Native American Artist Joe Geshick Exhibit Sets Up in Bigfork

Private Collection Paintings May Be The Only Public Showing

Native American artist Joe Geshick died in 2009, and this exhibit of his work is the first since then. The paintings, mostly from private collectors, will go back to their owners after the exhibit. Many have never been seen in public before. The exhibit, JOE GESHICK/JOURNEYS is being setup this week and will open on Thursday. JOE GESHICK/JOURNEYS will be at The Edge Center Gallery in Bigfork, MN on Thursdays through Saturdays 10AM to 4PM from May 31 to June 30. There will be an opening reception Friday June 1 from 5PM to 8PM. Admission is free.

A very special thank you goes out to the private collectors who have loaned these treasures to The Edge Center Gallery. Without their generosity this exhibit certainly would not have happened. LeeAnn Geshick, the widow of the artist feels this is very important as a tribute to her late husband’s legacy and worked very hard to make it happen. She also wanted it to be held in Joe’s traditional homeland of Northen Minnesota. The Edge Center Gallery thanks LeeAnn for letting The Edge Center be the venue for JOE GESHICK/JOURNEYS.

Ojibwa artist, Joe Geshick was a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa. Born near Faribault in 1943, he grew up in Nett Lake and lived in Duluth, St. Paul and finally settled in his home in Ely. In the late 1970s, he studied art at the Art Students League in New York, where he also worked cataloging at the American Indian Museum. He also taught in Lac La Croix in Ontario Canada, and in several Indian tribes in Nevada. He created some 1200 images including many used as book cover art. His studio and major works were done in Ely leaving a wonderful legacy of visual art.

Joe Geshick’s painting express and explore his traditional and spiritual Ojibwa spirituality. He described his style of work as semiabstract realism that often reflect traditional sacred Indian ceremonies with some elements that are more symbolic and others that are more realistic. Often seen in his work, the circle represents the Creator or God and wavy lines represent communication lines to the spirit world such as stories, songs and ceremonies.

Big Puppets in Big Fork

Make Them - Use Them - Show Then - Parade Them

Puppets are most often thought of as children entertainment in this part of the world, but in other parts they are often an integral part of adult theater. Worldwide, puppets have been used in passion plays, Greek theater, and, in China, are honored as “the champion of Chinese art forms".

The Edge Center in Bigfork will embark on a new project covering several weeks this summer using Big Puppets. These will be the over ten foot versions that will be made and used by anyone who would like to try out for a very unique theatrical experience. The first step will be auditions and brainstorming. That will take place June 4th from 2-4PM and 4-6PM. Come and see what’s going on and find out if you might be interested.

This EdgeWild Players production will be created and directed by Teresa Linnihan, a New York puppet master, teacher, and performer. Teresa will teach and supervise the making of small and large (14 feet high) puppets by adults and young people in the community, some of which will perform in the Bigfork Wilderness Parade. She will also use ideas generated by the community to develop a theatre piece with live music currently entitled, “The Edge of the Wilderness Almanac,” not unlike the Farmer’s Almanac, only with local interest.

Working with big puppets will give The Edge Center actors a chance to experience “devised theater”. That is a format which is not scripted but created or devised as the program develops. Participants will be given a chance to decide what happens in the show, in this case called the Almanac, and decide what the characters, big puppets, will look like and do. Here is an opportunity to mix will actors of different ages including lots of children and to devise a program as unique as possible.

Big Bird is probably the most famous Big Puppet in the country. No he will not be in Bigfork, but who knows what will be created this summer.

The Edge Center wanted to do something really different and to let participants experience a totally new kind of performing art. Here is a chance to be part of it and to see if you might like it. It’s meant to be a time when adults and kids can work together, each contributing at their own level. Come for the brainstorming and auditions and see what is going on in Bigfork.

Native American Artist Joe Geshick Exhibition In Bigfork – First Since His Death

A special collection of Native American artist Joe Geshick paintings, mostly from private collectors, will be at the Bigfork Gallery this summer. The paintings, along with working sketches and notes, may be the only public showing of this work. Most of the paintings have never been seen in public before and will return to private collections after the exhibit. JOE GESHICK/JOURNEYS will be displayed at The Edge Center Gallery in Bigfork, MN on Thursdays through Saturdays 10AM to 4PM from May 31 to June 30. There will be an opening reception June 1 from 5PM to 8PM. Admission is free.

Title: Feeding tf life.” he Spirit... From the artist “The feeding is the offering of tobacco to the spirit of the water before taking from it. Through this offering, men and women feed their own spirit and make the connection with all creation. The three dots represent the man’s spirit and the large circle represents God. In this painting the man in the canoe is holding tobacco in his hand. Throughthis offering he maintains balance in a good way between the dark and light sides of life.
 
The exhibit of Joe Geshick’s paintings is a difficult one to assemble, but LeeAnn Geshick, the widow of the artist, feels it is important as a tribute to her husband’s legacy. She also wants it to be held in his traditional homeland of Northern Minnesota. The Edge Center and LeeAnn give a very special thank you to the private collectors who make this exhibit possible. This will be an extraordinary example of Native American art done by an extraordinary Native American artist.

Ojibwa artist Joe Geshick was born near Faribault Minnesota in 1943, grew up near Nett Lake, was a member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippawa, and died in 2009. Between those dates, this artist’s journey took him above an early life of adversity to find his life’s work in expressing his heritage and spirituality in remarkable paintings. Learning to paint in prison, it is said he “painted his way out”. In the late 1970s he studied art at the Art Students League in New York, was a teacher in Lac La Croix in Ontario Canada, and in several Indian tribes in Nevada. His body of work includes some 1200 images with many used as book covers. He ended his journeys in Ely where he did the majority of his work in his studio.

Title: The Bear Clan... From the artist “I dedicate this painting to an Ojibwa medicine man referred to as old man Burnside, who during my childhood years gave me the Indian name Mishakeetameesh, meaning a bird coming down from the sky. This old man was from the Bear Clan who lived on the Nett Lake Indian reservation in northern Minnesota.”

Joe Geshick’s painting express and explore his traditional and spiritual Ojibwa heritage. He described his style of work as semiabstract realism that often reflects traditional sacred Indian ceremonies with some elements that are more symbolic and others that are more realistic. His art, created in sparse compositions of layered paints using only six sacred colors of red, yellow, black, white, green and blue reflect a calmness and beauty that can only be appreciated when viewed in person. Often seen in his work, the circle represents the Creator or God and wavy lines represent communication lines to the spirit world such as stories, songs and ceremonies.

Title: Stone People... From the artist “Stone People spirits enter a person’s home to leave a gift – usually a small stone of some kind. The recipient of this gift will add it to his or her alter or medicine bundle and use it in a good way for ceremonial reasons.” Earlier Native Report did a television segment on Joe Geshick. For a look at this story, go to this URL: http://www.wdse.org/shows/native/watch/season-7-episode-14 And, for additional reading, the Associated Press did a profile of Joe Geshick. That profile appeared in the Art section of The Epoch Times in April of 2005. To see this story in total go to this URL: http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/us/bos/2005/04-Apr/04/B7.pdf

Students Exhibit Their Artwork In Bigfork

Students from the Bigfork School will have their annual art show in May. The gallery is being set-up with one of the most enjoyable shows of the year. The show is always one of the most colorful and creative of the season and will provide visitors an appreciation of the special creativity young artists display. The Bigfork School Student Show will be held May 3rd through May 26th with a public reception on May 22nd. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 10AM to 2PM. Admission is free.

Right now the exhibit is being set-up by gallery volunteers and the photos here provide a peek at what is promising to be a great start to the exhibition season.

During the school year, students learn the artistic skills necessary for creating their works from the use of a camera, paintbrush or sculpting media. Along with the mechanical skills, they are taught the elements of composition shapes, lines, colors, textures, and lighting. Combining these technical skills into something meaningful for each artist makes for wonderful art regardless of age. Getting all this into the young minds and having it come out the way they visualize it, is the challenge of the teacher. At Bigfork School, that teacher is Roberta Steinhart. She teaches the students about “finding their voice in art and using art as a vehicle of communication”. All young minds have something important to say and the visual arts can reflect their emerging personalities.

Each year there are special opportunities for art education at the school. This year Native Artist Gordon Coons held classes for the students using his special techniques. The results were amazing and are covered in an earlier blog here. Some of that art will be in the show.

Of course the learning process for art never ends. And this summer there will be an opportunity for the students to work with another medium…large puppets. At the end of May, Master Puppeteer, Teresa Linnehan, will teach a puppet-making residency at the school, and some of those puppets will appear in the Bigfork Wilderness Day parade, June 9th. From June 21st-24th, The Edge Center will present “The Edge of the Wilderness Almanac. Look for more on that later.