August Exhibition

Art Adventure and Exploration: 
“Expressions in Color”

Multi talented multi media artists, Kris Musto and Jeanne O’Melia are the featured artists during August in Cook, MN at Northwoods Friends of the Arts Gallery. “Expressions in Color“ begins Wednesday, August 3rd until Saturday, August 27th.

Meet the artists in person at the reception on Monday, August 8th from 4 to 6 p.m.. The NWFA Gallery is located at 210 S. River St. in Cook (next to Dreamweaver Salon).  View “Expressions in Color“ exhibit and the works of 30 artists during gallery open hours 10 to 4 each Wednesday, Thursday. and Friday.  On Saturdays the gallery doors open at 9 a.m. and closes at 1 p.m..

These two artists have exhibited at NWFA and taught classes since NWFA’s inception.  One exhibit in  Sept 2018 was called “Adventures With Jeanne and Kris”.  Another in 2018 was created and executed by Kris and Lyn Reed called “Aprons in April”.

Maybe you know these two art explorers and adventurers, Jean O’Melia and Kris Musto, who call Cook and Lake Vermilion home.….

Adventurer, Jeanne O’Melia, has actively contributed to events at NWFA each Spring, Summer and Fall as an arts teacher and a creator of parade floats.  Her art is profoundly interesting, paintings, sketch portraits, paper mache and “found object sculptures” created from objects collected on her various canoe trips or litter on the streets  in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica and San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico and even Cook.

O’Melia, In Winter,  hails from Illinois where she spent a lively childhood on a farm near Princeton. After teaching at Glenview Jr. High in East Moline, she founded Villa Montessori School. Later she taught Spanish in the PATS program in Moline and art as part of the Illinois Arts in Education Artist Roster program.

Kris Musto:  Simply complex! She is also an explorer, using paint, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography, handmade books, collage, fiber, fabric (Aprons!), printmaking, text and anything else within reach to make artwork about what she’s thinking and feeling. It’s a tricky thing to translate into visual images.  Kris has taught many a class at NWFA, recently the Frida Kahlo artist study class.  She holds a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and has worked in MCAD Admissions since 1999.

Unafraid to tackle new mediums even though she is still working full time, she once created, the “Triple Apron” and dedicated it to the women of Cook.  “This apron is a shield against harm, annoyance, fear and self-doubt.  Sewn with Grandma’s sewing machine by the lake and full of joy, fun, love and protection!