North Dakota has a diverse, but sometimes hard to find, artist community. There are no major museums like the ones in big cities, but there are plenty of small museums and exhibitions throughout the state that feature local and international artist work. These hidden gems are an underrated display of the state’s rich culture.
Located on the University of North Dakota campus is the ND Museum of Art. They just closed their most recent exhibition which featured works by local and regional artists and are preparing to open their next one “Re-arming Language: Post-Graffiti Artists”, on March 5. This exhibition will feature artwork derived from graffiti culture. Another exhibition opening on the same day is “Fables, Myths and the Stories We Share” which features artwork inspired by storytelling.
Along with the museum, there are plenty of opportunities to view art around the city of Grand Forks. There are various displays located around town and especially in the downtown area. The Grand Forks staple coffee shop, Urban Stampede, always has local artwork on display, and you can sometimes even catch artists working on their craft.
Just down the street The Empire Arts Center hosts an ever-changing display of UND artwork. Along with this, art is dispersed all around UND’s campus, especially in the Hughes Fine Arts Center and Merrifield Hall.
Traveling out of the city can serve as an opportunity to explore new spaces that feature art. One such space is in Fargo, just an hour from Grand Forks. The Plains Art Museum is located downtown and, much like the ND Museum of Art, features a wide variety of local and international artwork that is constantly changing. Various art exhibitions and installations are dispersed throughout the city as well.
There are a few other small exhibits spread out around the state. Located in Minot is the Taube Museum of Art which features the works of regional artists. It may be small, but it is a great space that encourages creativity and showcases the talent found in the state. Along with this, housed in Bismarck is the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum. It focuses on the history of the state but does feature a number of regional art pieces and showcases culture and indigenous artifacts.
It is not located in North Dakota, but an honorable mention is the major art museum in the Minneapolis area called the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The museum is free and open to the public and features local art as well as works by the masters.
Finding art displays in North Dakota and the surrounding area may be challenging, but once you know where to look, you open doors to experience the creations of so many talented individuals. Something that the small museums do incredibly well is showcasing local artwork. It can be fun to go to big museums and see masterpieces that are familiar, but it is sometimes even more special to see the lesser-known works.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student Section Editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
