What’s happening on the plains?

Although the Plains Art Museum’s prominent spring event, the “Hang on to Your Hats” spring gala is complete, there are several other events that will be ongoing throughout the summer and into the fall.

Marjorie Schlossman – “A Symphony of Color”

Beginning June 7, artist Marjorie Schlossman will be showcasing her first solo exhibition in seven years, titled, “A Symphony of Color.” Schlossman’s work is recognized for its large-scale, abstract expressionist themes. Twenty years of work will be displayed through paintings and Roberts Street Chaplets featured in two of the galleries at the museum, her studio and parks in Fargo.

“She doesn’t have a lot of exhibitions,” Kris Kerzman, communication manager of the Plains Art Museum, said of Schlossman. “When she does, it is a pretty big deal.”

Along with the opening reception in June, Schlossman’s curator will speak about the work and community involvement of the artist on July 19. A walking tour will showcase the chapels and studios on August 9.

The Return of Sodbuster: Luis Jimenez in Fargo
Area community members may remember this prominent public art piece, which stood on the corner of Broadway and Main downtown. However, the sculpture was donated to the museum when the city of Fargo was expanding Broadway.

The Sodbuster statue will be displayed in the Jane L. Stern Gallery at the museum beginning in June and will continue through the beginning of September. By displaying the art, the museum hopes to celebrate Jimenez’s first public art commission and to confront the restoration process.

“We are actually going to display Sodbuster as it is, which is fairly rare to show a work of art that is in need of conservation,” Kerzman said. “It is basically to tackle the issue [restoration] head on. We’re now moving a little bit more aggressively to one, get it conserved, and two, bringing in the public to get their feedback about where it should go and where funding should come from. It will be a fairly expensive process.”

Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity
With recently obtained funds, the Plains Art Museum will be hosting the grand opening of the Katherine Kilbourne Burgum Center for Creativity at the end of September. The center is named in honor Katherine Kilbourne Burgum who acted as a supporter of art, education and youth within in the local community.

“The big thing with it is that it is a fairly unprecedented and innovative partnership between a museum and a school district,” Kerzman said. “There are very few of those across the country.”

The unique center will offer a variety of studio art classes and exhibitions. After-school programs will cultivate creativity of youth; the hope is to eventually expand to school districts other than the Fargo Public School District.

Kerzman says the center will offer a place for community members to enhance skills that are necessary to be successful in today’s workforce, such as creativity and collaboration.

“It is where a lot of new innovation is going to come from and where a lot of new jobs are going to come from,” Kerzman said of the 21st-century labor pool.

“The museum is essentially trying to encourage more creativity and encourage a more creative workforce as well,” Kerzman continued. “I like to call it a hub for creative life. We like to say that you will go from see the artist to be the artist.”

For an extensive list of events happening at the Plains Art Museum, visit www.plainsart.org.