Art Glow, an exhibition running Feb. 2 through March 30 at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis, feels more like a street art fair than a traditional gallery show, and that’s by design.
The diverse mix of art by a diverse mix of artists with disabilities – from disability justice storytelling by Alison Bergblom Johnson to visual works by a variety of artists – come together in a space resembling a fair with individual booths and artists selling smaller projects rather than more formal, large-scale gallery hangings.
“Art isn’t always about selling, but when you sell a piece, it does tend to feel purposeful and validating,” said Nik Fernholz, program manager for ICI’s Art for All, the Stephanie Evelo Program for Art Inclusion. “We are very excited about the broad range of pieces in this exhibition and the broad range of experiences of the artists involved.”
On Feb. 16 at 6 p.m., Bergblom Johnson, a multidisciplinary artist, will discuss “Disability Justice Through the Lens of Art and Supporting Non-disability-focused Galleries Curating Art by Artists with Disabilities.”
And on March 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Cow Tipping Press will host a book release and author reading. A closing reception and market is planned for 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on March 30.
Featured artists include Emma Baldwin, a member of ICI’s Community Advisory Council and a former MNLEND fellow, who will perform a reading during the Cow Tipping event. That event will be the launch of Cow Tipping’s newest published books, with covers featuring artwork from Art for All’s permanent collection.
In addition to her Feb. 16 artist talk, Bergblom Johnson will display small line drawings depicting a series of encounters in early online dating that also informed her storytelling projects dealing with mental health, gender, disability, and joy.
“Disability can be a hard reality, and I’m going to talk about some of the practical things that art administrators can do to be inclusive of people with disabilities,” she said.
The 75-piece exhibition includes works on video, film, canvas, graphite, and fiber. Other featured artists include Sam St. John, Ryan Varley, Ray Pagenkopf, Nathaniel Quenzer, Mark Massch, David “Mack” McDonnell-Forney, Diane Weinerman, Chloe Geraty, Ansel Langmead, D.O Fox, Glendy Scaletta-Rocco, Jonah Anderson, and Loretta Bebeau.
The exhibition will feature some work that is not for sale, including pieces by David Bauman, a visual artist born with Down syndrome who was a close friend of Stephanie Evelo. Bauman died in 2019 from complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 49. Stephanie was a gifted artist and an ICI employee whose parents, Sheryl and David, founded Art for All in partnership with ICI.
“David [Bauman] went through many phases with his art over the years, but in 2005 we went on a family vacation to Hawaii and he fell in love with everything he saw,” said Margaret Bauman, David’s mother. “He loved the ocean, the volcanoes, the color, everything.”
Returning home after the trip, Bauman created art with Hawaiian themes, and he eventually lived in Hawaii for several years.
“As a person, he had a wonderful sense of humor and really enjoyed people,” Margaret said. “He took inspiration from so much of what he saw, and it was reflected in his art. Even as a performer with Interact in Minnesota, he loved to imitate animals in any scene that called for that. He was the epitome of love, making anyone feel good just by being around him.”
