IN THE ATRIUM

SARAH BROKKE

Artist Sarah Brokke and Poet Kyle Leia share their collaborative project ‘Irrevocable Wholeness’; focused on healing and whole-hearted navigation of our humanity. Works on view include pieces inspired by Kyle Leia’s writing, and, in turn, poems created based on Sarah Brokke’s paintings; which will result in an upcoming publication.

This work is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Image: Sarah Brokke’s piece ‘Dandelion’ based on Kyle Leia’s poem ‘I am the Dandelion’. The exhibition is on view now through the end of November.

CARLA HAMILTON

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I am an African American multidisciplinary collage and installation artist based in Duluth, MN. I lived for 18 years in Stuttgart, Germany, where I studied art from the lens of a young African American woman who’d grown up in rural Wrenshall, MN. I returned to Minnesota a little over a decade ago. My work explores themes of identity, race, and nationality, showing how representations throughout history continue to perpetuate falsehoods and misconceptions. My practice for the last decade had focused solely on collaboration and socially engaged projects, including facilitating the community completion of Duluth’s George Floyd murals. I also was part of organizing a cohort of 10 BIPOC community members to create programming to support the work of Hank Willis Thomas Jr. at the Tween Museum of Art in 2021. Of note in my exhibition history are the Waiting for Beds project and Minnesota Nice. 

My work has consistently focused on African American and Greater Minnesota demographics, as well as individuals who are incarcerated, face disability, are unsheltered or in institutions. My work has benefited non-marginalized groups by bringing to light issues and unsheltered that have largely been unnoticed by community members who perpetuate the issues in the first place. My own lived experience navigating systemic oppression has led to a desire to formulate authentic artistic environments where audiences feel they can safely engage in difficult discussions. 

IN THE RESTAURANT

RITA BERGSTEDT

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

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