Final Weekend of Animal-Inspired Exhibition

The latest exhibition at the North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA), Kingdom Animalia, closes this Sunday, March 5th.

Kingdom Animalia is a juried exhibition inspired by the wonder of animals and shows a variety of wildlife depicted in a multitude of mediums, from photography, to mixed media sculpture, oil painting, and even mosaics. Featuring over forty artists, this exhibition has captured significant attention from the local community.

If you’d like to plan a visit, the art center will be open from 12pm to 4pm both Saturday (March 4) and Sunday (March 5).

Many artworks in the show derive from intimate experiences with animals. For example, Kari Elizabeth Godfrey’s photograph of a grizzly bear shows a bear whose family she’d been tracking over the years. Likewise, Russell Stanton’s image of a deer with albinism “paints with light” to show the deep contrast of his encounter with the deer in northeast Wisconsin.

For some artists, like Cynthia Waltho, inspiration strikes close to home, as her painting presents a larger-than-life view of her pet goldfish. Wayne Sisel’s Mo also translates his pet’s likeness through paint, giving his Wheaten Terrier’s fur an injection of color through streaks of red, yellow, and blue.

Many artists also connect their technique to the animals they represent with their work. Sarah Stojevich’s Pulpo, a bronze octopus sculpture that shimmers under the light, was created using a lost-wax casting process. Beginning with a wax maquette and a frame for the sand mold, Stojevich opted for a finish other than the typical patina to give her underwater creature a more vibrant likeness, “I wanted something more colorful and indicative of the ocean.” Erin Peña’s beaded books, Sea Creatures and Night Creatures, also allow visitors to ponder the many ways artists use materials to represent animals. Peña’s “bead books,” an invention they formulated after wondering if they could string flat beadwork together, bring a viewer close with their small scale and intricacy. “Many people are surprised to learn that I draw my own shapes and designs,” they remarked. “Beadwork is popular these days but most beaders follow patterns written by other people. It’s unusual to meet another pattern maker in the wild.”

This weekend, the NSCA is hosting two art activities for the community. The first is a Make-Your-Own Animal activity, where participants select an animal of their choice and bring it to life with color! This activity is priced at $5-$10, depending on the animal you select. Walk-ins welcome!

There will also be easels in the gallery, along with paper and pencils, for visitors to sketch the artwork on display! This free activity is available to visitors all weekend as a fun way to engage with the work before the exhibition closes.

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Kingdom Animalia closes on Sunday, March 5th and is on view at the NSCA, a decommissioned firehouse turned gallery in Fridley, Minnesota.