Madeline Treuer, a Bemidji State University senior majoring in indigenous studies, will host an art show in Gallery X, located in Bridgeman Hall, through Nov. 21. An artist reception is scheduled for Nov. 16 from 4 — 6 p.m. The mixed media art showcase, entitled “Emote,” explores emotion and nature.

“Many of the pieces came from an emotion or feeling that was driving the image in my mind,” Treuer said. “The paintings, for example, started as drawings. I wanted to turn the 2D drawings into something vivid and delightful that caught my eye. The flora motif in the paintings resemble the rainforests in the mountains I remember from the time I spent in Rio de Janeiro. That city is so beautiful and vivid with mountains and rainforests scattered throughout the city.”

Treuer, of Bemidji, will graduate from BSU in Dec. 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in indigenous studies and a minor in Ojibwe. The indigenous studies program is designed to provide students with critical thinking skills to better navigate the complex world around us. Treuer notes that her experience as a student and as an indigenous woman has an impact on her art.

“I love brown people in art because I am brown. I wanted to create pieces that represented people like me, a modern indian,” Treuer said. “I also wanted to create an emotional space for self-expression. Not only for myself, but to set an example for other people.”

Bemidji State’s Gallery X is a student-directed gallery that offers students the experience of planning and executing an art show with their own artwork or that of their peers. The gallery is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Treuer’s art will be available for purchase on a sliding scale from $5 – $20.

“The mediums I chose are ones that inspire me from my peers. My friend, Grace, makes cloth dolls and creatures. I wanted to try that medium to see what could happen with it and I like the result,” Treuer said. “I had dreams about the designs for the quilts. So it was very humbling to create them in the image of a dream. That is hard to explain but it was a very beautiful way to create art.”

Contact

• Laura Goliaszewki, art gallery director; (218) 755-3737, Laura.Goliaszewski@bemidjistate.edu
• Madeline Treuer; madeline.treuer@live.bemidjistate.edu

Links

• Bemidji State University’s Indigenous Studies program
• Bemidji State University’s Ojibwe language program
• Gallery X

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding. For more, visit bemidjistate.edu or find us at BemidjiState on most of your favorite social media networks.

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