When: Monday – Friday, June 24-28, 2024 from 9am to noon with a reception Friday afternoon
Grades 7 – 12
*Due to funding sources, priority will be given to Native American students

The workshops will be held at Bemidji State University’s Painting Studio.  There is no charge for this workshop, but space is limited, so registration is required. Contact Nokomis Paiz via email at npaiz@watermarkartcenter.org or call Watermark at 218-444-7570 to leave a message for Nokomis to return your call.

McRae, is a Watermark exhibiting artist 2018 (Bagakaande – It is brightly colored) is an established artist and teacher  at Velma Hamilton Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin. She is an experienced educator for students of all ages.

Her style of work could be described as “precise” graphics that include limited colors, geometric patterns and natural elements based on Native American themes.

There will be a reception for the students and their families in the afternoon on Friday at the American Indian Resource Center on campus.  Artist Sam Zimmerman, currently exhibiting at Watermark, will present as the keynote speaker during the reception.

Students will have an exhibit of their work at the Wild Hare Bistro in Bemidji during the month of July.

Sarah McRae Artist Bio

Sarah McRae

A member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, Sarah McRae was born in 1968 in Green Bay, WI and adopted by Tony and Michele McRae. She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN in 1991 with a BA in Art Education. In 1996, McRae received her MFA in graphics at UW-Madison. Sarah currently lives in Madison, WI, where she has been an art teacher at Velma Hamilton Middle School since 1996.

Sarah has been in exhibitions at the Plains Art Museum, the Watermark Art Center, UW-Madison School of Education, along with other galleries in Minneapolis, MN and Madison, WI. Most recently, McRae was part of the 2023 exhibition at the Gallery Marzen titled “Indigenous Artists of the Upper Midwest.” McRae’s work is also part of the permanent collection of artwork at the UW Hospitals in Madison, WI. She has done contract work for the White Earth Reservation, the Blandin Foundation, and the Watermark Art Center.

Read a great 2023 UW Alumni Association piece on McRae →

Support for this workshop comes from the Blandin Foundation and the McKnight Foundation.