State of the Arts: Visual Arts in Minnesota
by Marianne Combs
Minnesota Public Radio
October 19, 2001

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Artists from across the country come to the Twin Cities to take advantage of the many foundations in Minnesota that support artistic work. Yet while artists and foundations abound in Minnesota, there aren't enough galleries and collectors.

	Painter Rod Massey captures the quirky feel of Minneapolis neighborhoods, in all their seasons. He and other painters like him are enjoying strong support from an arts community that tends to shy away from buying more modern, abstract work. Image courtesy of Groveland Gallery

Director Cynthia Gehrig has been with the Jerome Foundation in St. Paul for 24 years, and as such she's had her eye on the visual arts for quite a while. Each year she sees more and more grant applicants, all producing quality work, but she doesn't see new galleries increasing in number at the same rate as the local artists.

"I don't think the gallery scene in the Twin Cities has improved substantially at any point for any length of time during the last 24 years. I mean, there are periods of excitement with new galleries opening, and we're in one of those right now. There are a number of new alternative spaces opening, which I find very exciting, but we still don't have the collection of private galleries and non-profit alternative spaces that the size of the visual arts community in Minnesota deserves," Gehrig says.

The Jerome Foundation directs its fellowships toward new and emerging artists. Other organizations, The Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, also give grants to artists at different points in their careers. Gehrig says that web of support is stronger now than it has ever been. But several gallery owners have remarked it seems much easier to get funding for an individual artist than for a non-profit gallery. Gehrig says that's something she'd like to change.

"Certainly the Jerome Foundation is willing to fund non-profit alternative spaces—once things balance out, I think there is some room for some growth," says Gehrig.

"Once things balance out" is a reference to the current economy. Buyers are buying less; foundations are funding less. As a result, both galleries and artists are suffering. A few galleries have opened, but there are more in tough financial straits. Midway Gallery Executive Director John Rasmussen says he had to cancel his December show because of lack of funding.

"At this point, we've got shows planned for the winter and the spring, and we're hoping to get support from some different foundations for those, but it's not looking very positive right now," says Rasmussen.

Rasmussen is both hopeful and pessimistic. Open for under a year, he says the gallery has drawn a lot of positive feedback from artists and other gallery owners. But he's seen a lot of galleries come and go, and he wishes the gallery scene was more stable.

"I want to see us be more stable. Hell, I want to stay open—it's a lot of work to open up a space. I'm not going to let this thing die because I don't have the energy to start it up again. You know, this is the one shot, and you've got to make it work," Rasmussen says.

Rasmussen says he wished he'd opened the gallery a few years ago, when the economy was stronger. That way, he'd be better equipped to make it through hard times.

Jonathan Whitney, director and curator of Gus Lucky's in Minneapolis, is preparing the gallery's last show. While he thinks the establishment was successful as an outlet for artists, it didn't make money. One thing that might have helped is better media coverage.

"One frustration we have with the media is that a lot of shows we think should get covered don't, and then... you wait your turn. You can only get covered so many times, so you have to sort of pick which shows are going to get covered," says Whitney.

Cynthia Gehrig at the Jerome Foundation agrees there needs to be better arts criticism in the local media.

"Writing about exhibitions, writing about galleries, is not a very strong aspect of our culture in Minnesota. It happens, but it happens not in many places. We're interested in radio, we're interested in online, we're interested in television, we're interested in print—arts writing, arts criticism," says Gehrig.

Gehrig says the Jerome Foundation plans to launch a series of new funding initiatives in 2002. She hopes it will inspire local media organizations to do more in-depth critical coverage of the local visual arts scene. But City Pages contributing arts critic Michael Fallon says there just isn't a big huge buying public, and the buying public is necessary to create the atmosphere that would create the need for art critics. Fallon is one of a handful of freelance arts critics in the Twin Cities. He says he'd be asked to do more arts criticism if the editors felt enough people were interested in reading it.

"I get the sense that there's a bit of ambivalence in the reading audience about art reviews—very rarely does someone write in to the paper and say, 'Oh that was an interesting art review'—that never happens. It sometimes feels like you're writing in a vacuum," says Fallon.

Fallon says back in the '80s a number of successful galleries were concentrated in the warehouse district of Minneapolis. He says that created a sense of identity and solidarity within the arts community. Today there is essentially the same number of galleries as 20 years ago, but they are spread out across the Twin Cities. This lack of geographic concentration leaves artists, gallery owners, and even arts critics feeling left out on their own.

Some say already-established artists have it easy in Minnesota. But mid-career artists argue it's actually much harder for them to make money. They say once they've made the rounds to all the major grant providers, it becomes very difficult to find new sources of income.

Photographer Paul Shambroom studied both at Macalester and the Minneapolis Center for Art and Design. 23 years later, he balances his life between commercial photography and his artistic work.

"There's a variety of ways an artist can make a living. I know very, very few—I even have to think if there's anyone I know personally—that makes his or her living as an artist producing artwork and selling it and making a decent living. It's very difficult, if not impossible," says Shambroom.

Shambroom has shown his work in a few local non-profit galleries as well as at the Walker Art Center. He also shows a lot of his work in New York. His current exhibit at Franklin Art Works portrays civic meetings across the United States. His photographs are thought-provoking, but they are not what one would consider popular wall art for your average American. For an artist like Shambroom, grants are very important.

"Before I got my first grant, I suppose I had some cynicism about the process. I think that's really typical, where you see the list of people who are getting funded and getting shows, and they tend to look like the usual suspects. And then when you get your first grant you start to get other ones and then you become—or I became—one of the usual suspects. And then my viewpoint changed—rather than cynicism I thought, 'Well, this is really fair. I deserve this now,' " says Shambroom.

Considering Shambroom has benefited substantially from grants, it's surprising to hear how he feels about them.

"I have to say that foundation and governmental funding of artists is not the answer. It's not the way to sustain an economy as an artist—people have to find a way to make a living. We live in a capitalist society. It's not a matter of asking for handouts. That's not what makes this a great arts environment—there are a lot of other factors involved as well," says Shambroom.

Shambroom says the problems he'd like to solve in Minnesota are actually national problems. Schools have cut arts classes or they use them only as a distraction for students. Shambroom wants America to rethink the role art—and artists—play in society.

"There are a lot of myths about artists and what it means to be an artist, and a lot of artists believe those myths themselves on how you have to live: that you have to be poor, that you have to make sacrifices. I think it's true in any field—if you choose to devote yourself to something, there are sacrifices that you have to make. But, you know, I have a family. I have a child. I live in a home that we own, and I don't think that being an artist means you have to do without those things," says Shambroom.

Shambroom says he'd like to see a more European approach, where people from all economic backgrounds appreciate art, rather than feeling intimidated by it. And the more people appreciate art, the more likely they'll buy it. Cynthia Gehrig of the Jerome Foundation says there aren't enough people buying original Minnesota art.

"It's been my experience that we have two types of collectors basically in Minnesota. We have high-end collectors who tend to buy outside of the state more than they buy inside the state. And then we have another group of collectors who are committed but are only purchasing art that costs $1000 or less. And we need to grow that middle range of collectors that will spend more and who will buy more frequently works by Minnesota artists," says Gehrig.

In other words, more buyers like Randy Hartten, vice president of cash management at American Express in Minneapolis. While he doesn't consider himself a collector, Hartten has spent a considerable amount of money on Minnesota artwork.

"The Twin Cities has a lot of wonderful artists. Some of them move away; some of them gain national attention and reputations; and some of them don't—they stay very regional. But that doesn't mean they're not good artists. They're wonderful artists, and I like some of their work, so I buy it," says Hartten.

In order to make collecting more affordable, Hartten purchases mainly prints and drawings rather than oil paintings. Hartten tends to buy contemporary, edgy work. He attends the occasional artist lecture, but he doesn't see many people there. He thinks that's a waste.

"The nice thing about local artists is you have exposure to them, and when I collect I can say that over 50 percent of my collection is from artists I have met and interacted with. That is very important to me," says Hartten.

Hartten wishes more people would realize that collecting art, especially when it's art by local, emerging artists, is actually an affordable and satisfying experience.

"I think there are people at all economic levels who can purchase art, and maybe they just need advice or coaching or somebody to remind them its OK to do that," says Hartten.

Minnesota is rich with talented artists, museums, and grant-giving organizations. But Minnesota needs to create and sustain new gallery spaces that show work by local artists. And the state needs people who are willing to invest in art by Minnesotans, either because they like it, or because they think it's a good investment—or simply because it matches the couch. The more people make art a part of their lives, the healthier and more interesting our arts community will be.