WIND-UP
Offbeat Gallery’s Official CLOSING Party
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21ST 8PM - MIDNIGHT
Special musical guest IED (Improvised Explosive Device)
$3 cover
You’ve received warning - now greet the reality. THIS IS IT.
Offbeat Gallery is closing its doors. We came, we saw, we conquered. And now we’re inviting you to appreciate, celebrate, and liquidate with Offbeat Gallery on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21st 8PM - MIDNIGHT. Offbeat Gallery is CLOSING ITS DOORS with an official blowout party and last exhibit WIND-UP. WIND-UP is here to showcase the work of your Offbeat founders and staff and give you a chance to appreciate all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this little Minneapolis gem. Heck, some of it may be yours. Offbeat wants to thank each and every artist and contributor that put Offbeat on the map and into the hearts of so many local Minnesota artists. It’s our last hurrah - join us in making it a memorable evening for all.
Offbeat Gallery was started by six local women in November 2004 and has transformed the tiny Glenwood tailor shop into a nationally recognized art gallery with a special emphasis on the promotion of local Minnesota artists. Our 80/20 split helped us bring in the ranks of Minnesota and out-of-state artists alike to exhibit their work in their pearly white setting that is Offbeat Gallery. Original founders include Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl, Krista Hanson, Sarah Knox, Tara LaPlante, Marnie McCuen, and Brita Swanson.
Over the past year, Offbeat has called on artists to submit their work to a broad variety of month long exhibits, some themed and some untitled group shows. Offbeat Gallery was catapulted into existence with its introductory show Founders + Friends. This first show exhibited the works of Offbeat’s founders and included works from colleagues and friends Christina Miller, Sara Valesano, John Waldron, and Sarah Whiting. This was the first show to display the newfound setting as a living and breathing gallery in the Harrison neighborhood. We had done it! The cold of winter swept in and thus it was Offbeat’s second show Initiate. The contemporary works of ten local artists including Jake Keeler and Gamini Kumara were on display with pieces ranging from photography to painting to ceramics. The multi-media group show Surfacing soon followed as the third untitled show and further edged Offbeat along into their personality of ‘gallery with energy’. Surfacing artists included Luci Antoinette, Amy Crickenberger, Mary Reid, Gregg Salisbury, and Kimberlee Whaley.
Offbeat Gallery’s first themed show ran from March 9 – April 9. The show was entitled Beyond Borders: Unconventional Methods and Materials and was inspired by the Italian art movement Arte Povera in the 1960’s. As the title indicates, artists were to submit works that made use of industrial and natural materials, conceptual art and found objects. Nicolas Darcourt, Marc Lamm, and Ruben Nusz were some of the artists represented in Beyond Borders. The following show Canvas Clad sought a collective effort between artists and designers. Artists were given a roll of blank canvas to work with as the first part of the collaborative effort, and then the designers turned the canvas into a costume. This was a truly innovative concept that created unique three-dimensional imagery. Canvas Clad included artists Moria Clinton, Jennifer Davis, Gamini Kumara, Alison Malone, and Katie Sherman and costume designers Paul Carey, Sarah Holm, Emma Molin, Anissa Pedersen, and Melanie Ree. Drawing Conclusions was Offbeat Gallery’s look at the most fundamental of all art processes, drawing. The show exhibited May 18 – June 18 and showcased the collected works of nine artists including Carissa and Andrew John Edman, chosen for their unique approach to the process and varied backgrounds and experiences.
Offbeat’s fourth un-themed group show Charged included a diverse array of media and genres. Fifteen local and national artists exhibited a broad array of media to create a dynamic and exciting gallery atmosphere. Charged did not let down its name and was a jam-packed show including works from Cory Hanson, Joshua Norton, and Ben Olson. The most intimate of Offbeat’s shows, quARTet was an in-depth study of the works of four exemplary local artists: Tara Costello, Laura D’Alessandro, Tiffany Ann Kramer, and Evan Mathiason. These artists, masterful in their medium, used photography, collage, abstract painting and construction to showcase a variety of methods and styles in a more focused sense. Offbeat Gallery’s last full-length exhibition and specific word concept show was entitled Hinge. Nine artists showed visual representations of what the concept ‘diverse’ meant for them, including Bill Beekman, Eric Lunde, Sarah Paul, and Paul Taylor.
Offbeat’s last show Wind-up is the final puzzle-piece of this galley’s career. The artwork displayed will be that of Offbeat founders and staff and will include sculpture, installation, painting and photography. Wind-up artists include Laura Andrews, Sarah Bonvallet, Erik Carlson, Elissa Cedarleaf Dahl, Elise Geiwitz, Krista Hanson, Tara LaPlante, Brita Swanson, and Sara Valesano. Special musical guest IED (Improvised Explosive Device) will provide a spontaneous visual and aural remix of microhouse grooves, surrealistic dream cinema, and virtuosic skronk funk and promises to be unlike anything you had seen or heard. The $3 cover goes towards Offbeat’s operational expenses for the previous year. Get in there and get a piece. It will be an evening to remember.
Offbeat Gallery wishes to say thank you. We will miss you.
Offbeat Gallery 1535 Glenwood Ave N Mpls, MN 55405
www.offbeatgallery.com 612.377.5335 Gallery Hours: Thurs-Sat 2-7pm through Friday, October 21. Appreciate. Celebrate. Liquidate.
Detailed artist listing of each exhibition can be viewed on our website.