Albert Lea Art Center members get another chance to showcase individual talent
Published 7:37 pm Friday, January 11, 2019
Handmade books with homemade paper inside are a newly featured medium for The Albert Lea Art Center as part of its annual member show. - Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
Metal shields created by Rich's Custom Metal Designs are two of a handful of pieces involving metalwork in the all-member show. - Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
Joy Behr's cat painting is modeled off a real cat and includes the real cat tag as part of the piece. - Sarah Kocher/Albert Lea Tribune
In addition to acrylic, watercolor, photography, wood sculpture and pottery, January’s all-member show has one other thing on display: growth.
“We’ve gained probably seven or eight artists, if not more,” Albert Lea Art Center gallery manager Tom Mullen said.
In addition to new artists, there are also newer mediums for the Art Center, including papermaking on display in a set of handmade journals on display. The show opens Sunday and runs through Feb. 23.
The show is open to all members of The Albert Lea Art Center, who can submit pieces they created or work they’ve purchased and would like to show off, Mullen said. While the show usually has 40-50 pieces, this year’s show has more than 70.
“We have new perspectives and different types of media,” he said.
Hosting a show like this encourages members to be involved in art-making themselves. Member shows are also an opportunity to see work that isn’t asked to conform to a theme. Therefore, visitors might see work they are surprised by, Mullen said.
“There’s a wide variety in here,” Mullen said.
If you go
Who: Albert Lea Art Center
What: annual all-member show
When: the gallery opening reception is from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. The show is open starting Sunday through Feb. 23
Where: Albert Lea Art Center, 101 S. Broadway Ave.
How much: The exhibit is free to the public
