All posts by Kordula Coleman

Out on the town! My sculptures in the wild.

My piece ‘What I am made of’ (see pictures below) was accepted into Fresh Eye gallery’s ‘Skin’, exhibit, curated by Christopher Harrison.
It means a lot to me that this piece has been accepted into the show. It’s a very personal piece visualizing my memories growing up in Germany, carrying the burden of my country’s Nazi history, and my father’s PTSD and mental illness. It also shows happy moments – my childhood was, like that of many others, dappled. But these experiences got under my skin, became part of me and it’s up to me what I do with them. A country controlled by a ruthless, self-serving and cruel government leaves many victims and causes much damage – some more subtle and longer reaching than the other. 
The exhibition will run through November 10 at
Fresh Eye Gallery, 4238 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis

Hours:
Thursday 11am – 5pm
Friday 11am – 6pm
Saturday 11am – 4pm
Sunday 11am – 4pm
Closed Monday through Wednesday

My Raku fired mixed media angel sculptures also will get an opportunity to shine. The tallest one, my piece ‘For they shall be comforted’, has been selected for the @artistry_mn ‘s 48th annual member show! I can’t wait to share it with a larger audience again – I am pretty proud of it, partially because it’s so tall (28 inches!) and I incorporated found objects.
There will be a reception and awards ceremony on Friday, November 8 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, where 11 awards will be given out.
Artistry was formerly called the Bloomington Center for the Arts, and is located in Bloomington just south of 494, and it will be a large show worth seeing.

The two smaller angel sculptures titled ‘Compassion’ and ‘Prayer’ , and also my busts ‘Safe with me’ and Blessing’, will be part of an exhibition I’m really excited about since it is at a venue in our NE neighborhood and a much beloved landmark – the Wolf House! This house with its outdoors wolf sculptures and adventurous architecture and interior design is worth seeing just by itself, but for the weekend of November 8 through 10, it will be filled with music, visual arts and poetry, for the Autumn Art-A-Whowl Opening weekend.
Please see link to the Facebook event page here,
and the event flyer below.

Sculpting Rock Royalty

I have been honored with a fan commission to sculpt the band ‘The Church’ – one of the great and immortal bands of our day. They have a large and devoted following all over the world, and also have touched the life of my husband and I in a very personal way – their album ‘Hologram of Baal’ was one of the soundtracks to us falling in love with each other on a music email list back in 1999! Their music has connected us with many other wonderful people as well, one of them is the person for whom I am making this commission.
The poses of the figures are loosely inspired by the captivating band photography of Anthony Collins (@supermoonphotodesign ) – the Greek column element was my idea, to add a dash of rock god atmosphere , but also a good support and base for the figures.
I will start sculpting the fourth figure soon. Follow me along on this journey!

Art-A-Whirl this weekend!


I’ll be at the Grain Belt Bottling House again, and I’m really looking forward to showing you my new body of work that has been inspired by the glorious Victorian grave monuments of London‘s Kensall Green cemetery. Hope to see you!
For more info on Art-A-Whirl 2024, please click on the link in my bio.

Grain Belt Bottling House
79 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis
Friday: 5pm – 10pm
Saturday: Noon – 8pm
Sunday: Noon – 5pm

If you’re going to San Francisco…

Great news – my piece ‘The Snow Queen’ has been accepted into ‘Fantasy’, a show at Arc Gallery San Francisco, juried by Philip Bewley. This is the first time my art has been shown outside of Minnesota, and to send it to my second favorite state is a great joy to me! Unfortunately, we won’t be able to go to the opening, since our younger daughter will be returning from Germany the same day. But you never know – maybe this show will open doors for me and there will be other show openings in California – let’s keep our fingers crossed 🙂
Another item of note is the 2024 Northeast Minneapolis Art-A-Whirl, which will take place May 17 to 19 all over Northeast Minneapolis.
I will be back at the Grain Belt Bottling House with many new pieces – some from my solo show last October at Viewpoint Gallery, and very recent angel sculptures that were inspired by the mesmerizing Victorian grave monuments of Kensal Green Cemetery, one of the ‘magnificent seven’ London graveyards. I have hugely enjoyed making them, while listening to Radiohead – somehow the two go really well together.
If you celebrate, have a wonderful and joyous Easter Holiday, and maybe I will see you at Art-A-Whirl!

My work in two shows!

I received word that my work got accepted into two separate shows!
My pieces ‘Nocturnal’ (see pic above) and ‘My Mama’s stories’ (see pic right below) will be part of the Northern Lights exhibition 2024 at the White Bear Center for the Arts in White Bear Lake, MN! I am very grateful that these two pieces are getting another chance to shine outside our house – I worked so hard on them.
The opening reception will be on Thursday, February 29, from 6:30-8:30 PM. The reception is free, but you meed to register for the event on the website: Register here.
The show will run from February 19 – March 29, 2024

The very personal and whimsical horse sculpture that I made in remembrance of my sister Roswitha, titled ‘Eden’ will be part of the ‘Defrost’ show at Fresh Eye Gallery in South Minneapolis. That opening reception will be Friday, February 23rd from 6-8pm, and the show will run from February 22 to March 31 2024.

A night to remember

The opening night of my solo show at Viewpoint Gallery was a wonderful experience. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to witness the sculpture collection I had made in honor of my late sister Roswitha with me! It was wonderful to share my art and my sister’s story with so many of you.
Wach sculpture had been inspired by a musical piece from a Spotify playlist I had made to work through my grief, and feel close to my sister. The list is public and if you want to give it a listen, go to Spotify and search for ‘Roswitha’s sculptures’.

During the artist talk on the following weekend, I demonstrated how a small angel head wallpiece can be sculpted. It was also a wonderful opportunity to connect with you, my friends and supporters, and share my process. Clay is easily available, non toxic and affordable. Anyone can start sculpting with clay, anytime and anywhere. You don’t need a studio or expensive tools – a sturdy table and kitchen utensils will do for starting out!

Upcoming Solo Show!

Drumroll – I have a date set for my solo show at Viewpoint Gallery in St. Paul – watercolor artist Suyao Tian’s beautiful gallery and workspace.
The opening reception will be Friday, November 10, from 5 to 9 pm, and my artist talk and sculpting demonstration will be Sunday, November 19 from 3 to 4 pm.
I am so excited! I’ve already created many pieces – the show has my late sister Roswitha’s life and passing as its theme, and each sculpture is inspired by a piece of music from the playlist I made in her honor, and to grieve her and think of her. This playlist will play during the opening and I can’t wait to hear it while seeing all these pieces together. It means so much to me that I will be able to celebrate my sister’s life and story with my community.
I hope you can make it to the opening or the artist talk – the show will run only for 10 days.

Art-A-Whirl 2023

Tired artist after one of the best ArtAWhirls yet! Thank you so much to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association and their countless volunteers for putting on this inspiring and energizing art get together that connects so many different artist with such a diverse group of visitors. Thanks to each and everyone who took the time and came out. I had the best and most surprising conversations with all kinds of people about art and life in general – what a treat! I sold two larger pieces both to patrons who deeply and irresistibly connected to them. What a huge honor – thank you!

49th Annual Northern Lights Juried Art Exhibition – I will be part of it!

My piece ‘The Snowqueen’ has been selected by the judges to be displayed in the Ford Family Gallery for the 49th Annual Northern Lights Juried Art Exhibition, held at White Bear Center for the Arts.
From the acceptance email:

“This year we received a record breaking number of entries to the competition: 389 artists submitted 833 pieces. You are commended on the quality and talent displayed in your artwork. “

Obviously, this made me very happy! The show is running from Monday, March 14 to Friday, April 14. I’d like to invite you to join me for the Northern Lights Juried Art Exhibition Community Reception on Thursday, March 30, from 6:30-8:30 PM with an award ceremony held at 7:00 PM. The judges will make a brief presentation of the awards and give their reflections on this year’s body of work. It is our hope that this will provide valuable insight for artists and audiences regarding the judges’ evaluation of the artwork and how they made their final selections.

This event is free, but registration is required, so please click on the above link to register.

Hope to see you there!!!

Staying rad!

This just in – my piece ‘Baggage’, a self portrait of myself as a teenager, has been accepted into Fresh Eye Gallery’s ‘Revolutionary – the feminine perspective beyond 50’, a show featuring works of artists identifying as female, aged 50 or older. 
The show will run February 15 through March 25, and the opening reception will be Friday, February 17, from 6 – 8 pm.
I applaud the focus of this show – it can be hard to stay visible and feel relevant as a woman/female artist past the age of 50. Our society is so often  drawn to the reassuring vigor and confidence that younger people can project, versus the more weathered, quiet strength and aging bodies of middle age.
The interesting thing is that I personally feel a lot stronger, resilient, vibrant and at peace now than I did when I was younger. Maybe this show will help open a window into the riches and rewards that middle and old age can offer.

Fresh Eye Gallery
4238 Nicollet Ave (tap for directions)
Minneapolis

In other news – there still are some lovely little items left in my online shop. If you’re looking for a beautiful, locally made Valentine’s Day present, or for something to get excited about in these long winter months, take a look.

#figurativeclay #kordulacolemansculptures #minneapolisart