SELECTION PROCESS

Exhibitions are selected by a panel of local and regional art professionals. Panel jurors are announced in conjunction with open calls.

2023/2024 Exhibition Panelists: 

Sam Zimmerman focuses on exploring his Ojibwe heritage, primarily preserving shared oral histories and reimagining the symbolism of the clan animals while incorporating the natural landscape of Lake Superior's North Shore. His work, infused with the color theories of the abstract and expressionism movements, is currently in private collections both in the United States and abroad. Locally, his work can be viewed at Lizzard’s and AICHO - Indigenous First galleries in Duluth, MN, Superior Finds in Two Harbors, and Joy and Co. in Grand Marais, MN.

Blair Treuer is an award-winning Minnesota fiber artist that has exhibited regionally, nationally, and worldwide. Working with colorful and patterned fabric, Treuer builds stories that are deeply personal, yet universal. “My portraits explore intimate parts of my life and center on the juxtaposition between my white culture and my husband’s traditional Indigenous culture. [I continue] to express a range of challenging topics concerning today’s society, with spirituality deeply woven into their narratives.”

Exhibitions Director Amy Varsek joined the Duluth Art Institute in 2014, after nearly 10 years of experience installing artwork in small galleries. She aims to align each artist's vision with the strengths and challenges in an exhibition space and looks for artists that evoke emotion through their work. As an artist, Varsek prefers drawing with a no.2 pencil and building sculptures with found objects. With a degree in biology, her work often represents the living world with a special interest in mammals and anatomy.