“Interwoven” Textile Art Gallery Exhibit Opens

In the NYM Cultural Center Gallery Feb 26 – Apr 5, 2025

NEW YORK MILLS, MN, Feb 21, 2025—The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is pleased to announce its new gallery exhibit: “Interwoven” a textile art show featuring the art of four talented regional women fiber artists.  This show opens Wednesday, February 26th, and closes Saturday, April 5th, 2025. There will be a reception on Friday, March 21 from 4-6pm. 

Interwoven provides visitors the opportunity to see several different types of fiber arts by four talented women artists: Kristen Anderson, Elise Olsen, Kristi Kuder, and Mary Jo Wentz.  This gallery show is a wonderful display of color, texture, and intricate design.  Visitors will appreciate the variety and complexity of fiber art on display.

Kristen Anderson is a fiber artist who creates wool felt tapestries and rugs using a traditional wet felting technique. Her felt pieces are inspired by the natural world and amplify the work of ecological practitioners. Kristen works in her Bigfork, MN studio, located in the Chippewa National Forest where she balances studio work and farming. 

At age 17 at the Decorah, IA Norwegian Festival, Elise Olson was awed and inspired by the intricate fine-cut hooked wool tapestries displayed by the local rug school. It was like walking into an art show, every tapestry was a masterpiece. The design quality and artistic expression motivated her to learn everything about this art medium. It is what drives her today – more than 40 years later.

Kristi Swee Kuder is a multi-disciplinary artist with a BS degree from Minnesota State University – Moorhead. She has taught workshops and intensives throughout Minnesota and serves as a board member and chair of the Art of the Lakes Assoc. in Battle Lake.  Ms. Kuder’s works have been in solo and group exhibitions regionally, nationally, and internationally, and included in Surface Design Journal, International Exhibition in Print, and Soft Borders. Her work can be found at kskuder.com.

Mary Jo Wentz’s interest in art came to fruition first in painting with alcohol inks learned at an art retreat in Chicago in 2012. In 2019, she learned needle felting in a small class at New York Mills Regional Cultural Center. Her inspiration comes from nature, people, and cultures. The material she uses inspires her to think beyond the expected. She says she finds meaning in the process of creating and sharing and through her artwork. She divides her time between here and Omaha, where her children and grandchildren live, and she continues to felt and work in fiber art. 

This gallery exhibit is free to see and open to the public during regular business hours or other hours by special request. Groups are requested to please call the Cultural Center in advance to ensure the best experience. Open Hours are Wednesdays & Thursdays 10am-7pm, Fridays 10am-5pm, and Saturdays 10am-3pm.  

All are invited to join us at an Artists’ Reception on Friday, March 21 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. for a chance to view the artwork, hear artist talks, and connect with the artists and other visitors. Gallery receptions are free to attend and open to all. Refreshments will be available.

Visit kulcher.org or call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339 with any questions.

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

About the Cultural CenterThe New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center offers visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in its 80-seat concert listening room, visual art gallery in a historic building, gift store featuring local artists, artist residency program, sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since its incorporation in 1990, the Cultural Center has been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world. For more information, call 218-385-3339, or visit www.kulcher.org.