Event Link: https://www.minnesota.edu/fine-arts-events

FEE: FREE and open to the public.

Jan. 16-May 11, Mary Jo Wentz, "The Fusion of Fiber and Nature," Waage Gallery

There is a joint artist reception on February 20 from 2-4 p.m. at M State-Fergus Falls.

Wending Through Watercolor Batik by Ruth Hanson | Charles Beck Gallery

The Fusion of Fiber and Nature by Mary Jo Wentz | Waage Gallery.

EVENT LINK: https://www.kulcher.org/2025-winter-spring-concert-series/
FEE: Go to link to see ticket prices.

2025 Winter/Spring Concert Series

Live Music in Rural MN
Unique Listening Room Space
Concerts Open to ALL!

The Cultural Center is pleased to present our 2025 Winter/Spring Concert Series!

Join us for a variety of music styles in our unique listening-room-style space. Not only will you enjoy the talented musicians and excellent acoustics, but you’ll also love being surrounded by unique visual art in our historic Gallery.

We look forward to bringing original live music to the residents and visitors to rural West-Central Minnesota. All are welcome to join us for these one-of-a-kind performing arts experiences!

2025 Winter/Spring Concert Series Schedule:

• Saturday, February 1 – Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos @ New York Mills City Hall Ballroom 8PM

• Friday, February 28 – Dawson Redenius Septet

• Saturday, March 15 – “Caleigh” Irish Concert

• Friday, March 28 – Jesse Anderson Band

• Tuesday, April 22 – Dylan Doyle Concert 

• Thursday, May 29 – Sofia Talvik Concert

Get these dates on your calendar now! Artist information is below, with more details to come soon. 

We would like to thank the Lake Region Arts Council for supporting this Concert Series. We are grateful for all they do to support the arts in our region.

All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Cultural Center’s gallery space (unless noted otherwise).  Doors open at 7:00 p.m.  General admission seating is first come, first served.  Light refreshments and a cash bar are available at most concerts.

Event Link: https://www.artofthelakes.org/become-a-teaching-artist.html

FEE: FREE to apply!

Instructors and Demonstrators Wanted

Art of the Lakes is hiring art instructors and art demonstrators for several venues this Spring and Summer. These are paid positions at $35 per hour. Multiple artists are needed. Share your talents and passion!

Opportunities

• Good Samaritan facility. March 6, 2-3pm. Teach senior adults.

• Creative Arts Center. March 28, 10am - 2pm. Teach or demonstrate during one-hour sessions to high school youth.

• Creative Arts Center. June 2025. Teach kids' classes in cooking, painting, fiber, printmaking, clay or other art forms.

For more information, please contact kristikuder@artofthelakes.org

Event Link: https://www.artofthelakes.org/education.html

Saturday Clay Date Night

March 1: 6:30-9 pm or
​April 5: 6:30-9 pm
$45./person

Grab a bite to eat at a local downtown restaurant, and then head to the Creative Arts Center to create one-of-a-kind pieces with your favorite person. Learn a new skill together with your partner, friend, or family member! We will walk you through the wheel and clay building processes. No clay experience necessary but dress for a mess! Clay, glazes, and firing fees are included. Ages 18 & up. Price is per person.
​
* Share your Date Night with friends using social media and make it a night of fun and memories! *

About the Event
This clay-filled experience is all about learning how to throw small pots on the Potter's Wheel or creating a slab tray or coiled bowl, and you even get to keep them! You'll be able to give pieces that extra personal touch they need by glazing them in underglaze. From there, the pots will dry out over the next few days and will be glazed with a clear-coat to help make the underglaze bright and shiny. Once the pieces are fired you will be notified to come back to pick up your ready to display/use wares!

Things you need to know:
This is messy work, so wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty. We have aprons and towels available for use. Short nails are best for beginners working with clay on the wheel. We have nail clippers if you need to chop your claws. Feel free to BYOB if you're 21 and over.

Event Link: https://www.kaddatzgalleries.org/current-exhibitions.html

FEE: FREE to attend Exhibition

FROM CONTRABAND TO KING: THE LIFE OF PRINCE ALBERT HONEYCUTT
On View in the Main Gallery March 18 - April 26, 2025

Opening Reception:
5-7PM Thursday, March 20, 2025
This event is free to attend and open to the public.
​
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
​Charvis Harrell's newest show explores the life and Legacy of Prince Albert Honeycutt. A man that escaped slavery as a child, and eventually made his way to Minnesota and became a productive member of society, while helping to form a baseball team in 1873, becoming the first Black pro ballplayer in the state of Minnesota. He remained in Fergus Falls for the rest of his life operating a barbershop and even running for Mayor. The themes of hard work, loyalty and the beauty of resiliency will be on display as a tribute to the wonderful life of Prince Albert Honeycutt.​

Exhibition Sponsored by
​Naomi RaMona Schliesman Artistry & Consulting

​ABOUT THE ARTIST
Charvis Harrell is a painter from Macon, Georgia that now lives in rural Minnesota renowned for his artworks that shed light on often-overlooked aspects of life, particularly within the context of Black history. His pieces aim to inspire viewers to challenge their perceptions and deepen their understanding of the world. 

In 2021, Harrell served as an artist-in-residence at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in Minnesota. During this time, he worked on a large-scale painting depicting Olli Kinkkonen, a Finnish immigrant lynched in Duluth in 1918 for his "un-American" views. This project exemplifies Harrell's commitment to highlighting significant yet often overlooked historical narratives.

A DEATH IN THREE PARTS
PART ONE: DISPOSITION (2025)
On View in Studio K from January 21 - March 1, 2025

Opening Reception: 5-7PM Thursday, March 20, 2025
This event is free to attend and open to the public.
​
EXHIBITION STATEMENT:
A Death In 3 Parts
Part one: Disposition (2025)

This is a grouping of paper mache works that address not only various types of disposition but also questions that demand to be spoken such as:

• Do we all end up in the same place at the very end?

• What does my culture tell me about disposition?

• Where do I find myself stretching over into a desire to fetishize another groups disposition values  and practices?

• How does control play into my choices and language around disposition?

• Is there an innate violence in disposition?

Exhibition Sponsored by
​Naomi RaMona Schliesman Artistry & Consulting

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kate Swenson is an emerging artist and sculptor based in rural Minnesota, with a background in funeral direction, hospice care, and tissue recovery. Her work uses paper mâché, found materials, and objects that might otherwise be discarded—transforming them into thoughtful, expressive sculptures. With a process that is slow and deliberate, Swenson’s work explores the craving for a new way to interact with death and dying while amongst an unsupportive personal and cultural paradigm that has a lack of depth and language surrounding death and dying.

Since 2013, Swenson has worked as a funeral director and embalmer, gaining firsthand experience with various death cultures and rituals, both in institutional settings and in personal practice. This deep connection to the death care field informs her art, which often focuses on the emerging patterns and shifting approaches to death in modern society.

Her creative practice spans paper mâché, mixed media sculpture, and found-object art. Working on a manageable scale and with an intuitive technique, her pieces explore how we approach death in ways that allow for dissent and discomfort. Through her work, Swenson pushes the edges of what we are ready to confront, seeking to create space for conversation and connection about death and its place in our lives.

EVENT LINK: https://www.kulcher.org/2025-winter-spring-concert-series/

FEE: We look forward to seeing you at the Cultural Center for live music in 2025!

More information will be added including ticket prices and links to more artist details. For now, please SAVE THE DATES and join us at these unique original music events right here in rural Minnesota. Questions? Call us at 218-385-3339. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Cultural Center’s gallery space (unless noted otherwise).  Doors open at 7:00 p.m.  General admission seating is first come, first served.  Light refreshments and a cash bar are available at most concerts.

JOIN US FOR LIVE MUSIC AT THE CULTURAL CENTER IN 2025!

2025 Winter/Spring Concert Series Schedule

• Saturday, February 1 – Deuces Wild @ NYM City Hall

• Friday, February 28 – Dawson Redenius Septet

• Saturday, March 15 – “Caleigh” Irish Concert

• Friday, March 28 – Jesse Anderson Band

• Tuesday, April 22 – Dylan Doyle Band

• Thursday, May 29 – Sofia Talvik

ALL are welcome! No tickets required. RSVP requested!

Event Link: https://ffpubliclibrary.org/event/artistry-at-the-library/2025-05-03/

FEE: FREE and Open to the Public

Artistry at the Library

Every 1st and third Saturday 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm

An open-studio club where artists of all skill levels can get together and create art. This community-member-led group is for adults. Some materials provided. Meets the 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month.

Event Link: https://www.kaddatzgalleries.org/adult-art-classes.html

FEE: $80-$120 Sliding Scale Fee

Class Description:
Join us for an introduction to the traditional hot wax Batik method of fabric dyeing. Batik is an Indonesian artform of hand-dyeing fabrics combined with applying wax to resist the dye in areas to form colorful compositions and designs. 
​
In this 2-day workshop you will explore different batik patterns, from geometric shapes to nature-inspired designs as you create your own unique batik wall hangings. You will learn a variety of application techniques including drawing, dotting, and outlining designs using tjanting tools, metal droppers and paintbrushes.

Class Date: 2-4pm on Saturday, April 26 + Sunday, April 27
Sliding Scale Registration Fee: $80-$120 per person

Location: Class will take place in the ADA accessible classroom located in the lower level at Kaddatz Galleries (111 W. Lincoln Ave. Fergus Falls, MN 56537).

About the Instructor:
Amanda Callahan received a BA in studio art and a K-12 teaching license from the University of Minnesota, Morris. She enjoys exploring a variety of media while maintaining a steady focus in ceramic arts. Amanda has a deep passion for infusing art into the lives of her students and community. She currently lives in Fergus Falls where she leads a variety of art classes in her community and teaches High School Art at Kalon Prep Academy in Alexandria, MN.

Event Link: https://www.artofthelakes.org/studio-tour.html

FEE: FREE to do the tour and Artwork for sale!

Do the Tour!
25th Anniversary
​July 18-20, 2025    Fri & Sat: 10-5, Sun 10-3

Art of the Lakes is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its annual Studio Tour, and we invite you to be part of the fun!

The Studio Tour is a scenic, drive-yourself art crawl through beautiful countryside with hills, lakes, prairie and small towns.

Many of the studios are tucked away on rural roads scattered throughout Otter Tail and Douglas counties in West-Central Minnesota. Bright yellow signs and a map help guide you to each studio.

For your added enjoyment, many artists provide demonstrations and other events during the tour. Please note that not all studios are open on Sunday.

Artists in this region abound, and are among the most creative anywhere. Art of the Lakes is delighted to feature their talents in this up-close, immersive travel and collecting experience!

One of the largest rural art crawls
​             in the Midwest!

Look for these signs!