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— The past 12 months have been filled with art exhibitions, orchestra and band concerts, plays and stories of artists sharing their talents with the community. Midwest Minnesota has a very active arts scene, and 2022 is just a perfect example of that.
The past year has marked a return to normal for many arts organizations and events. After nearly two years of pandemic turmoil, residents and visitors are once again able to enjoy arts events in a way they haven’t seen since 2019.
Events such as the Spoon Gathering weekend at the Milan School of Village Art and the Willmar Area Arts Council’s Studio Hop welcomed artists and art lovers for the first time in two years. After being forced to cancel the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the West Central singer also returned to the stage this year and celebrated the return with a December show full of holiday hits.
Massey Moore/West Central Tribune
The Wilma Lakes musicians really had to say goodbye to a significant part of their community this year. Owned and operated by Bob and Jean Whitney for 27 years, Whitney Music has provided a one-stop shop for buying, repairing and learning to play musical instruments. The couple decided it was time to close the retail store. An online auction was held to sell nearly 1,900 items from the remaining inventory – including musical instruments of all types and sizes.
It’s not all sad news. The Whitneys did decide to keep running the repair shop and continue to provide the community with a talented team of instrument repairers.
Shelby Lynn Drood/West Central Tribune
Milan Village Art School opens textile studio
The Milan Rural Art School, which has an impressive collection of floor looms, decided this year to open a textile studio in the old Milan school, now owned by the Greater Milan Initiative. As well as providing a space for weavers to access and use their looms, the studio will also serve as a venue for other textile arts, such as quilting or traditional forms of embroidery. MVAS also hopes to increase the number of textile arts courses it offers.
New genealogy library opens at Kandyyoshi County Historical Society
The family tree research group Kandiyohi County Heritage Searchers opened a new home this year in a building of the Kandiyohi County Historical Society. The Genealogy Resource Library, funded and maintained by Harold and Mary Jo Larson, provides family researchers with a resource for finding family history information in Kandiyohi County. Libraries offer binders and card catalogs filled with births, deaths, important events, cemetery records, and more to help genealogists discover the branches of their family trees.
Shelby Lynn Drood/West Central Tribune
International Glitch Art Exhibition at KK Berge Gallery
Creators and enthusiasts of the modern art medium known as Glitch Art gathered in Granite Falls on Sept. 2 for the international exhibition Glitch Art Is Dead. Art and craftsmen from around the world are exhibited at the Granite Falls Arts Council KK Berge Gallery, hosted by local artist Miles Taylor. More than 100 artists presented work in the exhibition, including framed stills, videos and art installations. These works demonstrate the beauty that can be found in technological glitches, such as static on a television screen or a frozen computer screen. Similar exhibits have been shown in Poland, Croatia, Paris and Minneapolis, among others.
Massey Moore/West Central Tribune
In 2022, theatergoers will enjoy a wide variety of plays, from musicals to suspense to drama. The Wilma Barn Theater presents “On Golden Pond,” “Clues the Musical,” “Shrek the Musical,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “A Strange Couple” and “Miracle on 34th Street.”
In Renville, Friends of the Arts took a break from the usual musical and comedy offerings to perform “Journey to Enrichment,” a play beloved by longtime actor and FOTA member Bev Raske.
On the school stage, Wilma High School presented “Aida,” “Moana Jr.” at Willmar Middle School and “Peter and the starcatcher” at Willmar Community Christian School.
Tom Cherveny/West Central Tribune
Author celebrates first book
It’s a good year for budding authors, with at least three with local connections celebrating the release of their first books.
Willmar’s Mary Seifert launches her cozy suspense series, Katie & Maverick Cozy Mysteries, in 2022, the first four of which The books are Maverick, Movies and Murder, Rescue, Hooligans and Traitors, Tinsel, Judgment and Traitors and Santa Claus, Snowflakes and Strychnine. “
The mystery series is also released by Zack Thelen-Liebl, a Willmar native who now lives in Stillwater. He completed and released the first book in a planned trilogy, titled Chasing Shadows: Genesis, under the pseudonym Zachariah Jones. It’s a murder mystery mixed with the paranormal and horror.
On the graphic novel front, Dawson’s Lucy O’Laughlin Tokheim posted ”
The Princess and the Boatboy, the Heroes of Primsstaff
’, a comic book about Norway’s first patron Saint Sonneva.
Shelby Lynn Drood/West Central Tribune
Several arts organizations are also celebrating landmark anniversaries in 2022.
The Sacred Heart District Historical Society has been telling the story of the Sacred Heart District in Renville County for 25 years. Founded in 1996, it’s housed in the historic Ebenezer Lutheran Church building, and exhibits range from schools and the military to a research library in the basement.
Musically, the Wilma Area Symphony Orchestra has been performing orchestral music to the public for 65 years. It began in 1957 in the living room of its founders, Dr. Lawrence and Margaret Opsahl, and now presents several performances each year at the Willmar Center for Education and the Arts. Not only does it play classics, but it’s also known for presenting musical scores from popular movies.
On stage, the Renville-based Friends of the Arts group has been bringing stage plays and other arts events to western Renville County for 20 years. Led by a dedicated group of art lovers and performers, FOTA’s mission is to provide the community with the arts of all types, from the visual to the stage.
Massey Moore/West Central Tribune
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