From Feb. 21 to March. 25, Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery will present ceramics and pottery created by BSU alumnus Cyrus Swann ’03, an adjunct instructor in Department of Technology, Art and Design.
After receiving a grant from Minnesota’s Five Wings Art Council, an organization that supports artists in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties, Swann was given an opportunity to create art without constraining deadlines. The grant support funded a number of new pieces created using wood, porcelain, ceramic, metal and brick that are now on display at the university.
“I like to make things and build things all the time,” he said. “I’m always doing something.”
Melanie Klimpel, a senior pursuing a degree in studio art, said she admires Swann’s creativity and curiosity as he developed this exhibit.
“The way he used mixed methods to bring his ceramics to life is great. His work is so sturdy, it can really withstand the test of time,” she said. “It really inspires me, a painter, to explore how to incorporate other methods of creating into my work.”
Additionally, hand-built ceramic art made by BSU students enrolled in Swann’s classes are on display in the university’s Gallery X, just a few strides away from the Talley Gallery in Bridgeman Hall. Hand-built pottery is an ancient pottery technique that relies on using the hands, fingers and simple tools instead of a pottery wheel.
Located in Bridgeman Hall room 140 on the campus of Bemidji State, the Talley Gallery is open at no charge to the public. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Parking for gallery attendees is available along neighboring streets.
About the Talley Gallery
Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery was dedicated to the memory of Ila Mae Talley on Sept. 27, 1975. Talley joined the Bemidji State Teachers College faculty in 1946 and taught at the college until her death in 1963. During her tenure, she organized the Bemidji Creative Arts Center and the Minnesota Art Education Exchange, now known as the Art Educators of Minnesota. At BSC, she taught a variety of students in elementary art, techniques of weaving, introduction to art and methods of teaching art.
The Talley Gallery’s exhibits, collections and programs have supplemented BSU art education and cultivated a greater understanding of and appreciation for creative expression in the Bemidji region. Each year, the gallery hosts six visiting professional artists and juries three BSU student shows – two senior art shows and one scholarship show. All Talley Gallery activities are supported by the Bemidji State student activity fee.
Contact
- Laura Goliaszewski, Talley Gallery director; (218) 755-3737, laura.goliaszewski@bemidjistate.edu
Links
2022-B-080