Fergus Falls, a Thriving Arts Community
by Heather Rule, photos provided
The arts are a big part of Fergus Falls, and residents and visitors can take part in a variety of activities to support the arts community.
The M State campus in Fergus Falls has an annual schedule of fine and visual arts events. There are fall and spring plays at the Waage Theater. Event tickets are available at the door before each performance, or in advance at the Fergus Falls Campus Store and M State Tickets website (https://mstate.universitytickets.com/).
The Lake Region Arts Council is also a part of the Fergus Falls arts community, providing access to quality arts opportunities and programming. LRAC offers nine grant programs, a monthly newsletter, an online arts calendar, two art galleries, workshops and networking meetings, an artist registry, and technical assistance to arts organizations and artists.
The LRAC is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
Kaddatz Galleries in downtown Fergus Falls also has a rich history of more than 15 years in the Kaddatz Hotel building. The mission of Kaddatz Galleries, a non-profit fine arts gallery, is to showcase the local artistic talent in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County and the greater region. It also focuses on bringing artist Charles Beck’s work to the forefront; Beck originally painted many signs downtown, leaving a legacy.
Kaddatz Galleries also rotates artist exhibitions about every six weeks, hosts art classes for adults and children. They also have an outreach program pairing local artists with underserved communities to provide high-quality art classes building skills and a sense of community.
On the musical side, A Center For the Arts, in addition to its schedule of shows and programs at the downtown theater, organizes summer concerts on an outdoor stage at the Kirkbride/Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center building. Concerts attract about 2,000 people, said Rolando Felizola, executive director of Visit Fergus Falls.
“It’s an ingenious way to take advantage of that structure of a building because it’s got a horseshoe at the back,” Felizola said. “It’s great for acoustics and all that kind of stuff.”
For more information:
https://lrac4.org/serving-the-arts
https://www.minnesota.edu/fine-arts-events
https://fergusarts.org/
https://www.kaddatzgalleries.org/
