Susan Warner in her studio with
part of the UTOC art piece
Listen to an interview
with artist Susan Warner
Interview taped 01/31/04
(presented in Window Media .wma format)
Dedication of Public Art Set for UMC's Ag-Arama January 31
A special feature of the
University of Minnesota, Crookston’s Ag-Arama activities this Saturday, January 31, will be the dedication of new public artwork located in the large entrance foyer area in the University Teaching and Outreach Center (UTOC) on the north edge of the campus. Susan Warner, a mosaic and terra cotta tile artist from Minneapolis, has created a display of painted tiles that surround the entrance to the arena. Each tile is hand painted and represents some aspect of agriculture.The dedication for this artwork will be held in the foyer of UTOC during the Ag-Arama Awards Ceremony, which starts at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 31. Warner is scheduled to attend the event. All those attending Ag-Arama and others from the community are invited to join in this special celebration.
Warner said she hoped to “depict the land, the people, the way of life that defines the area as well as the unique educational aspects of a polytechnic university. It is my interest to convey the importance of partnerships between the University, farmers, and the community-at-large through outreach and extension programs.”
above: the art piece as it appears in UTOC
at the entrance to the arena.
below: another piece is displayed above the doors at the south end
of the foyer above the exit doors
(click for larger, detailed images)
The process of developing the UMC public artwork began over ten years ago when UTOC was being designed, as a certain amount of money was set aside from the construction budget for public artwork. A campus art committee was formed, and several proposals and models for abstract sculpture were presented. None of the proposals was deemed suitable, and it was decided that the artwork needed to somehow represent UMC’s tie to agriculture.
At about that time Susan Warner had been commissioned by an art committee in Red Lake Falls to create two mosaic tile works for the city, and her completed work was favored by the UMC Art Committee. She developed a proposal, which was soon accepted. Warner is a sought-after artist and needed to fit the UMC project in around other art projects commissioned by the City of
Minneapolis. The end result, however, is something the campus is quite proud of.“It’s been an honor to work on this project,” said Warner. “I’ve met extraordinary educators who have informed and inspired my work.”
Warner has completed art pieces for the Elwell Park redesign in Minneapolis, the Founder’s Monument and Plaza in
Red Lake Falls, the Hampden Park Co-op, the St. Cloud Travel Information Center, and the Minneapolis-Ibaraki City Cultural Center, among others.In 2001 she earned a Committee on Urban Environment (CUE) Award for her Metris Creates project, in which she developed and implemented an education program in Minneapolis area schools and communities creating collaborative public art tile pieces, both two- and three-dimensional. The project continued in 2002 and 2003 with pieces for a larger-than-life urban garden with “over-the-top” birdhouses, garden gates, and birdbaths. The tile pieces were exhibited and auctioned at the Uptown Art Fair, with proceeds going to fund the arts in the participating schools.
Posted 01/27/2004
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435