"Art From Within" - Exhibit History

"Art From Within" evolved from an idea that was born within an effort. Our work at the ACLU-MN, Greater MN Racial Justice Project can sometimes cause us to be isolated from the larger community because we are so immersed in the elements of the criminal justice system. Our effort, therefore, was to find a way to provide the community with an awareness of our work and to provide our clients with a connection to that world in a form other than a statistical number.

The "Art From Within" show has featured a collection of artwork submitted by regional Native American or Non-Native people who are, or have been, directly or indirectly affected by incarceration or the criminal justice system. We began event planning with a call for artists through press sources and direct mailing to correctional facilities and jails. In our application process we required an artist statement, titles of the work, and prices for any art to be sold.

The first annual "Art From Within" happened, as a Bemidji State University Intern project, in April of 2010 and featured nine artists. We had a small gallery space in a downtown Bemidji business, KD Floral, and received news coverage by Lakeland Public TV community Spotlight.

The second annual "Art From Within" exhibition (April 2011) took place in the Rail River Folk School located at 303 Railroad St., in Bemidji. The event was made possible with a grant from Two Feathers Endowment, St. Paul Foundation. Twenty four artists participated and submitted up to 3 pieces each. A panel of judges from the community juried the work prior to the opening reception. At the reception we presented ‘Best of Show' and ‘Honorable Mention' cash awards for each of our seven categories of artwork. (Beadwork, Drawing, Literary Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Textiles, and Woodcarving) An overall Best of Show Social Justice award was also given.

Planning is underway for the third annual "Art From Within" show to be held in early spring of 2012. We will incorporate a shift in the educational perspective by requiring artist's statements and artwork to reflect a connection to any one of our U.S Constitutional Amendments; our Bill of Rights. We will also focus on an Emerging Artist category to recognize youth in our community. "Art From Within" has been and will continue to be a catalyst for showcasing the talents of people who might otherwise be isolated from their communities.