North Dakota Museum of Art Announces Two New Exhibitions
Guy Nelson: Tales from the Understory
and From Paint to Print: Helen Frankenthaler and the Art of Collaboration
The North Dakota Museum of Art invites the public to the spring exhibition opening reception on April 10, 5:30 – 7 pm. Join us to celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions, Guy Nelson: Tales from the Understory and From Paint to Print: Helen Frankenthaler and the Art of Collaboration. Bill Goldston, the Co-Director of Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), will share his experience and insights working with Helen Frankenthaler along with many other artists, some from the Museum’s permanent collection which are also on display in the exhibition. Although widely celebrated as an abstract painter, this exhibition focuses on Frankenthaler’s impressive body of work as a printmaker. Guy Nelson will also speak at the opening. His solo exhibition features paintings, sculptures, and a video that explore the discovery and mystery of the outdoors, referencing the woodlands and prairies of the upper Midwest.
The gallery talks and reception, including hors d'oeuvres and beverages, are free and open to the public. Parking is available, at no charge, in front of the Museum located on the University of North Dakota campus. Both exhibitions will continue through July 20, 2025.
Guy Nelson’s Tales from the Understory is the tenth exhibition in the Museum’s “Art Makers Series,” which is underwritten by Dr. William F. Wosick of Fargo. The Art Makers is awarded annually to a regional artist, or artist with connections to the region, to allow them to create new bodies of work based on a singular idea or theme. Nelson was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota. He attended Minnesota State University Moorhead and graduated in 2000. Nelson's connection to North Dakota is evident in his paintings, and he frequently travels to his land in the southeastern part of the state, where he manages a plot under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
For over two decades, Guy Nelson has explored various aspects of the natural world, ranging from animals to plants, and advocates for the environment. His interests have included exploring how color influences attraction and defense, mutualism, mimicry, and the impact of human activity. His deep connection to the upper Midwest is a foundation for self-discovery and reflection.
In Tales from the Understory, Nelson broadens his exploration to focus on the discoveries and mysteries of woodlands and prairies and the challenges plants face. These narratives draw parallels to human experiences, emphasizing self-preservation, community, and adaptability. An understory is the area of the forest opposite the canopy, which is rich in material and relationships that continue to drive Nelson.
Nelson focused on creating sculptures and videos using natural and synthetic materials for years. In 2016, he shifted his attention to painting but occasionally works on other projects. Most paintings in Tales from the Understory are acrylic painted on linen, enhanced by acrylic mediums for fluidity. Nelson also uses acrylic spray paint to help create a vibrant surface that reflects the complexity of the outdoors. Through layers, brush strokes, and color placement, Nelson aims for viewers to slow down and, by focusing, experience an unfolding where the paintings give back, much like the natural world.
Nelson provides us with glimpses of settings that feel both familiar and mystical, incorporating subtle hints of narratives and the unexplained. Alongside his personal experiences, he intertwines these tales within his work. Recently, inspired by his two young daughters, Nelson has included youth in his paintings.
From Paint to Print: Helen Frankenthaler and the Art of Collaboration features artwork recently bequeathed to the Museum by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation; it also includes limited edition prints by artists from the Museum’s collection who worked with Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), a celebrated fine art print publisher that is recognized for fostering collaboration between artists and master printers since its founding in 1957. ULAE gained widespread recognition in the 1960s for its collaborations with artists like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.
Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), whose career spanned six decades, has long been recognized as a pioneer of abstract painting through her invention of the stain-soak technique thereby ushering in what is known as Color Field Painting. Despite her celebrated status as a painter, turning to printmaking in the early 1960s required a new way of thinking and working as an artist. “As the print evolves, it tells you, you tell it. You have a conversation with print,” she observed. This “conversation” included working collaboratively with master printmakers such as Tatyana Grosman and Bill Goldston at ULAE and other fine print establishments in North America and Europe to create and refine new approaches to abstraction and experimentation in print.
Frankenthaler was born on December 12, 1928, and raised in New York City. She attended the Dalton School, where she received her earliest art instruction from Rufino Tamayo. In 1949 she graduated from Bennington College, Vermont, where she was a student of Paul Feeley. She later studied briefly with Hans Hofmann.
The North Dakota Museum of Art is located at 261 Centennial Drive on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Exhibition hours are weekdays, 9 am - 5 pm and weekends, 1 - 5 pm. Admission to the Museum is free of charge, donations welcome. For more information, 701-777-4195 or ndmoa@ndmoa.com. Visit ndmoa.com to discover more about Museum exhibitions, Cafe, programs, concerts, and events, and membership opportunities.
