The Crossing Arts Alliance

Day two of the Farmer’s Market Basket class with . Look at these beautiful baskets!! This class did amazing work and had so much fun. Thank you again, Shannon and Jesse, for sharing your talent with our community!

Put a bird on it! 🐦 You may have noticed, but we’re HUGE fans of bird art here at Crossing Arts. Come on in and see how many feathered friends you can spot! And maybe take an avian-themed treasure home for yourself 😉

HEY, HEY....TOMORROW is 2nd Saturday!! Stop on down and get your FREE Creativity Kits. This month since we have this Amazing Cup North show in the gallery, we decided to try Polymer Clay! Come on down from 10 -4 and get your kits, and be Creative!!

Don't miss this opportunity! There is ONE more spot in this popular class. Learn from an expert and make new friends in the Farmer's Market Basket class. Tomorrow, class starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm. Then, meet again on Saturday from 10am to 4pm. $60! 🍅🥒🥚🧺

Register here: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/pP78R

Some of you may recall Catie Miller’s cups from Cup North last year, and some of you rushed to buy her limited selection in Cup North II, but did you know we also carry her adorable and whimsical designs on stickers, Brand NEW keychains 😍 and earrings? Two mugs are available in Cup North II, so you’ve still got time to snag a mug, and don’t forget to find her earrings and other goodies. We all need this kind of sweetness in our lives!

Catie Miller Ceramics

That's right, folks! The due date to return your 8x8's is fast approaching. If you've brought a canvas home for our 8x8 auction, now is the time to get to painting, drawing, sewing, and creating! Add your finishing touches and bring them back to us by Saturday, September 21st.

Hey folks! Check out this awesome piece about our Cup North II exhibit, featuring reporter Sammy Holladay's conversation with Nick DeVries. If you haven't yet stopped by to view the incredible variety of cups, mugs, and tumblers we have on display, get on in here!!

Thank you, Lakeland PBS, for once again doing a wonderful job of covering our events.

In Focus: 'Cup North II' in Brainerd Features Work of 36 Different Potters The Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd is currently hosting its second annual ceramics invitational “Cup North II.” The exhibition features 36 different artists who each submitted five handmade cups. The artists are mostly based throughout Minnesota, with some from surrounding states like North ...

Our featured artist for the month of September is DeeDee Narum of Bemidji, MN. Her stained-glass mosaic artwork spans multiple styles and subjects, from colorful abstract pieces to delicate florals and whimsical animals. There's truly something for every art lover! DeeDee's beautiful mosaic artwork is on display at Crossing Arts through September 28th-- come check it out! DeeDee Narum Mosaic Studio

Bahhh!! Look at this adorable little face!! There are several spots remaining in Karen Storkamp's felted wool sheep class. Join us THIS Saturday, September 7th from 10am-2pm for a WOOLY good time 🐑! $40, all materials included. Register here: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/oE7RQ

I Felt It

Tonight! Thursday, September 5, join us for a conversation about the art of pottery: making, glazing, painting, firing, etc. There are so many ways to make and finish pots! Local potter and The Crossing Art's Gallery Committee Chair, Nick DeVries, will lead us in an informal conversation about how some of the 180 pots on display in the Cup North II gallery exhibition were made and finished. Snacks and light refreshments will be provided.

Grab a friend and come on in to join us!

Cup North II is Up and OPEN! This year we have 36 potters, mostly from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and one from the UK! Come on in and see this beautiful showcase of handmade ceramic cups and mugs before they start to disappear.

Featured here and new to Cup North II this year is Sandra Shaughnessy at Sandra Daulton-Shaughnessy Amy Von Bargen at Amy Von Bargen Pottery and Kat Wheeler at Wheeler Ceramics Returning this year is Joe Singewald at Joe Singewald-Pottery

Tomorrow is Let't Talk Pots, An Informal but Informational conversation about ceramics with local potter, Cup North visionary, and our Gallery Committee Chair, Nick DeVries of Nick DeVries Pottery.

The show opens tomorrow! Something like 35 potters this year! Here’s beautiful work by Grant Boulanger Grant Boulanger, Marie Brown at The Potter's Keep, Joe Singewald-Pottery and Derek Gladen.

We’re so excited to share this exhibition with you! Show opens tomorrow Wednesday, September 4 at 10am.

Join us for Let’s Talk Pots Thursday at 5:30 and for the Opening Reception Friday from 5-7pm.

It's Cup North II INSTALLATION DAY!

Show opens tomorrow, Wednesday, September 4.

Let's Talk Pots - conversation with Nick DeVries about form, function, design, and all things ceramics - is Thursday, September 5 at 5:30.

Opening Reception is Friday, September 6 from 5:00 - 7:00.

We can't wait to share this show with you! See you soon.

Who's ready?! Cup North II goes up this week!

Happy Labor Day to all the artists, makers, creatives, and growers who make the world a more beautiful place. Your labor is important and appreciated, every single day. Keep going! We love you.

Eek! More work for Cup North II by Rachelle Miller, Catie Miller Ceramics (no relation to Rachelle, just two talented women making extraordinary pots!), Glynnis Lessing Ceramics, and Wheeler Ceramics.

Coming next week to The Crossing Arts Gallery!

Here we have two new and two returning Cup North artists: We are so excited to share new to us work by Rachelle Miller and Audra Smith, and to have returning potters Megan Jorgenson with Maine Prairie Studio and Nick DeVries at Nick DeVries Pottery. Many potters (and most artists!) are constantly evolving and trying new forms, designs, etc., and that is no different with these artists. Even if you have collected and seen their work previously, they will keep us wanting more as they stretch their skills and push themselves into new ideas.

One more reason Cup North II is so exciting! We get to catch up with returning favorites and experience the work of new potters.

We're ready to launch this show after the long holiday, so get ready.

The show opens on Wednesday, September 4. Let's Talk Post, a conversation about ceramics, will happen here on Thursday, September 5 at 5:30, and the Opening Reception will be there on Friday, September 6 from 5:00 - 7:00pm.

More NEW potters for Cup North II this year! And this year Cup North goes international 💫 We’re thrilled to welcome Amy Von Bargen at Amy Von Bargen Pottery (Minneapolis), Kat Wheeler at Kat Wheeler Ceramics (from St Ives, Cornwall, UK!), Chris Singewald at Chris Singewald Pottery (Minneapolis), and Olivia Tani at Olivia Tani Ceramics (Minneapolis). The variations in style, form, texture, glaze, and firing methods are almost endless!

Show opens next Wednesday, September 4. Let’s Talk Pots conversation on pottery is next Thursday, September 5 at 5:30, and the Opening Reception is next Friday, September 6 from 5-7.

Don’t miss it!

Four new potters will join Cup North II this year: Ryan Ball Pottery, Luci Haas at Adorae Artworks, Kyle Hendrix from Hendrix Ceramics, and Glynnis Lessing Ceramics. Zoom in to get a closer look at these four cups, the different glazes, textures, carvings, and forms. Seeing the varied techniques employed by different makers and learning more about what appeals to YOU is part of what makes this show so much fun!

The show opens Wednesday, September 4. Let’s Talk Pots is Thursday, September 5 at 5:30, and the Opening Reception is Friday from 5-7pm. Join us!

We all know how busy this time of year gets to be 😅. With Labor Day weekend plans and the busy back-to-school rush, we think it's about time you put some YOU time on the calendar! Join us on Saturday, September 7th for a fun and relaxing class making adorable felted wool sheep with Karen Storkamp. 🐑

Karen's classes are SUCH. A. BLAST!! She encourages students to get creative and put their unique personality into the project, while taking time to teach the foundational skills necessary to achieve the end result. In this four-hour class, she will teach basic felting skills as well as a unique "flocking" technique to take your little sheep to the next level of cuteness! $40, materials included. Register here: https://app.dvforms.net/api/dv/oE7RQ

Tomorrow night is the LAST teen summer studio night of 2024! Encourage your teens to take advantage of this amazing opportunity for personalized acrylic painting instruction from artist Tracy Miller. Tracy will lead students in creating an expressive painting of a wolf in her signature, colorful style! 🐺$20, scholarships available. Register here: https://app.donorview.com/4ZWpA

app.donorview.com

Cup North II will again feature work by Catie Miller at Catie Miller Ceramics and Desi Murphy at Desi Murphy Pottery as well as new to us exhibitors Jackie Matelski at Toast Ceramics and Olivia Jenson ☕️ We cannot wait!

The show opens next Wednesday, September 4 with Let’s Talk Pots pottery talk on Thursday, September 5 and the Opening Reception on Friday, September 6 💫

Cup North II will include a discussion of ceramics led by local potter and Gallery Committee Chair, Nick DeVries of Nick DeVries Pottery. Nick will share some of his personal collection and discuss the variations of techniques on display in the Cup North II exhibition to give participants a better sense of wheel-thrown versus hand-built ceramics as well as different glazing and firing methods, different clay bodies, and more. Mark your calendars!

Thursday, September 5, 5:30pm at The Crossing Arts.

Cup North II sneak peek! Cups by Butch Holden, JD Jorgensen of Maine Prairie Studio Colleen Riley of and Monica Rudquist Clay Coming to a gallery near you in SEPTEMBER 💫

It’s happening, again! Cup North II opens Wednesday, September 4, with an opening reception on Friday, September 6 from 5:00 - 7:00pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to see a wide variety of cups and mugs made by 30+ different potters. Different clay bodies, glazes, textures, colors, forms, styles, stamps, alterations, techniques, and firing methods… This is a chance to see a wide variety of cups and mugs, pick out a favorite (or two), buy a gift (or three), and bring handmade ceramics into your everyday life.

Mark your calendars, and we’ll see you in September!