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.