The Art Legacy Project
The Art Legacy Project showcases the artists who established our dynamic art community and emphasizes how their legacy will continue through artists and art organizations. Many members of the community possess cherished artwork, hoping it will eventually be passed on to someone who values it and honors the artists who contributed to the community.
Additionally, some artists wish to donate their works from their estate for the benefit of future artists. The proceeds from the sale of these donated pieces will help ensure a sustainable future for creative endeavors of all kinds in the Bemidji area.
Keep reading to see a few artists whose legacy will indeed live on through the Bemidji Area Arts Endowment.
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Eugene Dalzotto
Eugene studied art history and printmaking, graduating with a BA from Indiana University and later earning his MFA from the University of Iowa, where he studied under Mauricio Lasansky and the famed sculptor Ossip Zadkine. Eugene came to Bemidji in 1958 to teach and eventually chair the Visual Arts department at BSU. He was a full professor and taught classes in art history, painting, and printmaking. A master printmaker and a creative, gifted artist, he left a legacy of artwork in several museums, buildings, and private collections.
Paula Swenson
Paula was an active artist in the Bemidji art community and had exhibits both nationally and internationally. In her words, "Artwork is a process of inspiration, mediation, creation, interpretation, and intuition. Mystery is essential to art and to life, it is what keeps us questioning and questing."
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Pat Shough
Pat was a vibrant colorist who brought her creative spontaneity to life in works of watercolor and acrylic.
She painted under the name "Sillimandi," harkening back to her family's history in Italy. Pat began painting after her retirement and became a well-known artist in the Bemidji area.
Marlon Davidson
& Don Knudson
For over 50 years, Marlon and Don have been creating collaborative art pieces. Don is a wood sculptor and furniture maker, while Marlon is a painter, collage artist, printmaker, and art educator. Both have exhibited widely and have works in private and public collections regionally, nationally, and internationally.
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John Lembi
John was curious about how things functioned and how they were built. He worked in the trades before starting his art education and painting career in San Francisco. He moved to Bemidji in 2005, where he became involved in the planning of the Watermark Art Center.
He had a wide range of interests including watercolor, pastels, oils, clay, metal, and woodworking. These diverse explorations resulted in the design and fabrication of Arts and Crafts-inspired furnishings and stained glass light fixtures.
Marley Kaul
Marley Kaul grew up on a family farm in Good Thunder, MN, where he experienced the rhythms of agrarian life, which deeply influenced his artistic vision. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in secondary art education at Mankato State. He accepted a one-year teaching position at Bemidji State University that turned into a thirty-year tenure where he inspired generations of students in painting and drawing. He had a prolific painting career, producing more than 500 works, and exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the Midwest.
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Joan Wilson
Joan has been drawing since she a child and started painting at the age of 10. She enjoys studying art as much as creating it and has explored many mediums, including cabinetry, sign making, funky sewing projects, leather work, bead work, and quill work. As a painter, when she approaches a canvas, she begins with an idea and then lets the painting dictate every move, referring to it as "painting the painting." It's about creating something and learning new things each time.
Pamela Nelson
Local artist Pam Nelson explored watercolor at the Minnetonka Art Center before moving to Bemidji in 1981. Here she met the people in Northern Artists Society who were instrumental in teaching the myriad techniques of watercolor.
Nelson, a graduate of Ohio University in Interior Design, and several of her artist friends opened a co-op 501(c) (3) called Gallery North, which was devoted to emerging and established artists. Their mission was to promote art and benefit the Bemidji area. Gallery North, now called Loon Country Arts Collaborative, continues this
mission today.
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Lyn Dewsbury
As a self-taught artist, her passion has been to create lasting images of the things that surround her. She believes it is important to chronicle the place where she lives on the Fond du Lac Reservation, as well as the history and culture of the Ojibwe people.