Innovative eco art exhibit fills four gallery spaces at CSB and SJU

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Visual Arts Series  is pleased to announce Eco Byway, a juried exhibition that focuses on the byways, or alternative pathways, of sustainable art practices. The exhibit features the work of 35 artists who live or work along the Interstate 94 corridor and included individual and group entries.

Eco Byway will be on display through Sept. 10 in the Gorecki Gallery and Gallery Lounge in the Benedicta Arts Center of the College of Saint Benedict and the Alice R. Rogers and Target Galleries at the Saint John's University Art Center. 

The I-94 corridor runs through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. Artists along this corridor were asked to consider three major factors in contemporary eco-art: material burden, social impact and aesthetic recycling. Artists selected for the exhibit represent an array of media, materials and conceptual perspectives. Entries were juried by environmental artists Christine Baeumler and Peter L. Johnson.

"As jurors, we were struck by the variety of responses and visions, as well as the inventive use of recycled and re-purposed materials. As a result, there was not a single criteria that could be applied to all the submissions," said Baeumler and Johnson in a written statement "The artists we selected for the exhibition stood out in their ability to inventively engage with the land through the strength of their ideas, choice of materials, technical approaches and, ultimately, an ability to effectively communicate their message. As a whole, the exhibition challenges each of us to reconsider the way we relate to the earth as well as our responsibility to the places we call home."

A reception and award presentation will be held on Saturday, June 25 at both the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University - from noon-2 p.m. in the Saint John's Art Center, and from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Benedicta Arts Center, College of Saint Benedict.

Winners of the following categories will be announced at the receptions: Most Original Consideration of Material Burden, Most Innovative Social Impact and Most Extraordinary Aesthetic Recycling.

College of Saint Benedict gallery hours are from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saint John's University gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. For more information on Eco Byway, please contact the Box Office at 320-363-5777 or the director of exhibitions at 320-363-5792.