Beck and His Students: An Alumni Art Exhibit

May 15, 2023 - September 16, 2023
9 AM - 5 PM
Add to Calendar 2023-05-15 09:00:00 2023-09-16 17:00:00 Beck and His Students: An Alumni Art Exhibit Charles Beck, at the time of his retirement from M State in 1987.  In recognition of what would have been Charles Beck’s 100th birthday this year, M State is presenting “Beck and His Students: An Alumni Art Exhibit.” From May 15 through September 15, this unique student/teacher exhibition will be shown in Beck’s namesake gallery on the college’s Fergus Falls campus, the Charles Beck Gallery. M State’s collection of works by Beck – the most extensive in the area – will be showcased, along with rarely seen pieces including earlier abstracts, oil paintings, a lithograph, oil sketches and carvings. These works will be shown alongside the recent paintings of five of Beck’s former students: Chuck Christianson, Mary Guttormson Erickson, Jim Fletcher, Scott Gunvaldson and Bruce Thompson. Exhibition-goers are encouraged to walk the halls of the campus, where many of Beck’s works can be found, including a mural in the library and a carved wood mural in the science wing. With support from the Fergus Area College Foundation, a public reception for the exhibition will be held at the gallery on Thursday, July 27 from 4-6 p.m., with comments from the featured artists at 5:15 p.m. The exhibition is part of “2023: A Year of Beck,” a broader, year-long collaborative effort with Kaddatz Galleries and the Otter Tail County Historical Society in Fergus Falls, and the Rourke Art Gallery and Museum in Moorhead, to honor Beck’s legacy. “A Year of Beck” includes several art exhibitions as well as an exhibition tour, hands-on community art classes and workshops, and a summer block party in downtown Fergus Falls.   M State M State America/Chicago public

Charles Beck
Charles Beck, at the time of his retirement from M State in 1987.

 

In recognition of what would have been Charles Beck’s 100th birthday this year, M State is presenting “Beck and His Students: An Alumni Art Exhibit.” From May 15 through September 15, this unique student/teacher exhibition will be shown in Beck’s namesake gallery on the college’s Fergus Falls campus, the Charles Beck Gallery.

M State’s collection of works by Beck – the most extensive in the area – will be showcased, along with rarely seen pieces including earlier abstracts, oil paintings, a lithograph, oil sketches and carvings. These works will be shown alongside the recent paintings of five of Beck’s former students: Chuck Christianson, Mary Guttormson Erickson, Jim Fletcher, Scott Gunvaldson and Bruce Thompson.

Exhibition-goers are encouraged to walk the halls of the campus, where many of Beck’s works can be found, including a mural in the library and a carved wood mural in the science wing.

With support from the Fergus Area College Foundation, a public reception for the exhibition will be held at the gallery on Thursday, July 27 from 4-6 p.m., with comments from the featured artists at 5:15 p.m.

The exhibition is part of “2023: A Year of Beck,” a broader, year-long collaborative effort with Kaddatz Galleries and the Otter Tail County Historical Society in Fergus Falls, and the Rourke Art Gallery and Museum in Moorhead, to honor Beck’s legacy. “A Year of Beck” includes several art exhibitions as well as an exhibition tour, hands-on community art classes and workshops, and a summer block party in downtown Fergus Falls.