THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. – Folk art by Jeanne and Erin O’Neil, mother and daughter artists of rural East Grand Forks, is on display this month at Northwest Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls. An artist reception for the show, “Fiddle Tunes, Fiber Folk and Prairie Prints,” is planned for 6 p.m. April 24. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event, which will feature live music, drinks and desserts.
Many of the pieces in this exhibit, hosted by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, are for sale. Buyers may purchase at any time and pick up their items when the exhibit ends April 30.
The focus of the show is a celebration of the completion of Erin O’Neil’s recently completed book, “Twenty of Plenty,” in which 20 of her original fiddle tunes are transcribed, Jeanne O’Neil said in a news release. “We are both folk musicians and visual artists, and it is fitting to bring these forms of artistic expression together, as the tunes and art are both inspired by the rural landscapes we live in.”
Erin O’Neil, who learned to play the fiddle by age 11, plays by ear. In the “Twenty of Plenty” book, she transcribed her tune compositions so they could be introduced to a wider circle of musicians. She collaborated with a Norwegian folk musician for this project, supported by a grant from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, with funding from the McKnight Foundation.
Throughout the book, the cultural influences for these tunes include French Canadian, Irish, Scandinavian, Scottish traditional fiddle music, New England Contra Dance music, Old Time Appalachian music and Metis fiddle tunes.
The O’Neils also play in the O’Neil Family Band, which regularly hosts community dances in this region. Erin plays fiddle and Jeanne plays banjo and concertina.
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The exhibit will also feature Jeanne O’Neil’s prints, the newest of which come from a series of sketches made over the past summers on the land where she lives.
“Walking the fields and pathways every day, year after year, the colors, contrasts, textures and lines of trees, grasses, sky, river are impressed in my mind, creating an accumulated knowledge of these places,” she said. “The making of each print created a deeper knowing and a stronger connection to that knowing.”
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Erin O’Neil also creates Rag Folk pieces, which are part of this show. With the Rag Folk, she preserves what has been used in everyday life and creates new lives out of old scraps and rags. The Rag Folk elicit “memories and essences of what has passed,” Jeanne O’Neil said, “and the joy of childhood carried forward and honored in adulthood.”
Erin’s interest in creating these pieces stemmed from a passion for recycling and reducing waste and a desire to connect with others, her mother said. The NCTC is located at 1101 State Hwy 1. Gallery hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Visitor parking is free. Enter through Door B.
For more information, contact Trey Everett, showcase specialist at
or Mara Hanel, NWMAC director at (218) 745-8886 or
.
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