Visual arts around campus

African artwork exhibited at the North Dakota Museum of Art. Photo by Nick Nelson/The Dakota Student. Photo by Nick Nelson/The Dakota Student. 

There are many places around the UND campus where students can enjoy the visual arts. The visual arts are quiet. They cannot force a person to give them attention, no matter how hard they try.

Images are passive and harmless, since even if a person finds an image offensive or boring, all they need to do is avert their gaze. Although, if a person keeps their eyes open and stops to smell the roses, they can have great conversations with works of art.

On campus there are three great places to view artwork: the North Dakota Museum of Art, the Meyer’s Art Gallery and recently the Chester Fritz Library. All three of these galleries have different mission statements in relation to the art they will exhibit. Viewing the artwork here and understanding the differences within the galleries will strengthen one’s mind and educate them on the social values of different organizations.

The North Dakota Museum of Art is a beautiful, well-kept museum with great taste. We are lucky to have an establishment like that right in the heart of the campus. It is not technically part of UND property, which in some ways should make it a more attractive destination for students. Since it is an entity of the state, it does not need to follow the same guidelines that public galleries do on campus.

In this gallery’s mission statement, they say their purpose is “to foster and nurture the aesthetic life and artistic expression of the people living on the Northern Plains.”

Here one will learn more about how some people value expression regarding the Northern Plains through the artwork they choose to show. A person can further understand what is arguably seen as contemporary to our society.

NDMOA is free and designed for all ages including students. I encourage everyone to stop by here once in awhile even if it’s for a moment in between classes.

The Meyer’s Art Gallery, located right inside the visual arts section the Hughes Fine Arts Center, has a much broader variety of artwork.

Almost anything goes in this gallery, since it is mostly student artwork. Undergraduate and graduate students have their final shows here before moving on. This show is meant to exhibit the student’s current artistic abilities and interests.

Every artist has a different set of skills or talents, but what is truly intriguing is what they choose to talk about through their work. Viewing shows here teaches us what our fellow students find meaningful to express.

Artists are people who are engaged with the community and visually exhibit our culture or shape it through art. Conversing with these artists or peers regarding this contemporary artwork helps us all as a community to better understand one another and find beneficial directions to push the culture around them.

Within the past few years The Chester Fritz Library has become increasingly involved with displaying artwork. They are currently working with The UND Art Collections and the art department on campus to cycle in new artwork and even have cohesive shows. These shows are open to the public and often even have receptions with drinks and food like NDMOA and The Meyer’s Gallery.

The artwork displayed here does have a few more restrictive guidelines than at The Meyer’s Gallery. Unlike the Meyer’s Gallery, 18+ images are not allowed. The range of artistic subjects is unlimited beyond that specification. It is interesting to understand how public places like this, that serve many purposes beyond displaying artwork, rightfully decide to censor certain images.

As always, I highly encourage everyone to take a break from their routines and visit these art galleries. Stop there between classes or merely go to openings for the food and take a peek while you are eating. Now you can even simply look up and “smell the roses” when you are in the library. Allow yourself to converse with these images and the people around them to better understand our society and one’s self.

Billy Rerick is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]