Tag Archive: Cass Garner

  1. Coalescence Art Talk

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    An intimate evening for discussion with exhibiting artists Jessica Kitzman and Evan Weselmann, curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, moderated by Russ White

    Russ White will facilitate a conversation between co-curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, delving into the inspirations behind the show, ‘Coalescence.’ Following this, we’ll explore the works of Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman, gaining insight into their artistic processes and sources of inspiration. It is an honor to host both Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman for this artist talk. Their captivating pieces have mesmerized viewers in the gallery with their sheer size and presence.

    Each artist possesses a distinct style that immediately identifies their work. Evan’s expertise lies in illustration and animation, characterized by dynamic hues and a play of positive and negative shapes. While his artworks may convey representational elements, their execution often leans towards abstraction. On the other hand, Jessica has refined her artistic style over years of experimentation with alternative mediums. The tactile quality of her work draws viewers in, prompting them to decipher the hidden meanings behind her choice of found objects and materials. Each piece invites exploration and contemplation, offering layers of depth and complexity

    COALESENCE CURATOR and ARTIST TALK:
    Thursday, April 4th // 7pm
    Russ White will facilitate a conversation between co-curators Cass Garner and Francesca Bernardi, delving into the inspirations behind the show, ‘Coalescence.’ Following this, we’ll explore the works of Evan Weselmann and Jessica Kitzman, gaining insight into their artistic processes and sources of inspiration.

    This is a unique opportunity to connect directly with the artists and gain a deeper appreciation for their work!
    • $7 presales available
    • $10 day of the event, Free for Gamut Gallery Members

    GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS + CONTACT INFO
    FREE open hours: Thursday – Friday, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. 

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS
    Evan Weselmann is an artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, working in illustration, animation, and painting. With an interest in asemic writing and automatic drawing borne from the surrealist movement, his paintings feature subtle line width and color changes, repeated on the canvas creating all-over compositions that explore the relationship between positive and negative space.  Apart from illustrating caricatures of imaginary people, he thinks about movements a lot more than anything. Evan strives for his work to be fun, playful, and easy to interact with. He is represented by Closer & Closer which led him to work with clients ranging from local mutual aid funds to international advertising agencies. Evan has recently produced illustration works for Chet Faker, Kid Cudi, Polaroid, and the MN Twin

    Jessica Kitzman is an interdisciplinary artist in Minneapolis, MN.  Primarily working in found textiles, her art practice is a thawing of conditioning, a digestion of lived experience, and a reconnection with the body. Her visual language braids together domestic, anatomical, and botanical references as a mode of revealing identity. Jessica holds a BFA from the University of Iowa and an MAT from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Jessica lives in South Minneapolis, MN with her two children, who all share a cozy basement studio. She is a member of Embodied Material and teaches K-8 art

    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.

    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.

  2. Neon Flux

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     A multimedia exhibit exploring minimalism and movement, featuring Merick Reed, S. Catrin Magnusson, and Tiffany Lange. Curated by Cass Garner.

    Gallery Director, Cass Garner, is excited to welcome back three artists that she met throughout the years from previous Call-for-Work exhibitions to create Neon Flux, her latest curation at Gamut Gallery. Opening in April, this multimedia exhibit features Twin Cities’ established artists Merick Reed, S. Catrin Magnusson, and Tiffany Lange, showcasing photography, sculpture, ceramics, paintings and installation. 

    S. Catrin Magnusson’s sculptural forms draw on the iconography of geology as a starting place. As the earth’s tectonic forces separate and compact, it creates stress and pressure to move. While the work appears abstract, it has a specific reference to the physical world. Catrin emigrated from Sweden when she was young and became intensely aware of movement and displacement. She finds herself drawn to the quiet remnants of violent movement and the creation of a landscape from what is left behind, connecting deep time and macro processes to a personal timeline.

    Merick Reed keeps his practice innovative by working across multiple mediums of photography, painting and sculpture and furniture design, Neon Flux will be the first time all of his multifaceted pieces will be on exhibit together. Also debuting will be  Merick Reed’s collaboration with furniture designer George Mahoney, Associate Professor at MCAD, their new Side Tables that blur the line between function and sculpture. 

    Tiffany Lange’s Pink Solitude installation and her latest series of abstract paintings create parallels of being raised in the digital age and our consumption of technology. Navigating through a world of online static, Lange’s work echoes the pleasures that we receive from our screens through the use of vibrant neons and bold disruptive mark-making, but also mimics the overstimulation she experiences from her glowing devices. Neon Flux playfully nods at minimalism with the use of black and white, and simple structures, while incorporating pops of neon color. Accent hues and bold patterns engage the viewers’ subtle sense of movement, despite the static nature of the artwork. Together these mediums represent the push and pull against each other, portraying the constant movement underfoot unseen with our natural eye.

    PUBLIC OPENING: 
    Saturday, April 1st • 6-9pm
    $10 presale, $13 day of the event, Free for Gamut Gallery Members

    Private Guy will set the mood through his music selections on opening night. Featuring Merick Reed, S. Catrin Magnusson, and Tiffany Lange, showcasing photography, sculpture, ceramics, paintings, and installation.


    ARTIST TALK: 
    Thursday, April 20th // 6pm • $5 presale, $7 door
    Free for Gamut Gallery Members – Free for Gamut Gallery Members, RSVP required
    Not a Gamut Gallery member? Become one today! 

    Join moderator + Neon Flux curator Cass Garner for an exploration into the methods of Merick Reed, S. Catrin Magnusson, and Tiffany Lange.

    ABOUT THE ARTISTS

    S. Catrin Magnusson holds a MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, a BFA in photography/sculpture from University of Colorado, Boulder, and two AS degrees in Film Production and Screenwriting from MCTC.  Recent shows include: “Subterranean” a solo show at the Phipps in Hudson, “Thought/Process” at Artistry in Bloomington, the Duluth Art Institute’s Biennial and “Hard/Soft” at the Center for the Arts in Wausau, WI.  She is the recipient of the Jerome Film Production Grant and has shown work locally and regionally in numerous galleries and film festivals.  Her artistic body includes sculpture, fiber, film and photography.

    Tiffany Lange received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and a minor in Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Residencies include the Bud and Betty Micheels Artist-in-Residence and Elsewhere Studios in Paonia, CO. Lange has exhibited her work nationally along with local spaces in Minneapolis. Recent exhibitions include “C4W – Elemental” at Gamut Gallery, “Hold Us Tight” at Fresh Eyes Gallery, “Put it in the Chat” at Soo Visual Arts Center, “Hyperconnection” at Michigan Technological University and “WIRED” at the Rountree Gallery. She is currently working out of her studio space in Lowertown St. Paul.

    Merick Reed is a modern minimalist sculptor, photographer and designer living in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His work expresses simple, graphic geometry balancing a spare and highly refined aesthetic with raw brutalism. Influenced by architecture and contemporary design, his sculptural wall paintings are gestural arrangements, an interplay of dimensional facets and saturated monochromatic panels. They explore visual activation and interest through considered surface interruption, producing variation in light and shadow and a deconstruction of order.

  3. Collector Panel Talk

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    Thursday, March 9th 2023 // Join the discussion to learn collector tips and gain insight into the local art market in the Twin Cities. Featuring curators Genie Castro, Erinn Farrell, Esther Callahan and Cass Garner.

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    When you collect artwork, physical aspects of a piece, like dimensions and colors, might be the qualities that push us over the edge into “gotta have it” territory, but generally, the buying experience is much more personal, intuitive, and rooted in a story. Artwork is more than what you see on the wall, it’s a narrative, a story shared by artists, collectors, and viewers. 

    Set amidst Gamut’s exhibition “Astroturf,” we invite you to join us for a panel discussion about collecting original artwork. The panel will feature four local curators, gallerists, and space-makers Genie Castro, Erinn Farrell, Esther Callahan and Cass Garner, who will each draw on their varied expertise in art consultancy, marketing, and managing collections. Together, these four women represent four corners of the Twin Cities art world, who share similar values and vision around the power of supporting local artists. 

    Are you ready to start collecting? These tastemakers will share tips and strategies for emerging collectors, like, how to learn about the artist and understand the materials and process used to create the work, and will dive into the intrinsic impulses that lead us to collect original artwork and build meaningful collections over time. buying within your budget, and commissioning artwork. The panelist will discuss how to go about collecting, how to support local artists, why it’s important to collect local art rather than outsourcing to other markets, and what characteristics make the Twin Cities unique.

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    Collectors Panel Talk
    Thursday, March 9th // 6-8pm
    This event is FREE, RSVP Required
    Limited Seating Capacity, 35

    What does it mean to be an “emerging art collector” in the Twin Cities? How do we support local artists, and why is it so important? Featuring curators Esther Callahan, Erinn Farrell, and Genie Castro and is moderated by Cass Garner

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    ABOUT THE PANELISTS

    Esther Callahan is an independent curator and co-artistic director at Arts + Rec Uptown. Callahan has been organizing exhibitions since the early 2000’s with a particular focus on artists from the region with a priority in diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in her curatorial practice. Callahan has curated and organized numerous exhibitions and installations including a recent exhibition for the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial in Ohio.  

    Erinn Farrell is a Co-Founder and Partner at The Coven and the principal of Erinn Farrell Design. A lover of people, process, and design, she specializes in encouraging empathetic and high-performing spaces by focusing on empowerment and placemaking; her efforts help colleagues and partners unlock their talents and create a joyful ruckus. A global leader in inclusive design, Erinn is a sought-after speaker and Interior Designer in building & curating spaces that acknowledge, honor, and care for their inhabitants.  She believes our success lies in showing up unapologetically curious, honest, and optimistic. 

    Genie Castro is a community leader in the arts. She creates unity with projects she is involved in by connecting with people. She encourages students and clients to get into the creative process and learn through that exploration. Castro is the director and owner of a printmaking studio in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis called SuperCharged Printmakers. It is there she and other printmakers create an inviting space for artists to create freely in the medium of printmaking and have showing opportunities. Her artworks hung alongside artists Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Frank Stella, Robert Longo, and Donald Sultan. Castro’s art is featured in the homes of many private collectors and in public and corporate collections.

    Cass Garner is Co-Owner and Director of Gamut Gallery, as well as a Graphic Designer, Collector, and Curator focused on curating local artists into Haus Salon locations throughout the Twin Cities. At Gamut Gallery, she brings local, national, and international established and emerging artists into the gallery, driving the mission that “art is for everyone.”