passionate about building community with multifaceted individuals. Visage is Francesca’s first solo curatorial endeavor. Francesca’s excitement for curating will lead to many more exhibits highlighting artists in Minneapolis.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Amit Michael is a self-taught artist based in Minneapolis, MN. He started art at a young age after moving to Minneapolis from Be’er Sheva, Israel when he was seven years old. His first group art show was at age nine as part of a youth program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Amit focused on music as his primary art form when he entered college, he graduated in 2015 from MCTC with an Associate’s Degree in Sound Engineering. He has played many venues as a musician, and recently in the past few years has found his way back to his brush. Much like Amit’s music, his process is improvisational and fluid. Working with a color deficiency inspires him to create high-contrast pieces, featuring many layers of bold patterns and textures within his portraits. He experiments with pronounced motifs and does not paint with a preconceived design, this allows him complete spontaneity leaving him open to the end result.
CL Martin is a queer, figurative artist working in traditional media. She creates mysterious characters who exude their own distinct identities in a kind of still performance, imbued with diverse influences from history, allegory, design, psychology, and social constructs. She has studied art all her life and received a BFA in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. In 2007, she received an Artist Initiative Grant from the MN State Arts Board and the National Endowment for The Arts. She has exhibited internationally from Italy to New York and her work resides in private collections across the globe.
Minneapolis artist Brant Kingman trained himself by studying masterworks in the great museums of Europe following graduation from Amherst College in 1976. After returning from abroad, he lived in New York City for seven years booking 62 shows in art venues such as the prestigious PS1 run by MOMA. Kingman was shot in the chest in 1982. He returned to his hometown of Minneapolis where he maintains a studio in which he paints and creates bronze sculptures for galleries across the United States and in 10 foreign countries. His most recent major exhibits include a show at the Vietnam National Museum of Art in Hanoi and, through April 2018, paintings at MoMA in NYC. Years of exhibiting objects convinced Kingman that object making is but part of the artistic process that fits into the larger envelope of experience design. The artist now considers his primary role that of creating healthy, creative communities.
As a child, Hend Al-Mansour carved large female figures into sand. Growing up, she was acutely aware of her limited opportunities as a Saudi Arabian woman. So instead of art, she studied medicine in Cairo, Egypt. For many years she practiced as a cardiologist but also built a reputation among her colleagues for the images she drew in the doctors’ rooms. In 1997, Al-Mansour relocated to the United States, where she finally was free to follow her calling: art. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the MCAD and also completed another Master of Art History at the University of St. Thomas. Al-Mansour’s art reflects the female culture of her hometown. Arabic and Islamic aesthetics influence her work which references gender politics in the Arab world. In vibrant colors, her screen-prints integrate stylized figures, Arabic calligraphy, and designs of Sadou (Bedouin style) and henna. Al-Mansour was awarded McKnight Fellowship in 2018, Jerome Fellowship of Printmaking in 2013/14, the Juror’s Award of the Contemporary Islamic Art exhibition in Riyadh Saudi Arabia in 2012, and Minnesota State Art Board Artist Initiative grant in 2005. She has shown her work in regional, national, and international exhibitions, lectured on Arab art and her journey, and curated exhibitions featuring Middle Eastern artists. Al-Mansour is a co-founder of the group Arab Artists in the Twin Cities and was a member of the Arab American Cultural Institute in Minnesota, where she worked to promote the understanding and expression of Arab culture in the West.
Kao lee Thaou uses the weapon of coffee my superhero powers are heightened, allowing me to create unique yet stylistic surreal and dream-like landscapes. Her world changed once I picked up a paintbrush.All of her inspirations come from her dreams and personal experiences. With every stroke Kao Lee leaves behind a window into her soul, hoping to spark inspiration in others. Her creations speak to her on a subconscious level defining what the result will be, she opens an inner channel and let my subconscious take over. Kao Lee runs her own 3D animation company called Folklore Studio where they produce animation for television and film. Animation is her window into the world, it enables her to merge her passion for art and love of storytelling to create art that is both personally meaningful and enjoyable for others.
Kelly Helsinger is a Minneapolis-based artist primarily focused on abstract expressionism. Her work strives to balance chaos and control through color and intricate lines. She holds a multidisciplinary bachelor’s degree focused on art, psychology, and creative writing from St. Cloud State University and has been selling her work professionally since 2010. From 2016 to early 2023, Kelly created under the name “MEA”, an acronym for her blog and alter-ego, Messy Ever After. Messy Ever After stood for embracing creative whims and accepting the chaos within an artistic identity and direction.
As a collage artist, Kristi Abbott is fascinated with the use of color, pattern, and texture and tries to combine these elements in her work innovatively and excitingly using a combination of papers, paints, and other embellishment materials. Kristi also feels challenged to continue to push the boundaries of technique, subject matter, and provocation. She is keen to understand some of the driving forces that shape our culture, communities, and social patterns. Therefore each piece and series is thoughtfully researched and conceptualized to tell a story through the use of familiar imagery richly layered throughout each artwork. Her influences in her work include pop art and pop culture, Hollywood, music, and fashion. Kristi’s technique is still evolving and employs an exploratory and playful process, which can incorporate costuming, photography, graphic manipulation, collage, and painting.
Leslie Barlow is a visual artist who primarily uses oil painting to embrace and investigate the entangled and elaborate web that comprises the intersections of racial identity, community, love, and belonging. Her work often captures community members in intimate forms that reveal vibrant and vital dimensions. Leslie’s work has been featured in the group exhibitions Rituals of Resistance at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (2021–2022), In Search of Lost Time at Dreamsong in Minneapolis (2021), and Creative Confinement at Minnesota’s Rochester Center for the Arts (2020–2021), among others. She has received the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship (2021), the Cultural Community Partnership Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2020), and the McKnight Artist Fellowship (2019). Leslie’s work is in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Weisman Art Museum, and US Bank Stadium, among others. Barlow is also a founding member of Creatives After Curfew, a collective of mural artists formed in the summer of 2020, and a founder of Public Functionary’s PF Studios, an incubator and studio program centering on emerging BIPOC artists.
Mat Ollig is an oil painter living and working in NE Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at the Accademia di Bella Arte in Florence, Italy, and graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, MN prior to receiving his BFA in Painting & Drawing from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) in Minneapolis, MN. Mat’s large, multi-faceted paintings were a result of his continued fascination with memory, reality, and perception funneled through the lenses of history and oil painting. Ollig’s influences include the movements of Cubism, Postmodernism, and Relational Aesthetics, as well as the work of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Mark Rothko, and Alexander Ross. Mat Ollig’s work has been featured nationally, has been awarded the 2016, 2018, and 2020 MN State Arts Board Artists Initiative Grant, and has many paintings in notable permanent collections, including the Hyatt Regency, Schecter Dokken Kanter, Code42, Ogletree Deakins, BI Worldwide, and the Weisman Art Museum.
Nell Pierce is a collage artist, acrylic painter, muralist, and teaching artist who sees art as a powerful tool for telling both individual and collective stories. They are part of the muralist collective, Creatives After Curfew and have been a facilitator and teacher for over a decade, working with organizations like Telling My Story and the Speaking Out Collective to support people of all ages in schools, community centers, prisons, and other settings to connect to themselves and feel agency in creating their narratives through visual art and theater. In 2024, they started teaching art classes for adults out of their studio. In their practice, they create paintings and collages (primarily portraits) on commission. Nell is currently working on a multi-year series, Q’llage, that explores how the strategies that support them and their queer community to stay true to themselves are mirrored in the natural world — drawing from their own experience and interviews with people in their LGBTQ2IA+ community.
Pam Eader is an artist working in oils and acrylics. She focuses on stylized portraiture of women, both real and imagined. She has spent the past 30 years buying and selling antiques and collectibles and draws inspiration from vintage photographs and textiles. Although she has been interested in art from an early age, it wasn’t until 2016 that she decided to pursue it as a career. Pam works out of her home studio in Cedarburg, Wisconsin and her work can be found in studio 159 of the Northrup King building in Minneapolis.
Artistically, Patrizia Vignola’s interests have always manifested with the human form, more specifically with faces. Although she has strong abilities to capture a likeness, traditional portraiture was never her goal. It was always more about portraying something deeper, more emotional or philosophical about being human. Through the eyes of her subjects, she hopes to speak to the viewer on things about the human condition, the workings of the human brain, the individual on the inside vs. the one perceived on the outside, our connection to each other, the word we inhabit, the universe and our purpose in it. In more recent years, starting just after the birth of her daughter, these ideas began to culminate into thoughts around circumstances we are born into. From the time we are conceived, others have expectations of who we are. We “come with” a socioeconomic background, a cultural identity, stereotypes, gender norms, drug addictions, mental illnesses and so much more all built into us by the people in our family histories. These things we “come with” some wear with pride and some struggle to remove, improve, or change their entire lives.
Russ White is an artist, writer, and designer living in Minneapolis. Born and raised in the Carolinas and Mississippi, he received a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and has maintained a studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis since 2014. White has exhibited his work regionally and nationally and is the recipient of three Minnesota State Arts Board grants (2018, 2020, & 2022). He also works as Senior Editor for MPLSART.COM and as a Communications Specialist for the University of Minnesota Department of Art. He served on the board of directors for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association and was editor-in-chief of their annual In Studio magazine from 2018-2020.
Stephanie Friest explores how portraiture; particularly the uncanny or the unseen can connect to an audience and in doing so, create an emotional and visceral response. The motives that drive her work – as a whole – is her evocation to expose. The central themes are as diverse as her experience as being human. Drawing from these occurrences, Stepahnie’s work uncovers everyday motifs of sexuality, identity, race, gender, motherhood & death; concepts which we may partake in daily, yet sum to include as a significant part of the daily human experience. She is interested in playing with line and color; to blend the two and in doing so, construct a marriage of cohesion. I primarily use oil paints in my artworks, while the foundation of this particular body of work is illustration, which has been created through the use of charcoal and graphite.
Whether it is paint or ink, Surrelle Strike creates visual narratives and tells stories with her art. Since the beginning of time, we’ve told stories. Sometimes these tales were an escape into fantasy, but often storytelling was used as a way to teach morals and to share life-or-death advice. Fairy tales would be filled with love, and disappointment, warnings about types of men that a woman may encounter in the woods, or quiet recipes for ending an unwanted pregnancy. Fairy tales and fables were filled with the realities of both tragedy and hope. When she creates, she wants to tell a story, Surrellle wants you to think about what is happening in an image and find a way to connect with it personally. She loves weaving symbolic details into her artwork, to add to the narrative. She hopes you feel empowered, moved, excited or overwhelmed, and that her artwork speaks to you.
Van Holmgren was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and raised in central Iowa. He has worked as a professional artist for 10 years and as a full-time artist for the last six. His work has been shown across the United States and as far as London, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. There is a certain visual vibrancy that is consistently seen in his work, be it with color or content. Art is an idea, a way to present a statement to the universe and shout as loud as you can. His work depicts the modern human inevitably confronting and negotiating all of today’s experiences. Actions that have happened, will happen and possibly could happen. Much is the same with Van’s more sculptural work, where he presents the viewer with everyday objects revealing silent intentions, often juxtaposing man-made traps with arrows. He uses smoke in his work to show that humans have been there and have done something to the area. Snakes are often used to depict poisonous people who have no intention to help others than themselves. It is the artist’s job to wade through the muck of society to find truths to present to the viewer.
Jade Patrick is a photographer and visual storyteller, experienced in art curation and filmmaking. Her lens consistently gravitates towards people; unsung heroes, relationship dynamics, and whimsical explorations of light on humanity. Her short documentary “A Life in Opera” (2021) premiered at the Paris Short Film Festival and received many accolades. She loves to document events and live performances, and special moments for friends and families. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and four children.
This Spring, Gamut Gallery is kicking off the new ownership team’s inaugural exhibition.
To kick off the 2024 calendar year, Gamut Gallery’s new Director, Francesca Bernardi, partnered with Gamut’s former director, Cass Garner, to create the collaborative exhibition, Coalescence. To bring this conception to fruition this duo requested artist suggestions from the new ownership team, Francesca Bernardi, Kasi Aten, and Brian Oreck along with the co-founders of Gamut, Cass Garner Jade and James Patrick. As the new ownership team is transitioning into their roles, it was essential for them to connect with the community that has been part of Gamut’s roots.
The curators combed through all the suggestions to pull the most cohesive artists together who represent each owner and co-founder. Cass and Francesca are very excited to welcome back Briana Auel, Evan Weselmann, Kim Heidkamp, John Foster, Jessica Kitzman, Laurie Borggreve, Madison Rubenstein, Nelson Cain, seangarrison, Suyao Tian, and Rock Johnsen – 11 artists who have been part of Gamut’s story over the past 5 years.
Together, this roster of abstract artists was formed to bring a vivid multi-media exhibition that embraces the accessibility of Gamut featuring paintings, sculpture, and fiber art available at all price points and sizes. Many of the artists are creating works in the styles they are currently known for while incorporating nods to their past works that started their careers. This exhibition is guaranteed to give you the feels!
GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS FREE open hours: Thursday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm.
PUBLIC OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, March 16th // 7-10PM Coalescence – A vivid multi-media exhibition that embraces the accessibility of Gamut featuring paintings, sculpture, and fiber art. Curated by Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi. Featuring Briana Auel, Evan Weselmann, Kim Heidkamp, John Foster, Jessica Kitzman, Laurie Borggreve, Madison Elyse Rubenstein, Nelson Cain, seangarrison, Suyao Tian, and Rock Johnsen. • $10 presales available • $15 day of the event, FREE for members • DJ sets by James Patrick and Clint Lakness
COALESENCE CURATOR and ARTIST TALK: Thursday, April 4th // 7pm Moderator, Russ White of MPLSART joins curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi alongside Coalesence artists Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman to talk all things art. • $7 presales coming soon! • $10 day of the event, Free for Gamut Gallery Members
THC SIP and PAINT Saturday, April 20th, 2024 // 2pm – 5pm Bringing back the energy that created Gamut Gallery, this sip and paint will have all the feelings of CoLab. Bring a friend or make a new one while playing art games and picking up a paintbrush. Canvases and paint will be provided. • $15 presales coming soon! • $20 day of event • 21+ event • DJ Bobby Kahn brings the funk
ABOUT THE CURATORS Cass Garner is a graphic designer, art curator, project manager and working in Minneapolis. She co-founded Gamut Gallery, a cultural hub in Minneapolis over the past 12 years promoting the arts in Minneapolis and beyond. Cass led operations and project management for exhibitions and events while she was the Director until February of this year. She has curated dozens of exhibits within Gamut’s walls. In 2018 Cass was the solo Juror of Artistry’s 42nd Annual Members’ Juried Art Exhibition. Her curatorial practice expanded in 2020 partnering with The Coven at their St. Paul location to curate a special nook of the Coven, and she partnered with HAUS Salon in 2021 to highlight local, innovative artists from the Twin Cities producing 25 solo exhibits throughout the HAUS Salons across Minneapolis. Most recently Cass was the Project Manager for the Holidays on Nicollet and a juror for Hennepin Theatre Trust It’s the People Project.
Francesca Bernardi is the new Gallery Director and co-owner of Gamut Gallery. They are an art therapist, artist, art collector, and burgeoning curator. Through their work in art therapy, they are a skilled relationship cultivator, attentive communicator, and passionate about building community with multifaceted individuals. Coalescence is Francesca’s gallery curatorial debut however, they have hosted pop-up art galleries in their home featuring local artists. Francesca’s excitement for curating will lead to many more exhibits highlighting artists in Minneapolis.
FEATURED ARTISTS: Astralchemy, Barret Lee, Bekah Worley, Betsey Giles, Ben DiNino, Benja Wuest, Briana Auel, Crisp Motif, Derek Meier, Devin Newby, Destiny Davison, Eli Libson, Em Forbes, Emily McBride, Evan Weselmann, Heather Renaux, Iris Libson, Jake Fifer, Jake Speich, Jorie Kosel, Juliana Ferguson, Justin Snead, Kathryn Flora, Karen Caldwell, Kate Johnson, Kelly Helsinger, Lara Eckerman, Lauren Strom, Marne Skusa, Melissa Sisk, Mike Welton, MK Metten, Monica Helland, Nichole Showalter, Nicole Mueller, Olivia Kor, Patrizia Vignola, Precious Wallace, Rachel Shroder, Russ White, Rock Johnsen, Sarah Sosa, Sander Kolodziej, Sara Kahn, Sean Ferris, Sherstin Schwartz, Spacedoutlulu, Tiff Mueller, Tiffany Lange, Travis Collins and 3drd Crafts (Third Daughter, Restless Daughter).
That chill you’re feeling in the air means Gamut’s 12th annual holiday market Raging Art On (RAO) is back again to deck your halls! Since the inception of Raging Art On in 2011, we have hand-selected the artists, but leave the rest up to them, leaving it up to the artists to choose their best of the best for the holiday pop-up shop. Let our artists be your elves and continue to support our vibrant community of local artists and makers. This year we are welcoming 50 MN artists, many names and faces you may be familiar with from past RAO’s throughout the years however, we will also feature 19 NEW artists that have never shown during RAO before.
With the gallery walls filled from floor-to-ceiling showcasing original works of all price points and mediums, tick off everyone on your list in a single shopping trip at Gamut. Whether it’s pottery, fiber art, paintings, prints, apparel, jewelry, or home goods that catch your eye, everything in the collection is ready to take home with you that day – giving you plenty of time to put off wrapping ‘til the very last minute. Gamut Members of the gallery are invited to our VIP Preview night, kicking off the festivities on Thursday, November 30th from 5pm–9pm. The Gallery will open up to the public on Friday, Dec 1st at 10am, followed by six weeks of in-person shopping open to the public – Our longest run yet. Snowed in or live out of state? We’ve got you covered. RAO will be shoppable on gamutgallerympls.com so that you can support your local art community from the comfort of your home (jammies and cocoa optional). All work will remain online to shop through January 9th. Happy holidays, gallery-goers!
RAO PUBLIC POP-UP DATES: December 1st – January 6th • 11AM – 6PM WEEK 1 December 1st – December 2nd WEEK 2 December 6th – December 9th WEEK 3 December 13th – December 16th WEEK 4 December 20th – December 23rd WEEK 5 December 27th – December 30th WEEK 6 January 3rd – January 6th, 2024
Online Orders December 2nd – January 9th • Selected works available online • FREE local pick-up available • Shipping works will be available through January 10th.
It’s Gala time – throw on those bow ties and ball gowns! Saturday, November 11th, we’re honoring the thriving community that helps make our mission possible each year. As a heartfelt thank you to those who make this community what it is, we’ve organized this year’s annual Members Gala. This year’s ‘Las Vegas’ themed black-tie event is hosted during the duration of Ubiquitous – Emily Quandahl’s first gallery-represented exhibition. Dress your best and prepare for a night of art, music, and surprise performances!
This year’s party will be fueled by the locally brewed beer from Finnegans Brew Co. and there will be plenty of drinks from BLNCD if THC/CBD seltzers are more your thing! The night will feature Omaur Bliss for a full night of dancing, Mike Davis with tricks of Illusion, Kitson Sass for a special burlesque performance, and Sean Anonymous as our headliner! If you are not a member yet but would love to join us for this festive occasion, memberships are available for purchase on our website. Keep an eye out for your digital e-invites as we prepare for a night to remember.
GAMUT GALLERY MEMBERS’ GALA Saturday, November 11th, 7-11PM (no regular open hours at the gallery this day in preparation for the event) • 21+ event, Must be a Gamut Gallery Member to attend • DJ Omaur Bliss + Mike Davis + Kitson Sass and Sean Anonymous • Ambiance provided by Ubiquitous Exhibition + Photographer Caleb Timmerman + Event Decorations by the Gamut Gals.
Already a member? This event is FREE for you! We are so grateful for the support of Gamut community members like you and hope that you have enjoyed your experiences at our events and exhibitions. Gamut Gallery has collaborated with artists, curators, and performers to deliver thought-provoking art programming to the Twin Cities. To RSVP check your inboxes for your paperless post invite!
Renew or Become a Member by Thursday, November 9th to join the celebration! As a Gamut Gallery member, you receive free admission to our next two events listed below: • Member Gala in 2023 • VIP access to RAO 2023
With our holiday market, Raging Art On, right around the corner, only members get free early access to works by the 50 artists featured in this year’s event. With three membership tiers to choose from, ranging from $60-$300, anyone and everyone can join in the fun!
Hailing from Minneapolis Minnesota DJ, producer, singer, rapper, and fitness educator Omaur Bliss released his self-titled debut album in 2005 and has been a prominent performer ever since. In recent years, Omaur Bliss has undergone an evolution, becoming a “Master of Ceremonies” in all aspects. Whether DJing a high-energy dance party, leading a relaxed yoga event, or hosting an elegant gala, Omaur Bliss has emerged as a dj and performer who can connect, energize, and move crowds of any demographic and age.
Mike Davis offers upbeat and mind-boggling close-up magic for you and yours. You won’t just watch from a distance, but you’ll interact and be part of the show as Mike creates miracles with playing cards directly under your noses and in the palms of your own hands. Based in Minneapolis, Mike has performed at events for Activision, Red Bull, Minnesota Public Radio, Children’s Cancer Research Fund, and more at venues such as First Avenue, Modist Brewing Company, Alamo Drafthouse, Turf Club, and Sisyphus Brewing Company.
Kitson is trained in dance, the aerial arts, and life. She’s a producer of the Nudie Nubie show, Camp Counselor at Tassels Off, and a member of Black Hearts Burlesque, Queer Circus, and GlitterCakes Burlesque. She’s performed on stages across the country, including The Burlesque Hall of Fame stage in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022. When she’s not melting your hearts, Kitson enjoys boxed wine and long walks on the beach with her cats. Tits, ass, and a whole lotta class, it’s Kiston Sass!!
Sean Anonymous has been hailed by critics and audiences for his relentless energy and enigmatic style. His crafty wordplay and humble honesty are a breath of fresh air in an industry clamoring for authentic messaging. In 2012 Sean released his first solo debut, the Anonymo E.P. Anonymo displayed his full range of talent, quickly gaining attention from college radio and hip-hop fans nationwide. It rose to #5 on the CMJ charts and remained there for twelve straight weeks, leading to a highlight slot at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York. The momentum hasn’t stopped since. He’s achieved everything from a strictly DIY standpoint, building success off pure passion, drive, and raw ability.
No stranger to big stages and bright lights, the past few years have kept Sean on the move. A U.S tour with Del the Funky Homosapien, performing at Soundset, and appearances on Sirius XM have all recently become notches on Sean’s belt. With an insatiable appetite for connecting with fans, Sean’s words can be heard resonating throughout the world with him rapping everywhere from the L.A. to New York City and Jamaica to Ireland.
Solo exhibiting artist,Emily Quandahl and moderatorRuss White converge for an intimate conversation into the mind that created Ubiquitous
We invite you to join us for an evening of conversation with Ubiquitous artist Emily Quandahl, and moderator Russ White of MPLSART. The vision of Ubiquitous (meaning, “present, appearing, found everywhere”) has transformed the gallery space into an ethereal sanctuary of textures and colors that Emily has created in an effort to find comfort in the changing seasons of her life, as well as her evolution as an artist.
Emily’s process throws away preconceived notions of what her work should be and instead leans into what is – trusting her intuitive instinct to lead her in the direction necessary to express herself in the moment. The result is a body of work born out of trust, experimentation, and constant evolution throughout her practice. Quandahls background in classical music reveals itself on the canvas; there is a melody of relationships in the movements. Instinctual marking and planned line-work absorbs and records the space and events in and around her. Emily has also lent a nod to domestic handicrafts regarded as women’s work, creating masterpieces that intertwine hand stitching into many of her paintings and has used found materials to create mosaic columns that sit front & center in the gallery.
UBIQUITOUS- ARTIST TALK: Thursday, October 26th // 7pm Russ White will lead a multifaceted conversation and a look into the mind, process, and inspirations of Emily Quandahl. Ubiqitious is Emily Quandahl’s first gallery-represented solo show. Emily may be an emerging artist, and her audience is largely local, but she also has a presence nationally and internationally, recently completing an artist residency in Lisbon, Portugal. Quandahl is an artist you definitely want to follow as her career grows. • $5 presale available • $10 day of the event • Free for Gamut Gallery Members
GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS + CONTACT INFO FREE open hours: Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. Please note we will not have open hours on Saturday, November 11th.
ABOUT THE ARTIST Emily Quandahl (b. 1994) is a mixed-media painter and muralist based in Minneapolis. Her compositions utilize bold palettes and textures, starting intuitively on the floor with a base of diluted acrylics. From there, she draws from experience and impressions of her life through an abstract lens to build up layers until a balance is found, creating a world of its own. With a background in classical music, her compositions are inherently melodic in their movements, creating an ethereal world that transports the viewer through layers of paint.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR Russ White is an artist, writer, and editor living in Minneapolis. After growing up in the Carolinas and Mississippi, White received a BA in Studio Art from Davidson College and has maintained a studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis since 2014, where he works primarily in colored pencil and mixed media. He has exhibited his work regionally and nationally (including a 2016 solo show at Gamut), is the recipient of two Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative grants (2018 & 2020), and works as the editor of written content for MPLSART.COM.
Join us for a special night of art, love, and support at Gamut Gallery’s Benefit Fundraiser for Yuya Negishi!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 5th, 2023, for a special night of art, love, and support at Gamut Gallery’s Benefit Fundraiser for Yuya Negishi! Tickets are only $20 with all proceeds going directly to supporting Yuya Negishi’s journey to recovery and to celebrate his priceless contribution to Gamut Gallery’s heart and the wider community. Let’s rally together for an artist who has given us so much beauty and inspiration.
Celebrating the talent of a beloved artist and muralist in the Twin Cities community, Yuya Negishi’s work is a playful blend of classical Japanese calligraphy and SUMI techniques with vibrant Japanese pop culture imagery like koi, dragons, and Buddhas, infused with street-art influences from his time in urban America. His artwork is not just a feast for the eyes; it’s an expression of cultural heritage, wonder, and amusement, resonating with the energy of those around him. Many have experienced the magic firsthand during Yuya’s live painting at events and his murals across Minneapolis.
Yuya faced a challenging health crisis last year, leaving him unable to work for over 9 months. But his determination and spirit are unwavering, and he’s now on the path to reclamation, slowly returning to his artistic journey. Yuya needs the love and support of his loyal friends and community, which is why we’re coming together to show him just how much he means to us. Let’s shine our light on him, just like he has on our city! Yuya’s captivating artworks will fill the gallery and this is an opportunity to be immersed in his experiential LED light installations featuring more than 8500 bulbs that will transport your senses to the magical world of Yuya-Town. All of Yuya’s works will be for sale, with proceeds being donated directly to Yuya to help with his recovery. Don’t miss this chance to be part of something truly special!
Thursday, Oct 5th // 7-10pm Save the date, bring your friends, and be ready to be enchanted by Yuya’s latest artistic creation for ONE NIGHT ONLY! Your presence and support will make all the difference in his healing process.
• Featuring artworks & installations by Yuya Negishi. • Music by Paulski, DPC and Sassy G. • $20 All proceeds will be donated to Yuya • Pre-sale tix are closed. There will be entry at the door all night long (tix are NOT SOLD OUT)
Yuya Negishi portrait photography by Shelly Mosman
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Yuya Negishi is a Japanese visual artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was born in Showa Village, Gunma. Yuya draws artistic inspiration from the memories and sensations of growing up in the Japanese countryside, where he would roam “like a hidden Ninja” exploring the woods, temples and mountain tops of the breath-taking Gunma region. Since relocating to Minneapolis in 2010, Yuya has been a prolific member of the city’s artistic community, involving himself in a wide range of projects. He teaches Japanese artistic styles to students in grade school through college and participates in public art projects, murals, frequently exhibits work, and has a wide portfolio of commissioned work. He also does illustrations and often performs at live paintings events. His work combines his extensive background in the classical Japanese techniques of calligraphy and SUMI with Japanese pop culture images such as koi, dragons and Buddhas, and street-art techniques influenced by his years in urban America.
In alignment with the concepts of The Periphery of Power, guest curator, Esther Callahan will be sparking conversation with four featured artists in a moderated panel discussion. These conversations provide the artists a platform where they have the opportunity to speak on their artistic processes and current inspirations within contemporary contexts. Accompany us in welcoming CL Martin, Henry Tyson, Jessica Eckerstorfer, and Perci Chester as they share the role they and their art play in our collective history.
Making their return to Gamut are CL Martin and Perci Chester. CL’s use of traditional media like charcoal, graphite, and acrylic creates mysterious characters with their own unique identity and presence. Her portrait, The Snake, is enigmatic and rebellious, but more colorful than many of the past works she has shown at Gamut Gallery over the years. Perci Chester has made her return to the gallery after 7 years with her sculpture, Tore So Glow. Her use of non-traditional materials such as analuminum glass door, wire, steel filings, rusted nails, paper cups, a plastic torso, and metal springs create her featured sculpture. Perci’s work may be cold to the touch, but her abstract style is warm with human emotion, rooted in human and animal forms, often expressingmotion, tension, and balance.
We are delighted to welcome newcomers Henry Tyson and Jessica Eckerstorfer. Henry’s hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramic sculptures investigate the functions, associations, and assumptions of the body, pottery, and the points at which they overlap. Tyson’s sculpture, Inreflection, posits queer intimacy as a counter to normative views of sex, gender, and tenderness. While Jessica Eckerstorfer book and paper project, The Matriarch is part of a larger collection, entitled Voices in a Room. The project, which includes 12 pieces, uses short story, letterpress, handmade paper, and sculpture to bring voices to male-made, female forms in the art world. Each piece is soft in nature with her use of cotton pulp, thread, and natural foliage inserts creating this handbound book in its deconstructed form as it spills from the walls onto the gallery floor.
C4W:2023 The Periphery of Power ARTIST TALK Thursday, August 3rd // 7pm • $5 pre-sale available • $10 day of the event • FREE for members
Esther Callahan was inspired by the importance of creating a space that originates from a need to delve into all sorts of wide-ranging, hot-topic issues, through the works she chose in her curation of this open call for work, C4W:2023. This exhibition references The Periphery of Power through love, social mores, gender, intimacy, beauty, materiality, maternity, and more. The pieces Callahan chose convey her vision of art as a vehicle of agency and power. Join us as welearnabout each artist’s processes, perspectives on their bodies of work, and the role of art in contemporary society as a whole.
FREE GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 6pm and Saturday 11am – 4pm. We are available by appointment, please request an appointment 48 hours in advance.
ABOUT THE CURATOR & MODERATOR Esther Callahan is an African American curator, arts organizer, and feminist scholar. Over the past 20+ years in the Twin Cities, she has created and co-created various platforms for cultural production rooted in interrogating the impact of racial and gender equity.She is the former Co-Director of the Emerging Curator Institute (ECI), a Minnesota based nonprofit designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators from diverse backgrounds. In addition to ECI, Callahan was a Curatorial Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), where she co-founded the Curatorial Advisory Committee as a model to help inform Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion practice in curatorial work. She is also the Co-Artistic Director for Arts & Rec US, a design and development company in Mpls. ABOUT THE PANELIST Henry Tyson’s (they, them) work consists of hand-built and wheel-thrown ceramic sculptures that investigate the functions, associations, and assumptions of the body, pottery, and the points at which they overlap. Henry posit’s queer intimacy as a counter to traditional views of sex, gender, and tenderness. Is it not a basic function of the body to hold another? To love? By blending the human form with functional pottery, they ask: “if we are indeed vessels, may we choose what we were made to carry? What does my body hold and why?”
CL Martin (she, they) is a queer figurative artist who uses traditional media like charcoal, graphite and acrylic to experiment with enigmatic characters and their own unique identity and presence. She has studied art all her life and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She is continually inspired by history, graphic & digital design and the performing arts. In 2007, she received an Artist Initiative Grant from the MN State Arts Board and the National Endowment for The Arts. She has exhibited internationally from London to Italy and her work resides in private collections in London, Italy, Paris, Ukraine, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York.
Perci Chester (she, her) is an American visual artist working across disciplines including sculpture, painting, photography, and printmaking. Her work is abstract in style but rooted in human and animal forms, often expressingmotion, tension, and balance in vivid color through imaginative invention. Created variously from metal, glass, wood, found objects, and industrial artifacts, Perci Chester’s work ranges in scale from intimate pedestal pieces to large public art installations, reflecting her sense of humor with the depth and complexities of memory and the human experience. She is best known for large-scale anthropomorphic installations that appear to defy gravity in suspended equilibrium and elicit an emotional connection as dialogue between spirit and matter.
Perci Chester’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and is represented in private and public collections internationally. With an extensive background in art education, she has taught in Boston, New York, San Francisco and the Twin Cities and, for many years, served on the advisory board for College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. She holds an MFA as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching from Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. Perci lives and practices in Minneapolis.
Jessica Eckerstorfer (she, her) is a 2nd generation, Filipina-American who grew up all over the Midwest, but settled in Minneapolis in 2012. She is a strong feminist, who believes in the intersectionality of social justice and the necessity of empathetic creativity. In addition, she is the Co-Founder and Artistic Community Director of Paranoid Tree Press. Her background is solidly based in arts nonprofit programming. She has dual Bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy with a focus of civic life and engagement from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Fiction from Columbia College Chicago. She is a two time recipient of the Albert P. Weisman Award, and her work can be found in The Ivory Tower, Pilcrow & Dagger, and Paper Darts Lit + Art Magazine.Her day is split between co-directing The Southeast Asian Diaspora Project (SEAD) and art directing Paranoid Tree Press.
