Feb 11 – Apr 7
“Carved Mysteries”
Linocut Printmaking
By Lori Biwer-Stewart

“Carved Mysteries” will feature finely detailed and whimsical prints in a variety of sizes, with titles including Little White Lie, Caught Up in a Dream, and Adoration. The title of the show, “Carved Mysteries”, is meant as an invitation to involve the viewer in the interpretation of the mystery of each piece. The exhibit is supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board. From Osage, Iowa, Lori Biwer-Stewart’s work is autobiographical. When she was in her 30s, the artist was diagnosed with clinical depression, and she believes it was the depression that led her to become an artist, and that now plays a significant role in her artwork. With a degree in design, the type of printmaking that Lori Biwer-Stewart does is linocut, which is simply carving linoleum. “I absolutely love the process of carving the image,” she says. Ideas for images come to her in her mind’s eye by way of music, literature, dreams, and experiences. “I do not always know their meaning, but I have grown to welcome the urgency in which they present themselves.” Her work starts as a really loose drawing, and then slowly develops details and texture as she carves, with the only reference she has while carving being the picture in her head (and by the way, the finished image and print usually turns out much differently). Much of her work includes the human figure, particularly the feminine form. “A lot of my subjects are so personal to me that using a female comes automatically.” She uses symbolism, such as keys, birds, or doors to help reveal little pieces of the puzzle of each work and to tell the story.

Apr 14 – June 2
“Land by Hand”
Fiber Artists Explore Place
Touring Show of the Textile Center

June 9 – Aug 11
“Cultivation”
Juried Group Invitational Show

Aug 18 – Oct 13
“Interior/Exterior”
Oil Paintings by Jane Weis