January 18th, 2024
Saint Peter – Forty-five years after sharing a senior exhibition at Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato), Charlie Putnam (St. Peter), Jeff Flagg Johnson (Mankato) and Mark McLaughlin (Farmington) are combining recent works with selected works from their college years for “Mingled Feats Further Down the Road,” on display February 2-March 23 at the Arts Center of Saint Peter.
Putnam’s collection explores relief printmaking techniques with traditional ink and paper and printing embossed images on ceramic works. “The geometric compositions and playful images in the relief prints, carried over into this most recent series of paintings, reflect heartfelt notions about my fellow humans and the time and space we occupy,” Putnam says.
Johnson’s paintings and ceramics combine representational objects and abstraction. “You can use figurative language to describe something, but I enjoy using artwork as communication…it’s the viewer’s imagination that completes the loop of communication,” Johnson says.
McLaughlin’s wood sculptures and detailed dioramas reflect his views on “society, climate, inequity, some work-life experiences…but some are just for fun.”
Also on display in the Arts Center’s south window galler January 28-March 23 are Kate Casio’s Lemon Shark, a multi-media sculpture “highlighting the beauty of sharks.”
The public is invited to attend a combined reception on Saturday, February 3, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Arts Center. Light refreshments will be available, and the artists will deliver brief remarks at approximately 3:30 p.m.
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This activity is made possible through grants from Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.