First off, January will see the closing of Steve Olson’s solo show on Saturday, January 21st from 7-10.  The 24th will begin our figure drawing intensive workshop, Cult Status Academy, which will culminate in a student group show, March 3rd.

From there we have local wonder boy Alex Kuno Solo: The Miscreants of Tiny Town and the Unknown Unknowns, March 24th.

The end of April brings us ‘Flesh’ (a working title), a group show about the luminosity of the human form, with CSA instructors Luke Hillestad, Luke Tromziak and Jamie Cook, and artists Caitlin Karolczak, Kara Hendershot and last but not least, JM Culver.

May will be Cult Sisters III: Art is My Boyfriend, the weekend after Art-A-Whirl.  All of our original sisters and a few new friends will show in our yearly testament to the ladies.

June we have Ryan Henry Ward (known simply as ‘Henry’) as our 2012 resident artist from Seattle.  He is well known for his large colorful murals all around Seattle, depicting animals and awesomeness.  His residency will have him painting several murals around MPLS/STP, and then having a solo show at the end of June.

July will be Chris Williams solo upstairs, and Chris’s collaborative efforts with Biafra, Inc. downstairs.

August will begin with artists Mark Rivard and Russ Olson’s dual show, coinciding with Uptown Art Fair, and the end of the month we have a very special surprise for you, which I will write about in a separate blog soon.  Think edible Rudy Figilicious ….hmmmm.

Eventually, all of these events will have way more info and their own pages.  For now, contact me via cultstatusgallery@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like more information about anything.  I can’t wait for our exciting year!

Hello from San Francisco!  This year I decided to take a much needed ‘break’ from the winter wonderland that is MPLS, and hide out in a milder climate, and hopefully make some friends in the art community here.  I think it’s important to forge eye-to-eye relationships in this time of digital imagery and Facebook (im)personalization.  I also think it’s astoundingly important for artists to have excellent skillz in a number of diverse media.  One of the most important skills an artist can have is to be able to convincingly and quickly draw or paint a human form and face.

This is an old school train of thought, I am aware, but the ability to draw a figure says more about an artist’s eye and use of gesture, line, light and shadow, than it does of a beautiful finished product.  Gestural figure drawing is the closest an artist comes to their true inner voice and skill.  I believe (and this is just what I believe, it is not by any means law) that an artist should possess the ability to create in a 3D world what they see in their heads.  In order to do this, you must have as much knowledge of technique and materials as possible.  There is literally no end to how much an individual artist can know about technique and materials.  It is a life long quest in understanding, and every tidbit of skill accumulates over a lifetime, ever evolving.

Saying that an ability in figure drawing is archaic is like saying one doesn’t REALLY need to know how to read.   As an artist, I always am looking for avenues to expand my repertoire, and what we have come up with at Cult Status Academy will surely fill a niche in Uptown for artists to do just that.

Sadly, I can’t participate this go-around.  It’s a grand winter experiment for everyone, trying to beat the blues.  Luke Hillestad, Luke Tromziak and Jamie Cook have all signed up to instruct figure drawing classes, three nights a week starting next week and running through February, culminating in a student group show March 3rd.  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday every week for 5 weeks from 7-10.  The guys will be rotating nights, and one will be a tableaux, which will be the same scene every time.

$15 per class, $14/pc with purchase of 5 classes, $13/pc purchase of 10 classes, and $180 for unlimited.  We provide easels and drawing boards, you bring your own materials.  Charcoal, paint, whatever your medium.  These classes are designed with the artist in mind, to hone your skillset, and loosen your hand and body.  This is University level instruction at a fraction of the price.

Follow this link: Cult Status Academy to find out more.

Opening Reception 12/3/11 6-10 pm

With music from Dandylion WarPaint

Facebook Event

I first met Steve Olson at an event at CSG.  He was an imposing guy with a great smile, and immediately we had a rapport.  He began to relate his extensive experience in the Minneapolis art scene, and being a newbie myself, I was rapt with attention.  (He is best known for his ‘Brickman‘ sculpture atop the Olson Advertising  firm next to Lurcat.)  He spoke of the days in the early 80s, when secret underground shows would be held in abandoned warehouses and high rises being built.  The energy and enthusiasm translated to sales, when Minneapolis galleries were in league with New York.  Apparently, those were the days.

The next week, Steve invited me to Lundstrom Center of the Performing Arts , where several of his pieces inhabit their gallery walls.  I was struck by the intensity of emotion and extraordinary attention to form, negative space, and craftsmanship.  Each piece was surrounded by beautiful hand carved frames, and other elements like candles were situated so the pieces are more sculptural than painterly.

I began to understand the charge of emotion each piece portrays, and I began to think about how easy and comfortable my life has suddenly become, related to others who are not as fortunate.  Steve’s work encompasses meaning and compassion, absurdity and consort, conveying understanding between people whether they are the 99% or the 1%.  He has moved far beyond discussing color theories, negative space and composition.  He has conquered logistics and materials.  He has arrived at this place, where his work is meaningful beyond the object, and enters a state of emotional maturity and integrity.

“White Light, White Heat”, carved wood and mixed media, 48″x36″.

“The Puppet”, carved wood and stain, 36″x24″.

“Comfort the Afflicted”, carved wood and mixed media, 36″x36″.

“Soup Supper”, Carved wood and stain, 36″x24″.

“Prayer for Africa”, carved wood and mixed media, 36″x24″.

“New Best Friend”, wood and mixed media, 36″x36″.

Biography:

Steve Olson of Minneapolis began his career with Forecast Public Artspace. After seeing “The Times Square Show” in a condemned building in NYC, he produced “the black show” in 1981 on 4th Ave. and Lake St. in Minneapolis in a warehouse building. Over 100 visual artists along with dancers, poets and musicians filled the building.  In 1982 he joined the downtown gallery world with numerous solo and group shows. In 1996, he switched from canvas to wood and began portraying social justice issues in the spectrum of the human condition. In 2000, he created “Brickzilla”, the brickman sculpture on the roof of OLSON advertising on 16th and Hennepin. The same year, he began his association with the affordable housing group, The Family Housing Fund. “The Fund” brought his work not only to  galleries and museums but to the mayors’ offices in the Twin Cities, the State Capitol, public schools and institutions like the United Way and the Minneapolis Foundation to name a few.
This exhibit at Cult Status marks his foray full circle back to the cutting edge where he feels most at home. “I long to see new forms in a constantly evolving language which is what I’ve witnessed in the diversity of exhibits and multiple fresh approaches at Cult Status Gallery.”

Exhibitions
Family Housing Fund, Minneapolis, Minnesota, multiple exhibitions 2000-2011. Collaborated
on a number of projects related to housing and homelessness, including three traveling
exhibitions, fine-art prints, posters, calendars, and annual reports.
Permanent Gallery Installation, Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts, Minneapolis,
Minneapolis, 2008-present
The Brick Man, 2001, rooftop sculpture in public space, 1625 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis,
Minnesota
Solo exhibition, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis.2006
Solo exhibition, Frank Stone Gallery, Minneapolis, 2005
Group Exhibition, Tyler Street Gallery, Minneapolis, 2003
Solo Exhibition, , Minneapolis, 2002
Daisy Cutter, Group Exhibition, Gallery Schmallery, Minneapolis, 2002
Domestic Abuse Project, Group Exhibition, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, 1999
Solo Exhibition, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minneapolis, 1998
Frank Gaard, Aldo Moroni, Melisa Stang, Steve Olson, The Lounge, Minneapolis, MN, 1997
Solo Exhibition, Southwest State University, Marshall, Minnesota, 1996
Solo Exhibition, M.C. Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1994
Solo Exhibition, M.C. Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1992
Group Exhibition, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1991
Solo Exhibition, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota, 1990
Solo Exhibition, Broadway Gallery, Detroit, Michigan, 1988
Solo Exhibition, M.C. Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1985
Steve Olson and Peter Williams, Barry Richard Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1984
Preview 84, Group Show of Emerging Artists, Jewish Community Center of Minneapolis,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1984
Group Show, The St. Paul Companies Corporate Offices, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1984
Group Shows, Barry Richard Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1982-84
Group Show, First Bank Minneapolis Headquarters, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1982
________________________________________________________________________
Community
Family Housing Fund, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2000-2011
Book Cover, “Deprived of Dignity,” 1998. Provided artwork for publication by Angel Press, a
series of essays about children of the streets and life after welfare in Minneapolis.
The Black Show, 1981. Producer of 100-person music, dance, poetry, visual arts event in
warehouse, Forecast Pubic Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
_______________________________________________________________________
Collections
Family Housing Fund
U.S. Bank, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi Law Firm, Minneapolis, Minnesota
RBC Dain Rauscher, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Rockler Companies, Medina, Minnesota
Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Private Collections

Since the inception of Cult Status, we have been dedicated to showing young emerging artists.  With our new solo series, we are stepping into the realm of showcasing established and, in Steve’s case, mid-career artists, which is extremely exciting.  Cult Status is proud to be a part of the burgeoning Twin Cities art scene.

Hours by Appointment

612-965-9162

Steve’s Website

November 11th, 2011  ~11.11.11~  7pm-1am

If you don’t know who the infamous Gina Louise is, then surely you haven’t been to any art openings in the last 5 years.  Gina is an MCADian, has shown all over the 612/651, is an original ‘Cult Sister,’ has worked as a museum sculptor (even creating the Grizzly exhibit at the MNZoo), and uses painting and sculpture interchangeably and equally proficiently.

Using all sorts of industrial materials was part of her position as museum sculptor, and those influences have established themselves in her gallery work as well.  Always the experimenter, and whose favorite color is ‘construction worker orange’, Gina never ceases to create environments of comfort and softness in a rigid steel world.

Last winter, Gina visited South East Asia on an extended trip, and there was inspired by the urban environments, colors and local women.  She drew hundreds of drawings based on those experiences, and has spent the last 4 months on sabbatical in Seattle creating 150 paintings based on those drawings.

In her own words:

While the individual pieces for S.E.A. 10 are themselves not rigidly rendered, my self-imposed parameters of process were methodical in nature. My intent is that each piece is a visual conversation reduced further and further down. In this way the true disposition of each moment being referenced is able to unfold.
part 1: pictures
I am by no means a photographer, however it was ultimately necessary to document the compositional junctures that grabbed me, so I could work with them upon returning to the studio.
part 2: drawings
Next, using the photos as reference, I drew from them. Only 5″ x 8″ in size, they are small drawings meant to be held close.
part 3: paintings
Lastly, no longer referencing the original photograph, only a completed drawing, I distill and paint said compositional moment.
At 24″ x 36″, each painting is larger than the corresponding drawing. However, the paintings are small enough to still feel intimate.

Gina Louise is a sculptor and painter born 1972 in St.Paul, Minnesota, USA. In 1994 she received her B.F.A in Sculpture from Minneapolis College of Art & Design.

website: www.divergentlayers.com

email: gina@divergentlayers.com
MN artists page: http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=267303
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ginalouise.divergentlayers

With their interests stemming from modern age tattooing to the powers of mysticism and magic, they created several dozen art works showing off exactly that. One example is significant in Chris’s take on the theological doctrine of the original sin, Total Depravity, shown several times throughout his works.  They claim that the paintings presented are part of a pact written to one another five years ago. The only given proof lays in the lower cased ‘n’ tattoos on the little finger of each members left hand. The entirety of the  details of the pact are hidden securely under lock and key but are very apparent when walking into Sons of Northern Darkness. Everything seems to be unified in an uncanny manner.

The feeling you get waking into a showcase like this is unsettling, yet a bit exciting. Much like the feeling of being a young kid taking your first steps into a haunted house. Yet the power of death and sadness behind a large portion of the show has a bit of a heavier weight to it, something that seems to stick with you a little longer after leaving.

Sons of Northern Darkness will be celebrated with a grand opening to the public on Friday the 23rd of September from 8pm until 1am. On this day in 1846 French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams discovered the eighth and greatest planet in the galaxy, Neptune.  The astrological symbol is presented several times in Nate’s work and also on the ring knuckle of Nate’s dominant hand.

There will be appropriate music hosted by DJ Bitsbits and a special live sacrificial performance by the local group Nomia.  Lights and projected imagery by the likes of Wonderhaus. This is definitely a show you must see to believe.

Make sure and check out our next event, the Nay-Say closing! More about this show, and a couple Local Artist Interviews to follow in a few days:

I first met Louis LaPierre at a benefit for Michael ‘Eyedea’ Larson at Niccademus Art, for which I painted a portrait of the fallen artist.  Louis was childhood friends with Mikey and often collaborated creatively with him, and later created posters and artwork for Eyedea’s gigs and records.

Louis’s poster for Eyedea and Abilities gig…

I was drawn to his use of paint, and while you can see he obviously has street art roots, he is using classical applications with charcoal, spray paint and watery acrylic on carefully constructed panels and paper. He depicts urban landscapes at their most beautiful; washes of varying cool tones divided into the blocks and shapes of an urban environment.  He also uses figurative imagery, animals, flowers, vehicles and machinery of sorts, all interacting in their own haunting world.

Louis’s work is balanced by his long term studio mate, Jason Wasyck. Where Louis is monochromatic, Jason is the extreme opposite, using color as his main focus. Where Louis drips, Jason paints obsessively crisp lines, or even manufactures drips out of wood…

In some pieces, he displays an incredible amount of tenuous patience, meticulously cutting out graceful repetitive shapes from thin wood, and crafting boxes as the display vehicle.  They are objects which aren’t necessarily paintings or sculptures, they are a perfect balance of both.

In his 2D work, again using color as the main protagonist, he experiments with printing on panels.

Snowbank installation …

More about the show here:

access+ENGAGE  the definitive alternative

More about the artists:

Closing Party!

Closing Reception: Saturday, September 17th 7pm-1am
Music By: makr/brodR (Mark Mcgee and Andrew Broder)

Cult Status Gallery
2913 Harriet Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Cult Status Gallery is pleased to announce Nay-Say, featuring the art of J. Wasyk and Louis N. LaPierre. Cohabitants of the same St. Paul studio for four years, Wasyk and LaPierre have created all the work in this show within their studio walls. While both of their work explores contemporary issues of environment and space, their end results are polar opposites. Their individual approaches to making art have created an ongoing argument at the studio. J. Wasyk insists that there must be a vision of the final product and executes it to a tee without straying. He doesn’t start until he knows that his vision can be perfectly fulfilled in the end. Conversely, Louis insists that the vision must come through the process and never knows what the final product will look like until he is done. Their collaboration within the walls of Cult Status creates a body of work with vast differences and few similarities, all stemming from the same conversations and arguments.

Louis N LaPierre Related Info:
Artist Statement: By arranging paint on paper, I depict contemporary wastelands mixed with the mundane human existence that fosters our surrounding’s continuous state of flux. It is an exploration into bitter happiness and sweet despair. Diving into utter realities and the joys of being left in the dark. In the end, it is a search into finding comfort in the uncomfortable; a constant struggle to search out truth when there is no clear truth insight.
Bio: Louis N LaPierre hails from St. Paul, Minnesota. He was born, learned to walk, and then to create. He is still walking, but doesn’t remember when he began painting. His favorite thing to do is observe, and his second is to paint. Since his graduation from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2005, he has adopted a vigorous art practice that spans a variety of mediums. His work can be seen in many venues and on projects such as album covers, gig posters, steel, books, galleries, film, private collections, and murals across America.

J. Wasyk Related Info:
Artist Statement: As an artist, I attempt to create work that can be equally enjoyed and considered critically. Neither the viewers perspective of the former or later is more significant.
Bio: Originally from Richmond VA, J.Wasyk has a BFA from the Painting and Printmaking Department of Virginia Commonwealth University. He has exhibited nationally and has lived and worked in Minneapolis for the past seven years.

Hello all! I know it’s been awhile since I updated this site.  I’ve been relying on Facebook and Twitter since our web person abandoned us.  I am afraid to update it since Word Press really really wants me to update its software, and the last time I did that was disastrous.  So if you or anyone you know would like to help out on the website front that would be sweet.

OK here goes….

The summer started out calm enough, and then roared into full force around July 1st, with sizzling heat and an action packed calendar, we knew we had our work cut out for us.  March April and May and June were lovely quiet and most of all cool (as in temperature) shows: Never Quiet Never Soft, a beautiful Biafra Inc curated show Midwest Rebels, Cult Sisters II and a Dan Jaffe curated mini show for the book release of our friend Al Mueller.  The artists involved in these shows were incredible to work with and we were super honored to have them show with us.  Visit our artists link page to see a list.

Metrik and Amoeba at Midwest Rebels

Biafra At MWR

Dan Jaffe at Al’s book release

Flora at Al’s book release.

This proved to be the calm before the storm.  July began with temperatures in the 90s and dew points into the 70s and even 80s!  It felt like 115º in the gallery, and Moorhead, MN actually was the hottest place on Earth — THE ENTIRE PLANET (136º) — in mid July.

We had our work cut out for us.  We were a bring your own venue for the Minnesota Fringe Fest!  We created an epic collaboration, consisting of 7 visual artists, 4 directors, 4 writers and a bunch of crazy actors, all under the direction of Duck Washington and Rogues Gallery Arts Company.  It was called ‘The 612′ named after MPLS’s area code.  We painted a huge collaborative mural upstairs and created sets for the 4 vignette plays that comprised the performance.  We got a bunch of good reviews, despite the oppressive heat under the huge theatrical lights.  It was epic epic epic, but I for one am so happy it’s over.  Not only did we have 20 odd people working in the space at nights, we had an artist in residence from Italy, Father Bruno Segatta, whipping out 70 paintings in 2 weeks during the day!  CSG was a cacophony of creativity….

Set piece for The 612 by Erin Sayer and Von Shank

Von Shank and Danny Sigelman workin’

The 612 in action

Theatre lights

The 612

Mark Rivard helping us…

Bruno and Mark kickin it…

Very beautiful Biafra piece…

Chris Williams

We titled the collaboration upstairs ‘A Paralyzing Tragedy: The Artists of The 612′.

Joseph Naughton

We flew Von Shank here from Oakland, CA…

Once The 612 closed in mid August, I was ready for the space to be all white again…it took us 2 coats of primer and a coat of paint to get it all back to normal again… in 3 days.  Whew!  I was more exhausted, heat stroked, and burned out than I have ever been in my life.  But it was worth it.  It was so amazing collaborating with everyone, and doing something no one has done in MPLS before.  Artists and theatre people don’t hang out for a reason, we concluded.  Theatre folks are creative, yet super organized and cerebral.  Artists, on the other hand are the exact opposite…scattered, free willed, and maniacal!  I am generalizing, of course.

Up next: a post about our current show, and what we are doing for the rest of 2011!

xoxoxo

E

Kristin Arden: On MNOriginal

ARTIST STATEMENT

        Notions of privacy and disclosure are at the core of my work. My
portraits deal with the reality of illness while balancing a thin line
between expression and discretion. While these topics could be
divisive, the use of color, humor, and childish aesthetic keeps my
work welcoming.  I am interested in the internal and external factors
that compose one’s identity. My work presents a personal side of an
ever-increasingly political issue through a girlish lens of soft
aesthetics and sad whimsy.

ARTIST BIO

Tonja Torgerson was born in 1984 and grew up on the edge of the White
Earth Reservation in Minnesota. She moved to the Minneapolis metro
area in 2001 to attend school at the Perpich Center for Arts
Education. In 2007 she received a BFA from the University of
Minnesota. Her artwork is included the collections of the Weisman Art
Museum and the Minnesota Museum of American Art.  She is currently
pursuing an MFA in printmaking at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New
York.

Moving right a long…Sunday March 20th is out birthday yay! We made it through a year.  We can’t believe it’s already been a year holy schmoly!  So we are throwing ourselves a birthday party, and there will be cake.  Also a silent auction selling all of the poor abandoned art work we have collected over the year.  Proceeds to supplement the rent at CSG for March haha.  Facebook invite is here.

Late March, our good friend Biafra Inc. will take over the space for a month, and create a giant mural upstairs on masonite panels.  The 4×8′ panels will then be sold individually.  The opening will take place April 16th.

Not wasting any time, we are showcasing the lovely ladies of the art scene with our second annual Cult Sisters show May 14th.  Go girlz.

Next up, our first solo show John Erste.  He’s an amazing local talent.  You may have seen his work at the Local, Brit’s, Kieran’s, and several shows and coffee shops around town.  He’s the one who did the Dirty Bunnies painting in the Peep Show.  Everyone remembers that one!  John paints fairy tale like animals in very human situations.  Think an octopus smoking, or super cute maggots spelling the word ‘Be Mine.’  Only John Erste could make maggots look cute.  He also paints people, trees, and disturbingly sweet situations, with an artistic hand that is completely original.  He uses acrylic on canvas, but is exploring the 3D realm and often adds sculptures of flies (with penises) and other creatures to compliment his 2D work.  June 10th.

And now, for our big announcement…..drumroll…..CSG is a venue for Fringe this year woot!  What does that mean?  It means that for 6 weeks, a company of 60 artists (led by Rogues Valley), ranging from visual artists, writers, directors and actors will be collaborating on a 5 vignette piece for Fringe.  Say what?  5 visual artists, 5 writers, 5 directors and a bunch of crazy actors will start work on July 5th, and rehears and paint and create until the opening August 4th.  From August 4th through the 14th, there will be 10 performances during the duration of Fringe.  So, essentially, CSG will be home to a large group of crazy people for 6 weeks.  Look out!

The end of August,  Louis LaPierre and his studio mate will produce a dual show.  Louis’s work consists of delicately applied wash over different materials, paper and canvas.  His hauntingly sweet characters and beautifully drawn nudes in landscapes of telephone poles and eerie buildings have a strong surreal dreamlike quality that makes his work quite unforgettable.  He worked with the late great Eyedea on several projects and created the artwork for many gig posters and CDs.  More on his studiomate when Louios decides to email me the information…

That’s all for now…pray for spring!

E

Viewers will be able to wander through a human-sized birdhouse and
hear music by Marshall LaCount of Dark Dark Dark and harpist Rachel
Blomgren. As frequent collaborators, Shawn Hebrank and Albie Rock have
built their own lexicon out of acorns and antlers, brass instruments
and bearded men, wheat and wings, lanterns and lighthouses, and
various other images that appear throughout the exhibit.

Shawn Hebrank works at Identity Tattoo in Maple Grove, Minnesota and
does various guest spots and tattoo conventions around the world. He
collaborates with his wife, Meryl DePasquale, on mail art under the
name Four-Letter Press. Albie Rock lives in North Conway, New
Hampshire, where he tattoos and is a conceptual engineer for ZERO
Heavy Industry weapons systems.

Come out and enjoy!