I paint self portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.
-Frida Kahlo

In the fall of 2004 the North Dakota Museum of Art launched a pilot educational outreach program to encourage and empower rural school children and their teachers to actively participate in learning through the Museum’s exhibitions. Because most students live far from the Museum, which is located on the eastern border of the State, the North Dakota Museum of Art takes its exhibitions to them, augmented with a rich assortment of ancillary programs.

The Rural Arts Initiative began with the tour of Snow Country Prison: Interned in North Dakota, which toured ten towns throughout the state. In 2005 the Museum began to tour Shelterbelts, an exhibition that came out of the Emptying Out of The Plains series. Shelterbelts is currently touring North Dakota and is set to complete its state-wide tour in December 2006.

Our world is ever-changing. From the day we are born we continue to change and redefine ourselves. To create a self-portrait by using  written words, art, storytelling or any other vehicle that better expresses who we are, is to make a brave  personal investigation into our individual soul.  What are the things that identify each of us as unique? Is it what we say, how we look, our profession or interests?  Is our identity defined by what we own or what things we cherish? To help us consider these questions, Laurel Reuter, Director of the North Dakota Museum of Art, invited regional and national, as well as international artists to create a self portrait.

Artists in Introductions: Artists’ Self Portraits include:

Gretchen Bedderman – Glendive, Montana
Barton Benes – New York, New York
Gregory Blair – Aberdeen, South Dakota
Montey Breckheimer – Pekin, North Dakota
Madlyn Camrud – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Sara Christiansen-Blair – Aberdeen, South Dakota
Vance Gellert – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Zhimin Guan – Moorhead, Minnesota
Memo Guardia – Lima, Peru and Grand Forks, North Dakota
Loral Hanaher – Fargo, North Dakota
Bill Harbort – Minot, North Dakota
Laura Heit-Youngbird – Breckenridge, Minnesota
Carol Hepper – New York, New York
Dan Jones – Fargo, North Dakota
Adam Kemp – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Gretchen Kottke – Cooperstown, North Dakota
Ali LaRock – Bismarck, North Dakota
Tricia Lundski – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Jennie O’ – Winnepeg, Manitoba
Jon Olson – Minot, North Dakota
Carl Oltvet – Moorhead, Minnesota
Duane Penske – Vesta, Minnesota
Walter Piehl – Minot, North Dakota
Bridget Riversmith – Duluth, Minnesota
Ross Rolshoven – Grand Forks, North Dakota
Marjorie Schlossman – Fargo, North Dakota
LaVona Sherarts – St. Cloud, Minnesota
Tim Shoutan – Winnepeg, Manitoba
Gregory Vettel – Thompson, North Dakota
Adeline Wright – Duluth, Minnesota

Artists from the Museum’s permanent collection:

Scott Momady
T.L. Solien
Mellisa McDuggal
Ada Mitrani

Each artist has approached his or her self portrait uniquely. The exhibition consists of straight forward work as well as the symbolic. The artists describe themselves through paint, clay, fiber and photography.