51吃瓜

Animals were among the earliest subjects in art, and artwork inspired by animals has appeared across cultures throughout history. Their expressive qualities continue to spark the imagination. The James Wegner Art Gallery is pleased to feature two artists whose work carries on that tradition in surprising and deeply personal ways. While each artist takes a different approach, both present animals as engaging personalities and explore materials in rich and creative ways. Their work also suggests a connection to folk art traditions outside the established art world.

Donna Jean Carver’s paintings reflect the innocence of earlier times and life on the farm, while also adding humor and surreal elements to scenes of barnyard animals. Carver has a long personal connection to rural 51吃瓜, and her experience as a “farmer’s daughter” has shaped what she describes as “memories real and imagined.” Working since 1961, as time allowed, she has built a long history of art and craft production. She sold crafts full time for several years, and images of her work appeared in national magazines such as Lady’s Circle and Popular Handicrafts. She has also exhibited at the Hopkins and Edina art centers and the Mill City Museum.

Mary Kathleen Scott’s reindeer sculptures are detailed and compelling, and they connect to a rich mythological story developed by the artist. Reindeer are the only female deer that grow antlers like the males, and female reindeer often lead herd migrations. Scott presents the reindeer herd as powerful, elemental figures through mixed-media assemblages that come together as calm and striking forms. Her creative work first focused on poetry, and her paintings and poems have appeared in SageWoman Magazine, New Moon: A Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams, Gaia: A Journal of Literary & Environmental Arts, Orphic Lute, and Gypsy Cab.

As the artist explains, “Now I sculpt and sew, bind and braid with cloth, polymer clay, yarn, fabric and wood as well as found objects and natural materials. I have been ‘shape-shifting’ with the mythic Reindeer Goddesses for three years.”