Lanesboro Arts presents the 2020 Emerging Artist Exhibition featuring the artwork of three talented early career artists working in a variety of media: Rose Weselmann, Alan Wiltgen, and Sally Podein. The show opens with a reception featuring all artists on Saturday, February 1, from 6-8 p.m., and runs through March 29. The reception will include wine and hors d’oeuvres, as well as live music by Savvy History (aka Michelle Lynn) of Decorah, Iowa. Always free and open to the public, winter gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Emerging Artist Exhibition was developed in 2015 to meet the needs of artists with burgeoning new talent; this juried show provides emerging artists selected in a jury process an opportunity to display work in a professional gallery setting.
Rose Weselmann received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Luther College of Decorah in 2013. After graduation she moved to the Twin Cities, residing in both St. Paul and currently in Minneapolis, where she explores her passion for the arts. She is now a painter and mixed media artist working out of the Casket Arts Building near her northeast home where she focuses on process and the exploration of materials and their natural capabilities. Rose describes her process as such: “Each piece begins with a gestural mark or puddle, settling with unpredictability due to the nature of my materials. The process of laying down marks, patience in waiting for them to take their final form, acceptance and flexibility has allowed me to learn to build compositions based on the infusion of spontaneity and intentionality.”
Based in Minneapolis and originally from Harmony, Minn., Alan Wiltgen’s path as an artist started out with sketching, primarily with charcoal or ink. From there, he moved into installation pieces and collage. Five years ago, Alan picked up a paintbrush. He is primarily self-taught, although he did take classes under artist Simon Huelsbeck at RCTC, Rochester, Minn. The characters he paints generally bridge the gap between German Expressionism and animated cartoons. German expressionist painters such as Max Beckman and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner have heavily influenced Alan’s work. As he says, “I continue to paint not only to expand my curiosity and growth as an artist, but for therapy and meditation. Painting has become a process of communication with creativity. My ego gets to vanish and I get to help something formless come into form.”
Sally Podein is a Minnesota artist who began drawing and painting at a young age. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University, N. J. After graduating Sally moved to Minnesota, where she currently works at Mayo Clinic as a Motion Graphics Designer. She has been creating stained glass mosaics for several years. Her works are mostly of wildlife, pets and landscapes, and she says, “Capturing the character and soul of the animal is very rewarding to me.” As Sally says of her stained glass work, “The infinite colors, shades and textures of glass help me to create depth, form and detail.” Sally’s work can be found at the SEMVA Gallery in Rochester, Minn.
The exhibit is sponsored by the 2020 Frozen River Film Festival, February 5-9 in Winona, and made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Handicapped accessible and free to the public, the exhibition gallery is located at 103 Parkway Ave N. in Lanesboro, Minn.
