Every year, the St. Kate’s community awaits the unveiling of a series of exhibitions held at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. With a curated selection of artists and themes, the gallery continues to be a great source of creativity and cultural exploration for St. Kate’s students, faculty, and staff. All are invited to attend the opening receptions and artist talks at the gallery (details below).
“The gallery’s exhibitions remain rooted in the mission and values of the University, and this year is no exception,” said Nicole Watson, director of the gallery. “I’m particularly excited to platform the work of our faculty members, Carol Lee Chase and Bethany C. Rahn. Their work models for our students the outcome of robust artistic practices, shaped by the artists’ questions about — and observations of — the world around them.”
The teams at the gallery and The O’Shaughnessy are especially looking forward to St. Kate’s participation in Twin Cities Art Week (September 27–October 1), which celebrates the local contemporary art scene at venues all across the Twin Cities. St. Kate’s highlights include both visual and performance art, with a social hour in the gallery and a musical performance at The O’Shaughnessy.
“These arts initiatives seemed like a natural fit and we hope it can be the start of a strong partnership going forward,” said Allison Secord, sales and marketing manager at The O’Shaughnessy.
See the full list of fall exhibits and events below:
All Tomorrow’s Parties: A Retrospective of Selected Works by Carol Lee Chase, MFA
Location: West Gallery
Exhibition Dates: September 9–October 22, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 9, 5–7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Wednesday, October 11 at 6:30 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public. For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations during the artist talk, please email nmwatson@stkate.edu by October 4.
All Tomorrow’s Parties features a selection of works from associate professor Carol Lee Chase’s nearly 40-year painting career. Beginning in 1985 as a representational painter, she has moved to greater abstraction that is based on her observations of the natural world. The depiction of light, color, and luminosity are recurring themes at the heart of her work.
“As an artist, getting older is a gift because it provides perspective and the ability to see the threads that have held my work together throughout my career: namely color, light and luminosity,” says Chase. “My work has evolved to the space between abstraction and realism; I prefer to blend these approaches because I can reduce the structure of narration, and bring the viewer back to the experience of the painting rather than a literal interpretation of an image.”
Inducted by Bethany C. Rahn, MFA
Location: East Gallery
Exhibition Dates: September 9–October 22, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 9, 5–7 p.m.
Artist Talk and Performance: Wednesday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public. For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations during the artist talk, please email nmwatson@stkate.edu by October 11.
With Inducted, her first solo exhibition at St. Kate’s, assistant professor Bethany C. Rahn uses her background in design, print, fibers, photography, and digital fabrication to explore iconography and narratives around higher education and student loan debt. Like much of her work, Inducted examines the impact of design on society.
“Pennants and banners serve as celebratory emblems that question the narrative of higher education as a guaranteed pathway to future success and growth,” Rahn says. “I question the value and burden we place on merit-based achievements, along with the societal pressures associated with educational pursuits. The role technology plays in obtaining success is integrated throughout this body of work.”
Twin Cities Art Week Events at St. Catherine University
St. Kate’s Evening with the Arts
Saturday, September 30
6–8:30 PM
The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery and The O’Shaughnessy
Social hour (6–7 p.m.) and performance (7:30–8:30 p.m.)
Join St. Kate’s for an evening of visual and performance art across campus! See current exhibitions by Carol Lee Chase and Bethany C. Rahn during a social hour in the gallery (free), followed by Classical Uprising: The [uncertain] Four Seasons at The O’Shaughnessy (tickets $5 to $33). Attend both the social hour and performance, and receive a coupon for a free non-alcoholic drink or snack at the performance.
Aesthetics of Loss
Curated by Nirmal Raja, Jessica Meunick-Granger, Linda B. Marcus
Artists include Cassidy Early, EBTI, Jaymee Harvey Willms, Brianna Hernández, Linda Marcus, Jessica Meuninck-Ganger, Nirmal Raja, Anders Zanichkowsky
Location: East and West Galleries
Exhibition Dates: November 4–December 10, 2023
Opening Reception: November 4, 5–7 p.m.
Loss, Ritual and Meaning – A Panel Discussion: November 6, 5–6:30pm, VAB 102. RSVP here.
Aesthetics of Loss is a collection of work by artists who have experienced loss of family members recently. Their studios became places for grieving and understanding the sudden vacuum of losing loved ones either suddenly or over a long period of illness.
Caregiving, memory, helplessness, loss and the ultimate mystery of death are explored through painting, printmaking, fibers, ceramics, photography, installation and video. Some artists utilize objects and clothing left behind by their loved ones and transform them into artworks and some use ritual and natural materials as memorial or commemorative actions of grieving and coming to terms.
