PLAINS ART MUSEUM CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF ART

High-Profile Picasso and Wallowing Bull exhibits open in tandem

Plains Art Museum was buzzing on October 3 as the museum unveiled a double exhibition opening as part of its 40th birthday celebration. Over 300 guests sipped cocktails, nibbled appetizers, admired a towering birthday cake and explored Picasso: Passion for Clay, the first solo exhibition in North Dakota from legendary artist Pablo Picasso and Transformer, a collection of paintings and drawings from buzzed about Midwestern talent Star Wallowing Bull.

In the third-floor gallery, Picasso: Passion for Clayshowcases 40 ceramic works from the Rosenbaum Collection. Playful, earthy images of human figures, fish and birds adorn jugs, platters, pitchers and plates, eliciting smiles and comments from museum visitors who appeared visibly excited to have a chance to examine the master’s work up close.

“What I’ve heard is that a lot of people didn’t know that Picasso did pottery and they’re impressed that the vessels read ‘him,’” museum employee Olivia Bain observed. “They really reflect his style.” artist is best known as a painter, but he experimented with―and mastered― many different media during his esteemed career.

“Picasso was a major influence for our own local legend, Star Wallowing Bull, whose signa - ture Prismacolor drawings and recent paintings are featured in Transformer,”said Megan Snyder, Grants and Membership Manager at the Plains Art Museum. “This is Star’s second solo show at Plains Art Museum and displays 28 of his works.” The exhibit in the museum’s second floor gallery also follows the artist’s transition from working in colored pencils and paper to paint and canvas.

Wallowing Bull was born in Minneapolis and his vibrantly colored drawings and paintings swirl with pop art influences, pop culture references, playfully pointed symbolism and musings on Native American images and storytelling. “We love his work,” said art collector Sue Meyerson. She and her husband Bob made the trip from Atwater, Minnesota to see the work they loaned to the exhibit on display. The couple met Wallowing Bull at a mobile art event and his work made a big impression. “We were struck by it and I thought, ‘I want to remember that name,’” she said.

“Star’s work can also be seen in 40 Greatest Hits, which was installed this summer and showcases an eclectic display of works that mark milestone museum acquisitions over the last 40 years,” said Snyder. Freedom from a theme, artist or specific medium produced a gleefully varied mix of eyecatching pieces including colorful Chihuly glass, iconic black and white photography from Ansel Adams, the swirling colors of a Walter Piehl, Jr. canvas and a selection of prints from the museum’s largest gift to date, over 300 prints from Vermillion Editions, Inc.

All three exhibits combine to powerfully illustrate the museum’s commitment to featuring internationally known artists and spotlighting emerging and local talent. Picasso: Passion for Clay and Transformer will be on display until January 2. The 40 Greatest Hits exhibit will close during the summer of 2017. [AWM]