Muddy Waters Clay Center presents Spring Showcase
May 3—GRAND FORKS — The Muddy Waters Clay Center members are presenting their annual Spring Showcase this week at their facility at 2014 13th Ave. N.
Hours are Thursday, 3-8 p.m.; Friday, 1-8 p.m.; and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., May 4-6.
Guests are invited to shop the showcase for unique gifts, tour the studio, watch demonstrations, and meet the artists.
Thirty-five members of the clay center will participate in the event, each showing works on their own set of shelves. Members donate a percentage of sales to the center, as well as pay an annual fee and a monthly rent, which gives them 24/7 access to the studio, glazes and firing equipment.
The show will feature ceramics that are decorative, functional and abstract, Dianne Paulsen said. The ceramic artwork pieces have been created using methods such as hand-building, coiling and carving; and wheel-throwing — some which are several feet tall.
Muddy Waters Clay Center is a member-owned, nonprofit organization. Its members volunteer to teach classes, give demonstrations in the community, host special events for the community, and opportunities for its members to continue to learn the process of clay-making, Paulsen said.
Information about the clay center is available on Facebook and Instagram.
The Grand Forks Master Chorale presents its final concert of the season, "The Hope of Loving," on Friday, May 5, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Crookston, and Saturday, May 6, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Grand Forks. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will feature "a stunning selection of choral works by some of the greatest composers of our time, " said Dean Jilek, artistic director. "This concert is a true feast for the senses."
The music will range from classics like "What a Wonderful World" to sacred and spiritual, Jilek said. The program will include works by Jake Runestad, Eric Whitacre, Samuel Barber, Morten Lauridsen, Craig Hella Johnson, Josef Rheinberger, Ed Fissinger, Knut Nysted and Moses Hogan.
Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 in advance. Student tickets are $5, with ID. Visit
.
The Grand Forks Master Chorale is an auditioned, semi-professional choir; members reside in the Red River Valley.
Trinity Lutheran is at 205 S. Broadway, Crookston; St. Mark's Lutheran is at 715 24th Ave. S., Grand Forks.
For more information, call (410) 300-1410 or email
.
The Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra will present its last concert of the 2023-24 season, "French Fireworks: Le feu sacre' de l'art," at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Masonic Center.
The featured guest artist, Erik Anderson, will solo on Lalo's "Cello Concerto in D minor" in a repertoire that will also feature the major works of Bizet's "Symphony No. 1 in C major" and Ravel's "Bolero".
The symphony's concert will be conducted by Maestro Alejandro Drago, artistic director.
Anderson, professor of music at Minot State University, teaches low strings and strings methods, among other classes, and is co-director of the MSU String Ensemble. He has been featured as a performer, clinician and lecturer on the music of Bach nationally and internationally, including five appearances as guest of the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tickets for Sunday's concert are: adults, $25; seniors, $20; children 15 and younger and students, $5; and military, $15. Tickets are available, in advance, online at
.
The Red River Valley Motorcyclists "Spirit of America Bike and Car Show" takes place this weekend at the Alerus Center. The family-friendly show will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 7.
Admission to the event, which will feature live music by Kenny and the Classics, is $5 per person. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free.
Tickets for a raffle, for about $80,000 in numerous prizes, will be sold for $50. Five thousand tickets will be sold. To purchase tickets, go to
.
Raffle prizes include a 2023 Polaris Ranger NorthStar Edition with aluminum trailer, 2023 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic, a gold-plated AR-15, 2023 Yamaha golf cart, a 14-foot Aero enclosed trailer, one-half Angus beef cut and wrapped, a three-day Buffalo Bay fishing trip, Green Mountain Pellet Grill, and assorted guns and rifles.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Northern Valley Law Enforcement Memorial, Journey Home Animal Rescue, and the Veterans Honor Flight of North Dakota-Minnesota, among other charities.
A VFW color guard presentation begins at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, with awards to follow.
The Northwest Minnesota Arts Council honored artists and arts advocates who stand out for their artistry and volunteerism with 'Of the Year' awards, which were presented Sunday, April 30, at the Middle River Legacy Center.
The award-winners, who were nominated by residents in the council's seven-county service area, are:
Debbie Dahl Aune, of Gatzke, who received the Northwest Artist of the Year Award for Visual Arts. The art teacher at Middle River Public School and advisor for the Greenbush Middle River Art Club, Aune has received numerous awards in the annual Northwest Minnesota Art Exhibit; her art has also been featured in several solo shows.
Bonnie Stewart, Fosston, received the Northwest Arts Advocate of the Year Award. A champion of the arts in Fosston for decades, Stewart serves on the board of the East Polk Heritage Center, the Pine to Prairie Folk School, and the Firefly Center for Art and Wellbeing.
Cathy Erickson, Middle River, received the Northwest Star Award. A well-known musician and radio show host, she has been entertaining and playing music professionally in northwest Minnesota, and beyond, for almost 50 years. A singer, she plays accordion, piano, organ and guitar.
The North Valley Youth Orchestras has announced its 2023-24 season registration and auditions for wind, brass, percussion and string musicians ages 11-21, said Naomi Welsh, executive director.
The NVYO will hold in-person auditions Friday and Sunday, May 5 and 7. Auditions can also be conducted by arrangement or submitting a video. For audition requirements and information about NVYO Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras, Crescendo chamber music program, and Dal Segno day camps, go to
.
Preparation tips and scholarship funds are also available, Welsh said.
The NVYO offers young musicians the opportunity to stretch and challenge themselves in a supportive, professional setting, she said. "(Participants) make music, make friends, and learn to use their talents to make a difference in the world."
Students gain an enrichment experience to complement school and private instruction, she said. They come from more than a dozen area towns to rehearse weekly and present a variety of performances.
For questions or assistance with finding information or links, contact Welsh at
.
An evening of stand-up comedy is planned for Friday, May 5, at the Masonic Center, 423 Bruce Ave. The show, "Comedy Night at the Lodge," begins at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The event, hosted by Alex Bryson, will feature Mike Lester, along with Zach Ashton and Drew Hehir. Lester has performed at the ACME Comedy Club in Minneapolis, his hometown, as well as other venues nationwide.
General admission tickets are $30; VIP tickets, for stage-front tables with four seats, are $200. Purchase tickets online at
www.tickettailor.com/events/groundroundbargrandforks/881689
. .
The artwork of Grand Forks artist Vickie Arndt will be showcased at The Jamestown Arts Center from Thursday, May 4, through June 17.
The exhibit, titled "Perfectly Paired," will open with an artist reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Center, located at 115 Second St. S.W. in Jamestown.
Arndt, who returned to her hometown of Grand Forks in recent years after a 30-year career in the New York art world, has been involved with the Public Arts Commission of Grand Forks and served at UND as visiting artist and a juror for the student art exhibition this year.
She was selected to participate in the International Paperworks 2023 exhibition at the Northwest Arts Center in Minot and the North Dakota Museum of Art Autumn Art Auction in 2022.
"As an artist, it's the process of physically making art, not the final result that I'm most interested in," Arndt said. "The process of cutting, assembling and combining materials, by building something up and then reconstructing it, and by working with the flaws and embracing them, allows the materials to lead me on a journey."
