Maggie Dobbin

1954-2013
Fiber Artist

It is with great sadness that the Powderhorn Art Fair will no longer have the presence of fiber artist Maggie Dobbin or her beautiful, inspiring and uplifting art.

Sometimes known simply as “the flag lady” her flags have graced the Powderhorn Art Fair for many years.

She will be greatly missed, along with her bright smile, upbeat personality and positive manner.

See more of Maggies art

Read Maggie’s Obituary

Please share your memories of Maggie below:

Julie Crabtree-Pfannes was awarded Best of Show at the 2012 Powderhorn Art Fair on Sunday, August 5, 2012.

Top Awards

• Best of Show: Julie Crabtree-Pfannes - Fiber
• Second Place: Jeffrey Homar – Mixed Media
• Third Place: Karen Bell – Clay
• Merit Award: Steve Mowatski – Printmaking
• Spirit of Powderhorn:  – Devon Driscoll – Jewelry

Please visit the Awards Page for a complete list of this years award winners, including Invitational, Community, and Group Awards.

2012 Jurors

• Main Exhibitor Award Jurors: Christopher Harrison, Leann Johnson, Linda A. Taylor
• Spirit of Powderhorn, Community Showcase, Group Exhibitors Award Juror: Jeanine Malec

by Janet Contursi

Janet Contursi is a freelance writer. For more local art news, visit Janet’s website, ArtsMinnesota.com, and her blog at Examiner.com.

Summer is art fair season in Minnesota and the Powderhorn Art Fair, now in its 21st year, should be on the top of your “to do” list. The Fair will run Aug. 4-5, with booths spread throughout the 66-acre Powderhorn Park, in the heart of the city. Thanks to the work of dedicated staff and volunteers, the Fair will bring the arts and crafts of 184 contributors—local and national—to South Minneapolis.

Neighborhood fairs are a great opportunity to support local artists and bring home a piece of original art—a one-of-a-kind treasure that will never be mass produced! Judging from the list of this year’s entrants, there will be plenty of jewelry, pottery, fiber and glass works, but don’t overlook the award-winning artists who will be showing affordable watercolor, acrylic, oil and pastel paintings.

Jordan Kammer’s (booth 36) dramatic pastels and Cody Kiser’s (booth 112) vibrant oils will catch your eye immediately. Both artists use vivid, bold colors that seem to vibrate, making even ordinary painted objects come alive.

Stop by booth 66 and chat with Charlotte Fung Miller, whose exquisite Chinese brush paintings will amaze you. Charlotte paints with watercolors on rice paper, combining traditional designs with Midwestern themes and hues. Her soft, luminous colors give her subjects—flowers, birds, landscapes and animals—a dreamlike quality, and her paintings are tranquil and soothing, reflecting the Taoist belief in reverence for nature.

Charlotte studied Chinese calligraphy and brush painting under Master Lui-Sang Wong, and has been a full-time artist for more than 40 years. She calls herself the “working man’s artist” because her paintings are affordable and appealing to all. Her awards include first place, distinction and excellence at fairs in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and she was a Featured Gallery Artist on Milwaukee Public TV. This is the Chinese year of the dragon, so look for Charlotte’s new works using this motif!

Don’t leave the Fair before heading over to booth 140 to see acrylic painter Kevin Kluever, whose awards include honorable mention at the 2010 Powderhorn Art Fair, and the prestigious “Award of Excellence,” given to him twice by the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Kevin paints a range of subjects, but is probably best known for his landscapes, which are filled with nuanced tones, solid shapes and mysterious light. His paintings reflect the influence of many artists, including Edward Hopper, Grant Wood and Vincent van Gogh, but the major influence on his work is the American George Inness, a 19th-century tonalist painter known for his use of neutral grays and browns to evoke a spiritual and emotional vision of nature.

Kevin’s colors often reflect those preferred by Inness and the tonalists. His subdued reds, oranges and blues project a calmness that is reinforced by his keen sense of design, which incorporates both balance and a strong sense of movement. In “Autumn Landscape” (see photo), the stillness evoked by the soft, rounded forms of the trees, a design repeated in the clouds and reflections in the water, is countered by the twists and turns of the stream that flows through the painting. Balance and movement play off one another, and are key to making the painting visually captivating.

A versatile artist, Kevin also brings art to the public through his murals, which can be found throughout the Twin Cities and western suburbs. The Pioneer Museum in Long Lake, the City Hall in Maple Plain, and the Threshold Art and Music Gallery in Mound all display Kevin’s mural paintings. He’s also interested in Minnesota history and will often paint two scenes of a local street, one from an historical photo, depicting how it looked decades ago, and another of the scene today. The side-by-side comparison reveals some fascinating changes over the years! Kevin is a veteran of 10 Powderhorn fairs. He enjoys meeting people and talking about his paintings, and he expects to have about 12 paintings on display at the Fair.

The Powderhorn Art Fair will have something for everyone.

Janet Contursi

Janet Contursi has been a freelance writer for more than 23 years. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota, where she studied cultural anthropology, art history and studio arts. She has written for professional journals, newspapers and websites, and she is especially interested in local Minnesota art, ethnic art and photography.

For more local art news, visit Janet’s website, ArtsMinnesota.com, and her blog at Examiner.com.

Brittany Road, acrylic on wood

Florence Hill

I have been a longtime resident of the Powderhorn neighborhood and a longtime volunteer with the Powderhorn Art Fair. I am proud and passionate about the programs promoting art in my neighborhood. This year I am the Art Fair Committee Chair and co-coordinator for the Community Arts area.

I have been a practicing artist for over 50 years. I enjoy working en plein air, in all mediums, and my studio has hosted a figure drawing group every Sunday afternoon for almost 37 years. My images talk about light and observing nature as She makes art. I never tire of chasing those colors that can drift like perfume, or bolt out of the darkness, that make a drama of the moment never to be repeated exactly the same another time.

• www.florencehill.com

Fall Fanfare, oil pastel

Andrea Altman

I fell in love with the Powderhorn Art Fair in 1999, the first time I did the show. There seemed to be such synergy between the park, the neighborhood and the artists. The art fair has its own special spirit with its diverse musicians, artists and patrons. It is the only fair I know of that reinvests its profits directly into building park programs for its own community. I knew then that I wanted to help the show to grow yet keep its community philosophy. I greatly enjoyed my 11 years on the art fair committee. I have lately been working on new paintings and have been painting some pet portraits in my studio.

With deepest gratitude to those I served.

• www.andreaaltmanart.com

Out of the Box Series: Reaching Home, mixed media

Brenna Busse

From the very first year—the Powderhorn Art Fair was a perfect fit for me: a beautiful, verdant setting in my artistic neighborhood, run by artists, and helping fund programs in the park.

I jumped in after that first year—to become a part of the committee that ran the show—and continued to be a part of it for many years, as well as jurying into the show. This year is a new adventure for me—I am taking a break from Powderhorn to do a show in Colorado that I have always wanted to do.

The special spot in my heart, and around the lake will be open for another artist to experience the magic that is Powderhorn.

• www.brennabusse.com

Many Vantages of River (detail), mixed media

Deborah Foutch

I did the fair for 17 of the last 20 years. The first time I came to the fair I was planning to get myself a tent and join the the traveling art show artists. The 1st artist I encountered in the park as I came down the hill was a neighbor from Elliot Ave who was showing her unique cloth dolls from the comfort of an over stuffed chair under a cottonwood. The fair got a little more uniform as the years progressed but it continues to be neighborhood driven and operates with a light spirit. I spent 10 years serving on the committee and I always enjoyed the Sunday morning shouted announcements with instruments and noisemakers celebrating the winners of the fair awards. I have moved my art life back indoors but I loved the years of setting up in the shade and sharing my work with the neighborhood and the visitors to our beautiful park. I now teach doll making, surface design and other classes out of my NE studio, as well as showing my work at indoor shows and galleries.

• www.deborahfoutch.com

Powderhorn Art Fair is moving towards being a zero waste event. This year we asked food vendors to not sell water in plastic bottles to begin reducing waste and to acknowledge that water is not a commodity.

There are extra water fountains especially for the art fair and park water pumps in the park. Please bring your own beverage containers and reuse any purchased ones when possible. In the park the blue cans are for recycling and the green cans are for trash. We thank you for your participation.

By Gayla Ellis

Powderhorn Park neighborhood in Minneapolis is a vast array of people, plants, creatures, scenes, and activities. Often the media portray us as criminals or as victims of crime. Amy Wurdock set out to counter these perceptions. She organized six others and herself to photograph the neighborhood. Since January 1, 2009, Powderhorn365 photographers have posted one photo on the blog per day. Each year has a new weekly team and a pool of guest photographers. The project is now halfway through its fourth year and has recently been approved as a program of Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA).

Being a P-365 photographer is a unique experience. It is up to that one person to decide which photo gets posted for his or her day. We maintain our autonomy as artists but welcome input from the community. We need to open our eyes to see what is around us and use our cameras to try to show this to others. Ephraim Eusebio, a 2010 weekly photographer, wrote this about Powderhorn365: “This project was amazing to participate in and I am so much more in touch with my neighbors.” Each photographer has their own story about the experiences.

We present an exhibit at the Powderhorn Art Fair every year. We invite you to see what we have this year. A new development is that some P-365 photographers volunteered to take photos for art fair history. Books will be available for viewing or for sale at the event.

The 2011 book features:

• Joey Ford, Rhonda Kist, Satya Varghese Mac, Sadie McKinley, and Michael Wright for the entire year, Anders Gurda for the first half, and Kate Zwicky for the last half.
• Guest photographers added their own perspectives to the collection.
• Aria Dominguez designed the book, and Amy Wurdock, Aria, and Gayla Ellis edited it.
• The book is dedicated to the memory of our beloved poet, Roy McBride.

Our books are available for sale at PPNA. We welcome donations to help support the project by volunteer photographers. Purchases or donations may be made online. or check with the PPNA office at 821 East 35th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407, 612-722-4817. The Hennepin County Libraries have also purchased books for branch libraries, so check with your library.

Please look at our blog at www.powderhorn365.com. We are on Facebook. Look at our collection of photos. See what is emerging from the cameras and imagination of our group for 2012, namely Guthrie Byard, Chrys Carroll, Alexandra Ellison, Michael Flood, Rebecca Lawrence, Ann Silver, and Jane Stoller, as well as guest photographers. If you are interested in being a guest photographer, have something youd like us to photograph, or have questions, please contact us at powderhorn365 [at] gmail.com.

By Laura Burlis

On Sunday evening, May 27, 2012, Walker Community Church at the corner of 16th Avenue South and 31st Street was hit by lightning during a fierce storm and the building burnt to the ground. While the congregation regroups and plans the future, we’d like to acknowledge Walker’s tremendous impact on the Powderhorn community.

In the mid 1960s Bryan Peterson arrived as pastor with a social justice agenda. Walker quickly became a center for community activism and community building. Over the next 45 years, this fertile seedbed would help spawn such organizations as KFAI Community Radio, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, the Sustainable Resources Center, Powderhorn Pottery Program, Powderhorn Fireworks Safety Patrol, a Native American sweatlodge and Pastor Roger Lynn’s aniti-prostitute patrol. Until the fire, Walker hosted free community meals, a twice-yearly rummage sale, an annual holiday art fair and many other sacred/secular activities.

Walker’s open-door rental policy has welcomed a Muslin group’s Ramadan gatherings, neighborhood celebrations, offices and meetings for community groups and countless theater, music and cultural events.

As the people of Walker Church rebuild, we wish them well and thank them for the years of service to our community.

There will be a memorial service for our good friend, poetic guru and community catalyst Roy McBride at 4pm September 16 at Friends Meeting House, 44th & York in Minneapolis.

Friends and family are taking up a collection for expenses. There is a donation box at the Mayday Café on 35th St & Bloomington Ave in Minneapolis – or you can send donations to Susan Gust, 2819 E.28th St., Minneapolis, MN 55406. Checks should be made out to Lucinda Anderson (Roy’s wife) Please help spread the word.

• Roy McBride’s Obituary
• Roy’s CaringBridge Page
• StarTribune Article about Roy

photo by Liz Welch

Celebrate 20 Years of Art and Community!

View Posters, photos, postcards, etc. from the past twenty years at the Powderhorn Art Fair History booth.

Brought to you by Deborah Foutch’s Hands On Classes at the Carriage House Studio · 1720 Madison St NE #303, Minneapolis · 612-730-4281, www.deborahfoutch.net

Facebook fan page: Deborah Foutch Hands On Classes

A note from Deborah:

“This year I’m hosting the History Tent, between tent # 1 and the T-shirt booth. Every year the artists roll in and set up their sites, praising the grass, and shade and good neighbors that will be buying their wares. 20 years ago there were just 80 artists and not everybody had a tent. I love the memory of the doll maker from Elliot Ave who brought an overstuffed chair and set up under a tree. Fortunately that was a magic weather year, sunshine and no humidity. We can’t promise the same this year weather wise but the artists will gather and lovely wares will be yours to consider at THE POWDERHORN ART FAIR I did it for 18 years with a small break in the late 90′s. I will not have my wares there this year but you can find my tent at the beginning of the fair as the History Tent.”

• By Sheila Regan, City Pages Blog

​It’s here again: The annual art festival triple threat takes place all over Minneapolis this weekend with arts, crafts, music, entertainment, and mini-donuts galore. The adventurous among you may choose to hit all three festivals, which are at Loring Park, Uptown, and Powderhorn Park, where you’ll experience both the beauty of Minneapolis as well as tons of arts.

Read the full article at citypages.com