Skip to main content

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hand-Shaping New Perspectives: Delia Bell’s Slab-Built Pottery Journey

Posted on - by

Since discovering ceramics in 2019 and apprenticing with Seven Bridges Pottery, Delia Bell of Lanesboro, MN has mostly focused on wheel-thrown stoneware. However, in the spring of 2023, a SEMAC Individual Artist grant launched her into unexplored territory: the world of slab-built vessels.

While wheel-throwing demands physical coordination and muscle memory to center and shape clay consistently, slab building presents different challenges. Delia spent the year mastering spatial planning, precise measuring, and structural understanding of slab pottery to ensure her vessels wouldn’t collapse or crack during drying and firing. Each piece required careful construction – considering how corners would meet, how weight would be distributed, and how function would marry with form.

The year-long project reshaped Delia’s understanding of functional pottery. As she mastered slab construction, she discovered how sharp angles and geometric shapes could bring fresh perspective to everyday vessels. Each challenge in construction led to new discoveries that would inform the design of her future work. “The angular nature of these pieces made me appreciate the simplicity of circular vessels in a new way,” she reflects.

The culminating exhibition at Lanesboro Arts in March 2024 displayed Bell’s artistic exploration. Each piece told a story of experimentation and growth, drawing strong community interest. “The grant gave me freedom to experiment and play with clay in ways that I otherwise might not have,” she shares, recognizing SEMAC’s role in advancing her creative development.

Now preparing for the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour (April 25-27, 2025), Bell has also applied for a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to explore combining poetry with clay, carrying forward the same spirit of growth and experimentation that SEMAC proudly supports.

We look forward to following Delia’s future work. To see more of her work and follow her future projects, find Delia on Instagram at @delialbell.

Hidden Worlds: Art Reveals the Secret Life of Minnesota Waters

Posted on - by
Samantha stands in a green jumpsuit and black long-sleeve shirt smiling in Lake City art gallery. Behind her on a white wall are three framed circular artworks of her microscopic illustrations - one featuring yellow-green organisms, one in blue tones, and one with green dots on a textured white background. Track lighting illuminates the artwork
Samantha on the night of her February 2024 exhibit open – Photo courtesy of Lake City Area Arts

While most admire Minnesota’s lakes and rivers from above, artist Samantha Reiter-Johnson explores what hides beneath – an entire microscopic universe teeming with life. Through her project “Beyond the Surface: Biological Art of Minnesota,” Samantha brings this hidden world into focus, one illustration at a time.

“Art will always be a powerful tool for telling scientific stories and engaging the public,” Samantha explains. The project, funded by a SEMAC Individual Artist grant, allowed her to collect samples from waterways in every county in southeastern Minnesota, rendering microscopic observations into art illustrations that educate and inspire.

The project rippled through the community. Her February 2024 artist reception at Lake City Area Arts drew over 50 attendees, with many more viewing the exhibition during its run. Visitors were both amazed and occasionally terrified to learn about the organisms they’d been swimming alongside for years. Through her art, the community gained a deeper appreciation for protecting our natural waters and understanding the delicate balance of our local watersheds.

A hand in a blue sleeve holds a clear glass jar while collecting a water sample from a rocky stream or spring. Small yellow wildflowers and green vegetation grow between the rocks at the water's edge. The water's surface reflects rippled patterns, and stones of various sizes are visible beneath the shallow water
Samantha collects her samples from MN waterways.

For Samantha, the grant provided more than just financial support – it offered the freedom to fully immerse herself in research and exploration. “As an artist, it can sometimes be difficult to focus your efforts on a new and innovative project due to time and financial constraints,” she shares. The funding enabled her to invest in quality materials to preserve her work and dedicate time to perfecting her craft.

The success of this project has carved new channels of opportunity. Samantha has recently been awarded another SEMAC Individual Artist grant to continue exploring the intersection of science and art with an upcoming 2025 project focusing on bee vision and native plants at Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester.Building on her experience as a grantee, SEMAC welcomes Samantha’s insights to SEMAC’s Arts Advisory Panel as one of our newest panelists.

To follow Samantha’s future projects and explorations, find her on Instagram: @chlorocreations.

From Stage to Screen: How Kevin Dobbe’s Individual Artist Grant Transformed “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”

Posted on - by

A performer dressed as Hedwig from "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" stands on stage with arms outstretched. They wear an elaborate green costume with ruffles and a large bow. Their face is dramatically made up with heavy eye makeup. The background shows a starry night sky, likely a digital projection. The lighting bathes the scene in a green glow, creating a theatrical and otherworldly atmosphere.

In the world of theater, innovation often emerges from the fusion of traditional art forms with cutting-edge technology. This was precisely the case when Rochester-based artist Kevin Dobbe used a SEMAC Individual Artist Grant for his work on Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Rochester Civic Theatre.

The project’s goal was ambitious: to integrate computer animations seamlessly into the musical, creating a visual spectacle that would both serve the story and stand alone as a work of art. Over six months, Kevin dove deep into the world of 3D animation, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in theatrical set design.

The result? A groundbreaking, reimagined rock musical production that ran from February 8th to 25th, 2024, featuring a blend of Southeastern Minnesota’s regional talent and state-of-the-art technology. The animated set materials brought new life to the already powerful narrative of Hedwig, an East German transgender singer, and enhanced the exploration of the gender identity, love, and self-discovery themes that lie at the heart of the show.

A stage production of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with performers and musicians on stage. A large American flag is projected on a screen behind them. The lead performer, likely Hedwig, stands to the right wearing a flamboyant white costume with fringe and fur trim, and red boots. Band members in dark clothing are positioned around instruments including a keyboard and drums. The foreground shows old TV sets decorated with small American flags. The setting has brick walls and theatrical lighting.

The project wasn’t without its challenges. As Kevin noted and as our readers can certainly relate, working with contemporary technology always presents obstacles. However, these hurdles ultimately led to artistic growth and a deeply rewarding outcome.

The impact of this project extended far beyond the stage. After several performances, panel discussions were held, opening up conversations about LGBTQ dynamics and broader societal issues. The discussions sparked by the production provided an opportunity for important dialogues within the community.

And the ripple effects of this grant continue to be felt. Inspired by the success of this project, Kevin is now embarking on an even more ambitious venture: an original opera titled Tempus Fugit. This new work will build on the skills and SEMAC-funded technology used in Hedwig, incorporating 3D animated characters as synchronized “actor/singers.”
From sold-out audiences to community conversations, from technological innovation to artistic inspiration, Kevin’s initiative demonstrated the impact that can be achieved when we invest in creative visions. It’s a testament to the power of art to push boundaries, spark dialogue, and pave the way for future innovations.

We’re proud to have played a part in bringing Kevin’s creative vision to life and look forward to seeingwhere these new skills and technology will take him next.

 

 

A stage set for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" musical. On the left, a large blue screen displays a sketch of a face with prominent eyes. Musical instruments are set up in front of it. To the right, two actors stand on a small stage made to look like a trailer or mobile home. One actor, likely portraying Hedwig, wears a blonde wig and sparkly dress. The other has a punk-style mohawk. Props include a guitar and a lawn chair. The backdrop shows exposed brick walls, and theatrical lighting bathes the scene in blue.

Elemental Body: A Dance Film Journey

Posted on - by
Sydney Swanson poses in an expressive dance pose in a sunlit forest.
Photo by Dahli Durley

Sydney Swanson, a dancer and choreographer based in Rochester, MN, recently completed an ambitious new dance film project titled “Elemental Body” with funding from a SEMAC grant. This 12-minute site-specific piece allowed Sydney to build upon her previous experience in dance film while pushing her artistic boundaries.

As the sole performer, Sydney choreographed, directed, and edited “Elemental Body” with the goal of exploring West African spiritual practices centered around the elements of earth, water, fire, nature, and mineral. While much of her prior dance films utilized improvisational work captured on a phone camera, this project required much more extensive planning and coordination.

Filming took place at different sites within the beautiful Quarry Hill Park in Rochester, with Sydney’s younger brother, Bradey Swanson, acting as videographer. Despite challenges like chilly weather, the sibling team’s dedication paid off, including her brother donning waders to capture footage in a stream. Sydney also hired Joni Griffith, a Minneapolis-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, movement artist and sound designer to bring her full vision to life.

The SEMAC grant funding proved invaluable, providing the time, space and resources to create “Elemental Body.” This is Sydney’s second SEMAC grant for a dance film project, which she credits with furthering her skills, artistic career, and recently helping her secure a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.  

Sharing the film with audiences has been both a vulnerable and exciting experience for the choreographer. “One of my favorite parts of the process is hearing feedback from audience members after they view my film. It’s both nerve-wracking and thrilling to share art with an audience and hear how they related to it or didn’t. I find I learn more about the subtleties and synchronicities of my work when I hear what others saw in it…the observations come from this really human experience place,” Swanson remarks. Audience feedback revealed how they related to the “micro-macro, earth/human bodies, nature via layers/time/elements/connection” depicted in the film’s outdoor settings. Comments praised the “fresh and new” perspective on familiar nature paths and the desire to “dance for her and with her!”

Sydney Swanson presents her film "Elemental Body" in front of an audience with a projector screen behind her.
Photo by TLP Photography

Thanks to her Minnesota State Arts Board grant, Sydney will showcase “Elemental Body” in a series of six dance film screening events around southeastern Minnesota from September 2024 through February 2025. The screenings will feature other Minnesota-based dance artists alongside her work at venues like Rochester’s Pop’s Art Theater and the Winona Art Center.

For more information on Sydney and her future screenings and initiatives, visit her website www.insiteartsandhealing.com, or find her on Facebook at Insite Arts & Healing.