Selections from the Minitex Staff Art Show

The artworks below constitute a mere sample of those displayed at the inaugural Minitex Staff Art Show. These and additional works will be on display in the Minitex Sun Room from Wednesday, May 28, through Wednesday, June 4.
 

"Check Ya Later (Finger Monsters #1)" (acrylic on canvas) by Rudi Brockfeld

Artist's Statement: This series started as an exercise on painting hands. I find hands and feet to be as difficult to render as the face, if not more so. Thus, I ended up with a series of paintings of my left hand, in various gestures. For visual interest; for nostalgia's sake; and most of all because I am at heart a goofball, I added the finger monster puppets.

"Noise Gate" (oil on canvas) by Greg Argo

Artist's Statement: At the time I was spending a lot of time messing around with audio editors and listening to a lot of layered and textured music, so I wanted to build something around those ideas, and the waveform emerged. I build up layers and textures in the painting by thinning the paints with tons of linseed oil. My concrete random mind style started superimposing a landscape as well. I wrapped it up earlier than planned in this minimal, translucent state which captured the processes I was inspired by at the time.

"Something Blue" (diorama) by Matt Lee

"Avocado, Plant, & Bell Pepper" (oil on canvas) by Cassie Visser

Artist's Statement: The paintings of the avocado and the bell pepper were each painted with 30 brush strokes.

"Watercolor Paintings" by Mindy Braun

"Batik Journey" (quilt) by Greta Bahnemann

Artist's Statement: Throughout my life I have been driven to make things and create. Some of my earliest memories are drawing and painting with my mom in her studio. If I am not making and creating things, I feel incomplete. Over the years my creative drive has found an outlet in making quilts, drawing, painting, creative writing, making collages, and constructing artist books. I think of creating these things as a form of personal expression - it is sharing a part of myself with my family and friends.

"Daisy Squares Bag" (crocheted yarn) by Stephanie Hess

Artist's Statement: I love the feeling of making something with my own hands, which is why I got into crocheting. I taught myself how to crochet around 2010. While I mostly make blankets and shawls and avoid the typical granny square, I thought I would try combining them into a bag this time. My mom loves daisies, so this is partially in honor of her.

"Bantam Cockerel and Two Hens" (ink on paper) and "Handmade Greeting Cards" (blackwork embroidery) by Melanie Magidow

Artist's Statement: I'm not a professional artist, but I enjoy creative pursuits through all the chapters of my life. I do watercolor painting every spring, embroidery, and sewing. During the pandemic lockdown days, I colored with my child. For me, these activities promote wellness and sometimes they brighten someone else's day, too.

"Return to Sender" (greeting card tapestry) by Katie Hyunh

Artist's Statement: I made these greeting cards from newspaper and magazine clippings in a span from approximately 2005-2010 for my parents and grandma. These cards were kept by my mom over the years and returned to me in 2024 when my parents sold their house. I wasn't sure what to do with them until recently, when I signed up for the Minitex Staff Art Show. I decided to haphazardly tie the cards together to create this tapestry-like piece.

"Portrait of Black Elk" (chalk on pavement) by Kay Kirscht

Artist's Statement: This chalk portrait was executed during the 2017 University of Minnesota Clerical Strike. He is about 90 years old in the photograph I used as source material - his daughters braided his hair and dressed him in full Regalia for a celebration (perhaps his birthday). I took over a circular-shaped patch of concrete on the West Bank, outside of the Social Sciences building, and did roughly one piece per week - usually a portrait; always with the text: SUPPORT U OF MN EMPLOYEES!

"Lighter than a Cloud" (beaded earrings) by Beth Staats

Every art show calls for champagne, doesn't it? Not this one. We celebrated these wonderful artists with several bottles of sparkling cider. Congratulations to the artists and to the staff groups who staged the event: the Events Group and the Art and Decor Group. The members of those groups are: Josh Borreson, Bob Francis, Stephanie Hess, Molly Huber, Kay Kirscht, Matt Lee, Melanie Magidow, Jesus Maldonado Sanchez, Chau Nguyen, Izzy Shinn, and Maggie Snow.