BEMIDJI — Sometimes, change is thrust upon businesses for reasons beyond their control.
That happened to the art collective Loon Country Arts after this summer’s devastating storm in Bemidji. Damage to its building meant the organization needed a new space.
“The storm in June kind of did a number on our location, and we went into storage for six months, and we still hadn't gotten anything fixed, and it was like, ‘OK, what happens to the gallery?’" Mary Knox-Johnson, Loon Country Arts member, told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show.
"We can either become nonexistent, or we need to find a space.”
The collective spent months searching for a new space and eventually approached the city of Bemidji about the idea of having the gallery on the upper level of the Carnegie Library. Members negotiated an agreement with the city, and Loon Country Arts moved in.
The organization's new gallery opens Wednesday, Dec. 3. It will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. People can feel free to visit, and there’s now a reading corner in the space as well.
"With this space, we have a lot more room than we had in our other space, especially for classes," Knox-Johnson said. " ... The display space is also almost double what we had at our old gallery, and so it's going to be very, very beneficial.
" ... We now call ourselves Loon Country Arts at the Carnegie. It just has kind of a ring to it."
New beginnings
Loon Country Arts has existed in some form under various names and spaces for decades. It is an artist-run gallery of about 15 creators from the Bemidji area.
It all started when a group of artists in Bemidji thought the city needed an outlet for creative arts. They started a group that paints every week, and it continues today, every Monday at the Eagles Club.
In 1989, the group decided they needed a space to sell their work.
“Because at that time, there really wasn't that kind of space available," Knox-Johnson explained. "So, that's where the impetus for the gallery came about.”
The collective was most recently known as Gallery North until it incorporated in 2023 and changed to Loon Country Arts.
Not only does the new location significantly increase gallery and class space, but it also gives Loon Country Arts a chance to collaborate with the city. The organization is taking part in an ugly sweater party later in the month and an upcoming kids' camp.
More on Loon Country Arts
Whether you are an artist or an art enthusiast, there are memberships available to help support the Loon Country Arts mission. “Friends of the Gallery” can teach classes and get discounts on items. Kids younger than 18 get a bigger discount on membership.
Working and non-working artist members can have their work on display and for sale at the gallery. They are expected to work in the gallery two to three times a month. More information on membership is available on Loon Country Arts' website.
Some classes and events offered include the Creative Cafe, which is on the first Saturday of the month. The collective also hosts classes on basketry, needle felting and painting. There will be a series called Warm Your Heart with a Little Art in February, which will feature 15 free classes made possible through grant funding.
Another program coming up is the grant-funded Pathways to Art. It’s a mentorship program for young artists. Participants must be at least 13, and then they can work one-on-one with an expert in an artistic field of their choice.
To keep up to date on events and classes at the new space, sign up for the newsletter, visit the website or follow the Facebook page.
Knox-Johnson thinks something like Loon Country Arts is a benefit not only to artists but the community of Bemidji as well.
“We have all of those programs that I mentioned, the Pathways to Art, the Connecting with Kids, the Warm Your Heart with a Little Art and the Creative Cafe. Those are all free,” Knox-Johnson said.
“This is the best place to find everything by local artists. We don't have anything that was not produced by a local artist within about a 3-mile radius of Bemidji.”
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
