The First Friday Art Walk supports both the artists and businesses of Bemidji’s downtown community by providing a festive self-guided walking tour featuring an average of 8 artist receptions each month throughout downtown Bemidji’s restaurants, libraries, schools, and businesses. Watermark Art Center is the anchor exhibitor of the First Friday Art Walk, as well as its media liaison.
An estimated 100 people are out each month during the First Friday Art Walk to attend art openings, visit with artists, and listen to artist talks, live music, readings, or demonstrations. The fun continues into the evening as attendees visit area restaurants and bars for musical entertainment, food, and drink.
View the interactive map for this month here!
Bemidji First Friday Art Walk
October 5, 2018
Dunn Brothers Coffee will feature the work of Aimee Bouchard. Bouchard is an artist, illustrator and designer based in Walker, MN. Her illustrations celebrate flora, fauna, folk arts, and the imperfect symmetry we find in nature. Aimee primarily works with gouache paint on watercolor paper and enjoys capturing the minute details of everyday life. Dunn Brothers is located at 501 Paul Bunyan Dr SE and is open 6 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wild Hare Bistro and Coffeehouse continues the exhibit Seeing the Moments, paintings by Laura Goliaszewski. Goliaszewski’s oil, acrylic and mixed media landscapes reflect on what, and how, we see. “Seeing does not mean looking,” she describes. “Learning how to see gives us the chance to learn about ourselves, others, and the world we live in.” Goliaszewski is currently the Gallery Director and Collections Manager for the School of Technology, Art and Design at Bemidji State University. She holds a BFA from BSU and an MFA in painting from UND. Wild Hare is located at 523 Minnesota Ave and is open 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Neilson Place continues the display entitled A Medley of Hues by Elaine Netland. Netland grew up in Littlefork, MN. She owned a beauty shop in Bagley and one of her customers invited her to take painting classes. That was in the early 80’s and since then Netland has painted every chance she can get. Her art pieces include the mediums of oil, watercolor and acrylic. She belongs to Gallery North in Bemidji where she exhibits her art and teaches classes. At Neilson Place, Netland’s artwork will include original prints and greeting cards. Neilson Place is located on the Sanford WoodsEdge campus, 1000 Anne Street NW and is open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
The Bemidji Library wall will continue last month’s artist with new, updated paintings for October. Charles Alberti probes human psychology by means of brilliantly colored, quasi surrealistic depictions of primal symbols done in a variety of media. Alberti earned a BFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago in painting, drawing and art history and an M.Ed. and Ph.D. at Loyola University of Chicago. In 1988, he began teaching at BSU and retired as Emeritus Professor of Professional Education and the Honors Program. Alberti’s work has been featured in shows in New York, Chicago, California, Connecticut, Texas and Minnesota. The library is open 9 am – 5 pm and is located at 509 America Ave NW.
Gallery North – Stop by Gallery North’s First Friday open house on October 5th, 2-6 pm and visit with Showcase Artist DeeDee Narum. Narum has a B.A. in Studio Art and enjoys making mosaics, quilts and collage work. She enjoys upcycling and loves the play of light on the mosaic stained glass windows she creates. Featured artist and newest member of Gallery North is Kaia Edland, a retired foster care provider now living on Lake Andrusia. Kaia does abstract acrylic landscapes and abstract dog and horse paintings. She has also been a paper cutter in the Wychinanci (Polish paper cutting) style for many years. Prior to her paper cutting experience, she was a self-taught doll artist who used polymer clay and found objects including birch bark. Kaia loves using bright color in her work and spends her time filling her world with color. Gallery North is located at 310 4th St NW.
Headwaters Music & Arts will host the Artists of Studio 10 for the months of October and November with their show Where the Heart Is. Join the artists for a reception on October 5, 4 – 6 p.m. at Headwaters. This exhibit is tribute to home and the feelings surrounding the things that make up home such as family, pets, the north woods and the artists’ hometown of Bemidji. The work itself is created by ten different artists in a range if media including metal, oil, acrylic, watercolor, pen, wood, fiber, etc. The Artists of Studio 10 are a group of regional artists who have joined together to promote the creation of high quality works of art. They are just coming off a show at the Watermark, and are excited to feature this new body of work at Headwaters. Headwaters is located at 519 Minnesota Ave NW.
Watermark Art Center announces the reception for Gidibaajimomin on October 5th, 5 – 7 p.m., with artist talk at 6. Gidibaajimomin, meaning “We Tell Stories,” features prints and mixed media by Gordon Coons and Anna Johnson. Through the use of contemporary media, both artists give new understanding to traditional Ojibwe stories and culture. Johnson, an artist from North Dakota, received her BFA from NDSU in 2010; the natural beauty of the Turtle Mountains inspires much of her work. Coons is an award-winning artist from Minneapolis; his work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., including at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Watermark is located at 505 Bemidji Ave N.