Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts 2015

Another year, another Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit. This year was less than memorable, to put it charitably. Perhaps the phrase 'State Fair Fine Arts' is becoming an oxymoron. Perhaps I'm jaded. The worst offenders were poorly printed digital photos. It was like 1999 all over again: blocked up, pixelated, blurry lo-rez jpeg images. Not all, to be sure, but many—there shouldn't be any in 2015.

I did run into my old pal Nicole, so we commiserated over chocolate malts and selfies:




The best art was found outside the exhibit. This highly decorated stand, not yet open, was even more attractive in the twilight:



Even the kiddie rides took on a special patina in the gloaming:



Better luck next year!

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You’re Invited...

It's the end of August, which means it's time for the 2011 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Competition. It's the 100th show, and I had heard that the photography judge had some new ideas for the photo exhibit this year (that's his tweet above.) I thought it somewhat arbitrary to exclude whole genres of photography (sorry Ansel, not this year), but what the heck- I'd love to see something new.



Not nearly as big a crowd this year, but people watching is always fun:



The wait to get in can be an art form in its own right:



And yes, once I got inside I did see "Dudes on hogs"and "Chix with guns":



I thought it pretty tacky for the photography judge, Sean Smuda, to showcase his own work (WTF?) in the prime location in the gallery (double WTF?) It's the center piece above- he did a little painting on top of his photo-collage to show us that it was "real" art, I suppose. Overall, I was underwhelmed with the photos. Lots of poorly printed art-school projects, a few nice images here and there to be sure, but kind of depressing overall. Evidently no humor was allowed this year, unless photos of slaughtered chicken heads is your idea of a joke. And the strangest new development of all- NO RIBBONS! (Triple WTF?!) Perhaps The Fine Arts Exhibition is, at 100, too "important" for that plebian rite? THE REASON PEOPLE ENTER STATE FAIR COMPETITIONS IS TO WIN BLUE RIBBONS. It isn't that hard of a concept, although the new powers-that-be that be seem to be unaware of it in their joyless presentation.

The drawings were good, as they usually are, and the painting was definitely better than last year, although there was still plenty of beginner's stuff. Watercolors and sculpture are solid every year, there's enough craft involved in producing them that posers are quickly weeded out. Textiles got short shrift (only 3 "arty" pieces) but unfortunately that is also the norm. There was a selection of work from Minnesota artists of previous years on display and their work was much better (including a black and white photographic landscape!) with this whimsical sculpture (cross your eyes for 3d effect) almost making up for the funeral atmosphere of the rest of the show:

Voyage, Judy Onofrio

Oh well, just like in baseball- "Wait till next year!"- when there will be different judges and hopefully they'll bring the ribbons back.

Here's a mantra for the 2012 Fine Arts Committee to recite when they're planning things:

THE STATE FAIR IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!



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Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts 2016

It seems like it was only a few weeks ago that I posted about the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit. A whole year has passed, last night was preview night. The Weaver and I joined our friends Nicole and Kip in casting our collective eyes at what we hoped would be a better showing this year. Our expectations were not high; the last couple of years were, to put it mildly, disappointing. Hope springs eternal, however, so here are my impressions as well as some of the highlights:


Country Club Barbie, Nicole Houff

The world's greatest Barbie® photographer returns to the Fair as an artist in residence. She will be there for 12 hours on September 3rd, doing her Barbie magic.

The photography is much improved over last year's debacle. There were many finely printed images, although their subject matter was generally "safe." There were some challenging images, however:


La Muerte del Chauro, Leslie Parker

Sculpture is always strong at the Fair, this year was no exception:


Big Daddy Hum and Mum, Fred Cogelow


Nude in the Key of G, Allen David Christian

Of course, people watching is as much fun as the art:


Renee Lynn Brasuhn and friends pose by her steel and fiber construction.
 
And I just may have captured my image for next year's fair:



Overall, I'd have to give the Exhibit a "B-", the painting was fair to poor, with only a few fine examples. Watercolor and drawing was OK but it has been better. Textiles, ceramics and printmaking, sort of the "poor cousins" of the exhibit had a higher rate of quality work, but were hard pressed to make an impression in the overall cacophony of mediocrity. A big plus for the photographs, however, as there were only a few clinkers (out of more than 100!)

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Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts 2017

Wayfinding, Mixed Media Mosaic, Patty Carmody Smith

It’s that time of year again: The Minnesota State Fair returns in all its excessively mundane aspects. Last Tuesday evening I went to the Fine Arts Preview, and it was, with a few exceptions, a decidedly underwhelming experience. I'm a sucker for bright, shiny, colorful objects and the 3-D mosaic above (picture is sideways to better fit the blog format) filled the bill on all accounts. Indeed, it seems as if sculpture is always the strongest category, with plenty of whimsy and craftsmanship to wow the crowds:



Not everybody was wowed.

Kyle L. Fokken’s Jack in the Bucket was even more startling:



While Beth Thompson’s hyper-realistic A Summer’s Nap seemed to be the crowd favorite:



And I even met Genie Castro, the printmaking juror, who was as vibrant as her featured work:

Overall, I’d say that the Fine Arts Exhibit has seemed to have lost its luster, with mostly derivative works. Several artists repeated what they had done in previous years. So, in that spirit (dispirit?) I decided to join the crowd, here’s an updated version of a image I posted last year:



Much more from the fair on Monday!

Check out my other Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts reviews.

Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts 2014

It’s hard to believe that The Minnesota State Fair is almost upon us again. Of course that also means that the Fine Arts Exhibit had its preview night yesterday. A shower cleansed the sidewalks and despite a few gloomy patrons it did not dampen the previewers’ enthusiasm:



The usual mix of genres and quality was present, but this year seemed to have an abundance of paintings done in late 40s/early 50s styles.

Lief Peterson’s White Nude:



Patrica Bronstein’s mixed media work Mystery Entrance:



Jan Spencer De Gutierrez’s Encaustic study Series 12 Number 6:



There were even some large format film-based photographic prints, including Sue Tschida’s Joe Boxer:



The Kiwanis Malt Stand was open to refresh patrons including Nicole Houff—Barbie Doll Photographer Extraordinaire:



The walk back to the car always has various tableaux of workers preparing the stands for the twelve days of the fair:



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Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition - 2013

The Minnesota State Fair is upon us, and with it is its Fine Arts Show.

A juried competition, it draws thousands of entrants in 8 categories and is seen by over a quarter of a million people, making it arguably Minnesota's biggest art exhibit of the year. Last night's preview saw a couple of hundred sweaty artists and friends basking in the heat and humidity (and the glory!) After a couple of down years the show has been rejuvenated: the painting (which is usually pretty bad) was very good overall, as were watercolors and printmaking. Sculpture had its strongest showing in memory, and a great showing of photography made the show a celebration rather than an obligation. Some memorable scenes:


Traditional media: Collage, printmaking, drawing and even a palladium print…




Marissa J. Murdy beams next to her exquisite cyanotype…




Mark Allan Peterson's mindboggling collage…




Amusing and inventive sculpture…





It can be hard to tell where the art ends and reality begins…




And there was even a picture by yours truly…


Late Shift at Faktorý, Reykjavík, 2012

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Art in the Time of Covid

The Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Preview Night has returned after a one-year hiatus due to Covid quarantine restrictions. I masked up and braved the sultry air and sweaty crowd to get one last dose of culture for the summer.

Painting was extremely strong this year, Summer Goddess by Margo Selski and the surrealistic Untitled by Brandon Anderson were standouts:

It wouldn’t be a proper State Fair with farm animals, Dairy Queen by Patty Voje was another stunning painting:

If the painting was good, the sculpture was superb. Fred Cogelow is a past winner, his Strada Cornelia, Bucarest 2016 was amazing (cross eyes for 3-D effect):

This year also featured some fine examples of textile art, most notable was Kristin Williams’ felted moose:

My old fair-pals Genie Castro and Nicole Houff were there (as well as Nicole’s husband Kip):

Nicole‘s Wonder Woman Barbie was one of the few humorous pieces in the show, there was a lot of George Floyd and Covid imagery in paintings, drawings and photography.

It always warms my heart to see young people who have work in the show; here Julia Loth shows off her Flea Market Bottles painting to a proud parent:

Overall, I’d grade this year’s Fine Arts Exhibit as a strong B+. There was a ton of good stuff in all the categories. If you are cool mingling with a crowd of people in a pandemic, check it out, preferably in the morning when the crowds are small. About 95% if the attendees last night were masked, if that would be a consideration for you.

See all of my Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts posts here.

2020 Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibit

The Exhibit that almost wasn’t.

Due to the pandemic crisis most of the activities of the fair have been curtailed. One that was rescued from Covid-limbo was the Fine Arts Exhibit. It was held in the same hall with the same entry requirements but was now a ticketed event with a limited number of admissions per 90 minute block of time. We went on opening Friday night; there was a ton of space available for social distancing. I did manage to recognize a couple of people with their masks on so there were some opportunities to interact (albeit at 6 feet away.) This year there were several works which referenced George Floyd and the riots that ensued from his murder.

The painting was, as usual, the most imposing type of art work. It seemed to come in three broad categories: Paintings done from photos, homages to historical styles, and embarrassing. There were some very fine entries, however, here is a fine example of Trompe-l’œil from Preston Lawing:

Pentimento

A work in a different medium that caught my attention was Tamsin Barlow’s lino print Near Rochester. In this photo-shopped age it was a pleasant surprise to see a clean and elegant black and white image.

In photography it seems that there are about four main types: Cell-phone pictures, dramatic portraits, street photography, plus the usual nature and wildlife clichés. Some people send in the same kid of work year after year—I can even tell who shot it before I read the label (I’m looking at you, Shelly Mosman and Amy Ballinger.)

The sculpture is usually the only group that has a sense of humor. This year was an exception, I wasn’t as “wowed” as I have been in previous years. Textiles and fabrics are always quirky but I was not that impressed. Ceramics and glass left me unmoved as well.

There was, however, something new under the sun. Michelle Mildred had done what she call a “digital painting” on an iPad which was then transferred to canvas. Very strong in its sense of design, it was beautifully executed, although it did remind me of 1970s record album art:


Maria

All in all, this year’s exhibit was certainly better than nothing. It’s been 47 years since the first time I had an entry in the Fair, to be in again was a kick. There were a couple of other old-timers from that group in the show this year: Joyce Lyon and Rod Massey!

You can view the entire catalog here.

You can get a trippy virtual tour of the exhibition here.

I’ll post some previous State Fair “greatest hits” photos Wednesday to get back into a State Fair Mindset.

See all of my Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts posts here.

2019 Fair Fine Arts Preview

My, my, how quickly doth the days fly by.

It seems like only yesterday that I was attending the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Preview Night.

Oh. It was yesterday.

Some rough impressions of this year’s exhibit (click on images to embiggen):

While sculpture is always strong at the fair, Lester Hoikka’s 21st Century Nude Reclining is even better in 3-D (cross eyes for 3-D effect):



My old pal Nicole Houff, Barbie™ photographer, was back—this time with 3 Kens (and a Kip):



Karen Brown’s Foxy is a scary look at pre-adolescence, while Nathan Wagoner’s drawing Asa Nisi Masa looked as if it has been executed in 1918, not 2018:



Of all the photography, I probably enjoyed Tiffany Bolk’s Lost & Found the most:



And Pallavi Sharma (shown with her model Maricella Herrera on the left) was the multi-cultural hit of the show, with the gentleman (evidently a stranger) posing with the two:



Once again, the “no nipples in photographs rule” was in force. The closest it came to being broken was in the image of the 3 topless Kens, who don’t have nipples either!

This rule does not apply to any other medium, of course, and there were plenty in painting and sculpture.

And, as usual, lots of chickens, horses, dogs and images of Iceland.

I think I’ll have to enter one of my “Bubbleworld” photos next year, just to be contrary.

Check out my other Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts reviews.