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get by water

A true water sign, Al heads for rivers, lakes and oceans to find rest and refreshment.
This lifelong practice shows up in his glass work, especially in recent large forms.
A trio of River Pools, for example, formed the centerpiece of a solo exhibition.
Splash and Sound Wave garnered top awards in group shows.

It’s poetic that Al was commissioned to help create a baptismal font for use at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

To realize their vision of a simple basin evoking water, Al crafted a glass model for approval. The scale of the liturgical space determined that the finished basin should be an expansive two feet across.

Minnesota sculptor John Sterner would craft a metal base to support the work.

Although he typically works solo to realize his designs, the challenging size of this piece offered Al the opportunity to assemble a team of skilled and trusted glass artists for the task.

Big thanks are due to Todd Cameron, Derek Hostetler and Ty Pratumwon, along with Emily McBride, Tom Maras and Isaac Theobald, who gathered one summer evening at Minnesota Center for Glass Arts to get the job done! Finished size: 24″ wide and 10″ deep. Mackenzie Serwa took the fantastic in-studio images.

The finished basin:

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Erin’s art at Al’s

Since we first saw Erin Goedtel’s elegant and mighty canvases a few years back, we’ve hoped to someday show them with Al’s sculptural glass. Erin’s paintings and Al’s glass share a sense of generous scale and brave style.

When time came to fit out the biggest white wall at Al’s new Center City showroom, Erin was the first call. Over summer, we’ve been getting to know two large canvases from this art professor, caricaturist and all around art adventurer.

Both are works in oil and acrylic from Erin’s High Horse series. They are rich in detail, with complex imagery that evokes ceremony, competition, memory, but also offers pure enjoyment in color and movement.

Barrel Racers is on loan, while Full Rein is ready and waiting to be installed in the right venue.

Through August, a visit with these paintings is another great reason to stop in at

Alan Honn Glass.
320 Summit Avenue, Center City MN

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS, noon-6pm; by appointment, alanhonnglass@gmail.com

Erin on the High Horse Series:

“I play with and exploit American female cultural stereotypes in my work, such as the Midwestern cowgirl, and the pageant queen. One seems more natural or “authentic”, while the other artificial and manufactured. The tension that is created from overlaying these types of characters mimics an inner struggle for feminine identity.”

Read more at eringoedtel.com

About the artist:

Erin Goedtel is a multidisciplinary artist and educator. She has a 
BFA in Painting in from the University of Wisconsin Stout (2003)
and an MFA from Indiana University (2011).  After college she has 
continued to work as a creative professional in the arts, music, and
feature film industry, creating work for clients that include Prince, 
Elton John, The Coen Brothers, and Miranda Lambert.  In the
past ten years she has served as Gallery Director at Gallery 120 at
Inver Hills Community College, and taught art and design courses
at Inver Hills, the Perpich Center for Arts Education, and Winona
State University. Currently, she teaches painting and drawing at
the University of Wisconsin Stout.  

Find more information about Erin’s work at eringoedtel.com

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December 2020

This holiday season, we’re thankful for quite a lot, and for the privilege of getting to know Squire House Gardens in Afton MN when Al placed a mix of vases there. Squire House offers gifts & goods for home & garden, and is a longtime holiday shopping destination.

 

And please support these other great Minnesota galleries this season:

W2, The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul MN

Gustaf’s Galleries, Lindstrom MN

Austin ArtWorks, Austin MN

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pivot

In the meantime, at Alan Honn Glass:

 

 

 

Sound Wave, first in Al’s current series of hand drums, earned the Visual Arts Committee Award at this year’s ArtReach St. Croix Member Show in Stillwater, MN. ArtReach has done a great job producing events in unusual circumstances this year, maintaining tradition while innovating.

 

 

Al was invited to participate in Cream of the Crop, a virtual Minnesota State Fair art and music experience. The online event provided an opportunity to launch an online store, with an improvised collection shot outside in the sunshine. Photography is next on the to-do list, with a goal of updating the shop progressively. Find it at alanhonnglass.square.site/s/shop

 

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MMXX

 

 

 

Alan Honn Glass was at work New Years Day, delivering a piece from a new series to the exhibition Beginnings at artZ in Amery WI. It’s been a pleasure to partner with the team at this cool art space over the last year and a great chance to explore the local scene.

 

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After many years, Al took the opportunity to return to a favorite form during a January workshop with visiting glass master Rob Stern at Foci – Minnesota Center for Glass Arts.

About the work:

Forever attracted to light, intrigued by sound and its relationship to form and the elusive containment of glass, I began creating drums in 1988, utilizing the full spectrum of energy available through practicing Reiki. I’m very happy to rekindle the making of these forms and am pleased that I was able to increase their size.

 

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Looking ahead, Al is honored to be included on the roster of fine makers at
60 Artists on 50th
Burroughs Community School; 1601 W 50th Street, Minneapolis MN
April 4, 2020
Details to come, HERE