Water Themes Featured In DAI Shows Opening Tonight

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.” ~ Norman Maclean

The overarching theme is water, a common touchstone for many local artists who draw inspiration from living at the edge of the world's largest freshwater body in the world. At least two of Mike Savage's novels have Lake Superior water-related issues as a central plot element. Tonya Borgeson's series of "Something About the Water" shows, with other participating artists, keep cropping up. Visual artist/critic Ann Klefstad's water themed works likewise reflect her passion for the theme. (Both Klefstad and Borgeson can be found frequently out sailing on the waters as well, the one passion that overrides their desire to be in the studio.)

So it comes as no surprise that the Duluth Art Institute (DAI) would have a summer art opening titled Water Works. What did surprise me, though, was seeing the full page, front page story about the opening in Tuesday's Duluth News Tribune. Whether it was paid advertising, or a generous plug by the DNT, the net effect was that Water Works is an event not to miss. (Opening from 5-7 p.m. tonight.)

Here are a few notes about the three overlapping exhibitions that will be on display this summer. Lee Englund's A Strong Experience of Nature is aptly titled. The now-retired art teacher is a leading painter in the "plein air" school. "En plein air" is French for painting in the opening air. Englund describes it as the visual equivalent of jazz improvisation as the artist responds to the stimulation of the scenery which is ever changing.

One day back when I lived in the Central Hillside I came home from work to find a painter from Hungary on the sidewalk in front of our house, painting the hillside scene with the sunlight pouring through the trees and houses down toward the Great Lake. I asked why he was here and he said Duluth is one of the three most beautiful cities in the world to paint because of the steep hills and the lake, and the way the late day sun pours through everything. (The other two cities were San Francisco and one of Switzerland's beauties.)

Anways, it's been a pleasure watching Englund work and the title of his show is a thrill in and of itself. The show will run through August 18 if you can't make it tonight.

Then there's Jerry Allen Gilmore's Boats Will Float and Bumble Bees Will Sting which will have a shorter run in the Steffl Gallery, from June 6-24. Another fun title.  Gilmore states that his work "has always contained an element of water in its narrative." The images here are autobiographical in nature, and what he calls "markings" from his life.

Finally, from July 1 thru September 8, there will be Chris Faust's photography exhibit titled Revisiting Twain's Mississippi, a suitable companion for the other exhibits. Many people unfamiliar with North American Geography are not aware that we not only have the world's largest lake, but also the headwaters of one of the great rivers in the world, and our longest in North America. The headwaters of the mighty Mississippi begin here in out North Country.

St. Paul native Chris Faust chose to revisit the river that had been documented in such detail in Mark Twain's time by photographer Henry Peter Bosse.

Our ongoing fascination with rivers is nothing new. Rivers have been part of human history for ages, serving as transportation routes, power generators, geographic barriers, political boundaries, and more. Rivers have also served as a source of inspiration for poets, writers, artists and philosophers.

The flowing river is a theme upon which many minds have meditated. Twain, Hesse, Annie Dillard, Norman Maclean have all recorded reflections on rivers. Hesse’s Siddhartha concludes with a contemplation on the meaning of his life while watching, and listening to, the river.

Tonight's art opening(s) will give us a chance to explore our waters, and our selves, in new ways.

Eight Minutes with Artist/ Water Advocate Tonya Borgeson

Tonya Borgeson, an instructor at Lake Superior College, has been making ceramics for nearly two decades. Based on her numerous shows, workshops and activities she appears to have an indefatiguable energy. Her artist statement begins, “I have been creating with ceramics for 18 years. The focus of my art work currently is about water, how humans use water and how humans react and are responding to the water crisis on Earth.” She is especially passionate about Lake Superior.  

EN: How did you first become interested in the arts?
Tonya Borgeson: I was always artistic. It was basically the one outlet I felt comfortable doing. And being supported by my family was good. My parents never told me “Why would you go to school to be an artist?” They were supportive and I have been doing it since very young.

EN: What prompted you to take an interest in ceramics as a means of expression? 
TB: My mom grew up in Wrenshall, and there was a lot of natural clay there. We used to play with that clay. When I took art in school, Mr. Pullan the art teacher was a ceramicist and he encouraged us to try the wheel. I know of several other ceramic artists from my high school.

So I applied for colleges and decided to go into graphic design or interior design. But since I started doing ceramics in seventh grade and by the time I was a junior and senior I was helping teach in Mr. Pullan’s art classes. I was literally taken out of classes – math, science, English – to make posters for teachers. I was highlighted for my creativity in my high school.

I fell into choosing ceramics in college because I felt so comfortable in the pottery room. So I took the pottery class and the teacher Roy Strassburg pulled me aside and asked how I developed my skill. He suggested I become a ceramics artist, which I never had heard of before, that a person could be just a ceramics artist.

After that I switched my major to a bachelor of fine arts with a specialty in ceramics and painting.

EN: You got your MFA at Indiana State U. … What were some of the things you learned through that experience? 
TB: First I did a student-at-large position at Carbondale, IL which was an experience builder and resume builder. You also continue to expand your web of people whom you become colleagues with. I was there for two terms and then moved to Indiana State University.

I learned independent thinking, and strong evaluation critiquing of your projects and concepts. During that time I had multiple art history classes and was interested in artists who were untrained and was interested in those artists, like Jean Dubuffet and folk artists, tribal and ceremonial art. At the time I felt like I was aligning myself with artists who documented our human time.

It was while working on my Masters I became involved in community-based art, or art that was placed in the community, with natural materials. I did a twenty acre land drawing outside Chicago, using the earth as a medium, and which no one could see except in a plane.

Through that research I developed the concept of this Snoodle, a community clay center. I had a whole section on how to start a community art center, not knowing that I would come up to Duluth and end up doing that. I visited other centers and researched and wrote about it in my Master’s thesis.

EN: So what is the Snoodle? 
TB: The Snoodle is my working studio space as well as a community clay center. Anybody from age 2 to 102 can come in and within one hour can make something. I offer hands on events and teach techniques. There is also a gallery space where we show art by various artists in different mediums. People can come and rent space here, rent the kilns, use the tools.

EN: You make a living by both teaching ceramic sculpture and pottery. What are some of the things you teach about pottery? 
TB: I teach the creative process. I use different methods and teach people about the different mediums and materials.

EN: In June you assembled a group show at the Whole Foods Co-op addressing water issues and now followed up with a solo exhibition called Waters, What about the Waters IV which will be showing thru August 7. How did you become such an advocate for water?
TB: It just developed out my own growth as an artist. As an undergrad I concentrated on our humanity and spirituality in our place. And then in graduate school I felt like my work represented animal, human and earth elements. So then I just kept working through that, continually building upon them and becoming more and more aware of what you are seeing in the work. All of a sudden, at a certain point it switched to water. Along with these other art forms I also sketch daily. The drawings began to show a cloud theme and the influence of water… and reading about it in the media that people are dying because they don’t have access to water and hearing people in our region saying there is not a water issue, which was so shocking to me because we are in a huge water issue worldwide. Like any valuable resource there is a potential end to that resource.

Eventually I became more open and public with work on this theme.

Tonya's website can be found at www.tonyaborgeson.com