Three-Dimensional Artist Biographies
Brad Bachmeier, Fargo, N.D.
An American-style Raku ceramic piece behind Guest Services near the lower-level main entrance is the creation of Brad Bachmeier. His method is loosely derived from a 16th century Japanese firing technique in which pots are removed from the kiln when they are red hot and placed in a chamber of combustible materials such as grass, leaves, sawdust or paper. As the materials combust, the flames create surface effects such as lusters, metallics, crackles and smoky swirls. Through his study of Raku firing and eastern pottery, Brad has developed an appreciation for the Zen aesthetic.
"Some of these principles - asymmetry, naturalness, a sense of age, subtle depth and simplicity - create for me a connection with the rural prairie in North Dakota," he says.
Brad and his wife, Susan, both received their college degrees from Minnesota State University Moorhead before embarking on teaching careers. In addition to owning Bachmeier Pottery and Sculpture, Brad is the chair of the art department at Fargo North High School. Brad has received numerous awards for his work, as well as state, regional and national grants. His work is found in private and public collections including the North Dakota Governor's Mansion.
Dale Cook, Fargo, N.D.
Dale Cook has worked with wood for more than 25 years, but it wasn't until three years ago that he began turning out wood with a lathe. Today, one of his original wooden vases stands behind Guest Services in the lower level main entrance. The exquisite vase, shaped from the burly roots of a box elder from south of Hawley, Minn., is about 17 inches tall and 9 inches in diameter at the apex. The vase contains shades of red and orange, creamy white and dark brown brought to an almost wet-looking shine through a multi-step finishing process.
It's just one of the creations of the former northwest Minnesota native who now turns wood into art at Nature's Gifts Woodturning in Fargo. "The figures and colors unveiled in a piece influence the shape I create," Dale says. "This is probably the prettiest piece of wood that I've ever worked on in terms of the colors and the figures that are in it. It's extraordinary, even for a burl wood." Dale says he views his craft as an ongoing process of perfecting methods and using artistic creation to form unique pieces. His work is sold through Boerth's Gallery in Fargo and at local and regional art shows.
Dale and his wife, Joan, have two grown sons and live in Fargo.
Hans Gilsdorf, Detroit Lakes, Minn
At MeritCare Children's Hospital, Detroit Lakes, Minn. artist Hans Gilsdorf has created a whimsical place for children with special health care needs. Now he has turned his talents to interpreting the mission of MeritCare Health System into a tactile experience. Hans designed the spectacular five-panel piece that will command a 30-foot wall in our new main lobby, and orchestrated the collaboration of master woodworker Dwight Williams, ceramic artist J. Bracken Rourke and metal working brothers Brad and Corey Bohl.
When complete, the five panels will interpret the continuum of natural settings across the map of MeritCare's service area, representing not only our mission to serve people but also the environments they call home. Using stained glass, tile, metal, wood and other materials, the artists have depicted the colors and topographical features from the badlands of western North Dakota to the state's middle prairies, from the agricultural patterns of the Red River Valley to the lakes and forests of western and northwestern Minnesota.
"It's not extreme realism, but more of a multimedia geographic representation," Hans says. "These talented artists have created a spectrum of topographies that are very tactile, and we encourage people to touch them."
Hans has created special effects sets and costumes for Hollywood, shaped life-size animal sculptures for the blind at world-class zoos and sculpted realistic, full-size animals - from dinosaurs to wallabies and everything in between - for museums, parks and zoos across the country. He opened Gilly Art Studios in Detroit Lakes, Minn. in 1997.
Brad and Corey Bohl, Jamestown, N.D.
Brad and Corey Bohl, who inherited a love of metal working from their father, are both welders by trade, but are now making a living as full-time metal artists. Together they create unique, custom-designed steel sculptures and products at their shop, Bohl Iron Works, in Jamestown, N.D. For the past three years, they've been bending, welding and forming simple to extravagant steel archways, globes, business and residential signs and railings. "Whether it's simple or extravagant, we want to offer the customer something that is truly unique," Corey says.
J. Bracken Rourke, Fargo, N.D.
J. Bracken Rourke opened his business, Cotton Lake Ceramics, in Detroit Lakes, Minn. in 2000. He is the only custom-tile producer in the region. In addition to custom-designed ceramic art, Bracken creates framed and decorative tiles for everything from countertops to furniture to fireplaces. He's traveled all over the world and incorporated the influences of European architecture and the landscapes of the southwestern United States into his designs. Bracken, who earned his bachelor's degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. in 1989, has received numerous merit awards and a purchase award. He splits his time between studios in rural Detroit Lakes and Fargo. His work can be seen in numerous shops and galleries throughout the upper Midwest.
Dwight Williams, Fargo, N.D.
Dwight Williams, owner and craftsman at Smith Williams Studios, can duplicate existing objects or create new designs for anything his clients desire in wood, clay, metal or glass. He has more than 20 years of experience in specialty woodworking, and his projects have included everything from custom-designed furniture to assisting in building a village named Laffalot at MeritCare Children's Hospital to creating specialty display cases for the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora, N.D. In addition to his own art, Dwight has owned several small businesses, taught high school art in Breckenridge, Minn. and served as administrative director for the Plains Art Museum. He holds a bachelor's degree in art (sculpture and pottery) from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Jon Offutt, Fargo, N.D.
Jon Offutt brings the inspiration of the Roman God of Fire, Mulciber, to MeritCare behind Guest Services in the lower level entrance. Mulciber is a surname of the smith-god Vulcan, and it alludes to the softening of metals in his fiery forge.
Jon knows fiery forges. A nationally recognized visual artist who specializes in blown glass, he heats raw materials to temperatures over 2,000 degrees in his Fargo studio, the House of Mulciber. For over 20 years, he has been creating blownglass inspirations, which have been described as "symphonies of color, shape and energy." Jon has done nearly 50 public glassblowing demonstrations, including appearances at the Glass Art Society International conference in Asheville, N.C. and the St. Louis Art Fair in Missouri. He has participated in group exhibitions as far away as Denton, Texas, and Louisville, Ky., and presented solo exhibitions throughout the region. Jon's art also can be found in museum collections from Fargo to Lakeland, Fla.
He earned a bachelor's degree in studio art from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the glass program within the College of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Jon has been an Outreach Facilitator for North Dakota State University, Fargo, and has taught the art of glass blowing in a variety of other settings and institutions. He is the president of the Lake Agassiz Arts Council and a founding member of both the Fargo-Moorhead Visual Artists and New Bohemia North Dakota.
Michael Pettit, Dent, Minn.
Soft, metaphorical rains of an early midwestern summer splash and drip from a three-dimensional wrought iron and glass sculpture suspended from a wall near our new north main entrance. In Mike Pettit's three-dimensional sculpture, called Rainbows in the Raindrops, iron is shaped into rondels, or circular shapes, and glass pieces extended from it are raindrops that form a puddle below. The piece is the Dent, Minn. artist's first attempt at defining a new dimensional system through sculpture. "Instead of length, width, height and time, this view of the universe is composed of a point of existence, time lines, along with direction and distance from the time lines," says Mike, who uses glass created by John Olenes of Vining, Minn. for his sculptures. "Recognizing this design as rain was easy, considering the universal perception of rain as being a life-giving, hope-inspiring event."
Mike, who holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota, has shown his work in numerous individual and juried shows around the region. He's received fellowships and grants from the Lake Region Arts Council and the McKnight Foundation. He's been awarded honorariums from the Bemidji Community Sculpture Walk, the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, and the Ames, Iowa Sculpture Walk.
Charles Taube, Phoenix, Ariz.
A life-threatening accident in 1997 changed Charles Taube's life forever, causing him to pour his heart into his art. It's appropriate that his large, free-flowing hardwood sculpture of a heart resides on the third floor lobby overlook adjacent to our Heart Center. It is visible from the first floor of our new main entrance. The magnificent sculpture, called the Heart of Healing, is a gift from MeritCare Heart Center physicians and leadership team. Created from purple heart wood, this sculpture is made to be touched and enjoyed.
Charles has never had any formal education or training in art, but it has always been a part of his life. In 1996, he created his first threedimensional hardwood sculpture. The following year, after 28 years as a professional carpenter and successful business owner, he was injured on the job and lost 70 percent of the functionality in his left hand. Determined to pursue his new-found love of wood sculpting, he cut, laminated, shaped and polished his second piece only seven months after his accident. "I was searching for a deeper meaning to life before the accident, and it has brought a deeper meaning to my work," says Charles, who works in Phoenix, Ariz. "I've finally discovered my life's purpose as a full-time artist."
Each of Charles's contemporary sculptures is unique. He carefully selects kiln-dried hardwoods – like mahogany, purple heart, walnut, maple, ash or poplar - with special grain patterns and colors. Then, he works to bring out the distinctive character of each piece. "I want to capture the wood's movement, form and natural color," he says. "When I'm done, I want them to sing."