Handcrafted ceramic and bronze cast vessels of St. Peter artist on display

Published 9:00 am Saturday, March 18, 2017

The nature-inspired work of a St. Peter clay artist will be on display for the next month and a half at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative on South Broadway.

“Rebirth Out of the Ashes” features the work of Michelle Kaisersatt, former program director at Twin Rivers Council for the Arts in Mankato. The exhibition opened March 7 and will continue through April 22.

Susanne Crane, curator of the show, said this is the first time the Freeborn County Arts Initiative has hosted an exhibit will all three-dimensional works of art. The show includes vases, vessels with lids, urns, plates, bowls and other creations.

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Crane said she met Kaisersatt at the Twin Rivers Council in Mankato a few years ago when she had a show there.

Michelle Kaisersatt is a clay artist who incorporates her inspiration from nature into the vessels she creates. Her work will be on display during the next month and a half at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative. – Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune

Crane was impressed with Kaisersatt’s art and invited her to have a show in Albert Lea at the Freeborn County Arts Initiative. When she contacted Kaisersatt later about the show, she discovered the artist’s home and studio had been destroyed by a fire.

The title of the show is an apt description of what has taken place since that fire. The work shown in the exhibition has all been created in the time since.

Much of the work incorporates warm and earthy tones and many are finished with red iron oxide. Some incorporate plant or animal motifs; others incorporate movement and surface design.

Kaisersatt also has created a few bronze keepsakes.

“These vessels reflect a deep respect for life and of how we live and how we love,” the artist writes on her website.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

There will be an artist reception April 22.

Freeborn County Arts Initiative is in the historic Bessesen building at 224 S. Broadway.

Michelle Kaisersatt creates vessels of all kinds, including vessels with lids and urns. This one is called “Magnolia Branch.” Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune