BSU's Harlow Kleven Exhibit Demonstrates the Process of Making Art

Bemidji, Minn. – An exhibition of both ceramic and print works from collections held by Bemidji State University was opened on February 1 at the Harlow-Kleven gallery in Bemidji's Watermark Art Center.

The gallery, "The Art of the Process," showcases the process an artist chooses to bring an idea to life and illustrates the creative journey behind each piece.

Laura Goliaszewski, Bemidji State's art gallery director, said the gallery's collection is a personal experience that provides an additional dimension to each piece.

"An artist may spend days, weeks or even years creating a piece of art," she said. "But a study showed that a person only spends five seconds looking at each piece of artwork in a museum."

By emphasizing the art of the process, Goliaszewski hopes the exhibit will inspire views to spend more time with each piece. This may also garner greater appreciation for artists, she said.

The exhibition will remain open until May 13.

The Watermark Art Center has operated in Bemidji since 1982 as a member-supported, non-profit organization. The Watermark Art Gallery is located at 505 Bemidji Ave N. It is open from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday.

About the Harlow-Kleven Gallery

Bemidji State University's Harlow-Kleven Gallery at the Watermark Art Center is named for long-time art patrons and BSU alumnae Margaret A. Harlow and Lille M. Kleven. Harlow, a 1936 graduate, established the Harlow Ceramics Collection in 1973, and Kleven established a print collection at BSU in 1979. Both are used as teaching collections for current BSU students. The Harlow Collection includes more than 400 pieces from all eras, including Turkish work that dates to the first century A.D. The Kleven Collection includes more than 800 pieces and includes work by renowned printmakers such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

The Harlow-Kleven Gallery was dedicated at the Dec. 2, 2017, opening of Bemidji's Watermark Art Gallery. Space for the gallery was secured in Feb. 2015 when the BSU Foundation Board of Directors voted to use a $500,000 unallocated gift raised as part of BSU's Imagine Tomorrow campaign to fund an ongoing lease for gallery space in the center.