The Northwest Arts Center presents “The Dog & Pony Show II,” an exhibition by artists Walter Piehl and Doug Pfliger, on view from Feb. 16 to March 30. This iconic series of works from Piehl and Pfliger, including mixed media painting and sculpture, playfully intertwine in a dynamic display of color, line, and shape.

The show features works from the “Walter Piehl Retrospective: 1967-2018.” Nationally recognized as one of North Dakota’s premier painters, Piehl is an aficionado of history and art with a lifelong passion for Western Americana that stems from his upbringing in a ranching family that rode horses, raised stock, and participated in rodeos. Continuing to be as prolific as ever, Piehl is including recent paintings alongside pieces from the Retrospective.

His paintings, which demonstrate a unique blend of Western and contemporary artistic styles, have been shown at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art, the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Museum of the American Cowboy, the Missoula Art Museum, and the Yellowstone Art Museum, among many other galleries throughout the Southwest and Midwest. The Plains Art Museum held Piehl’s first major retrospective in 2003, followed by the Northwest Arts Center and the North Dakota Museum of Art in 2018. Donated by Piehl to Minot State University in 2019, the Retrospective continued to tour through North Dakota and Montana through 2022 and is now back in Minot.

Accompanying the Retrospective will be an exhibition of mixed media paintings and sculptures by Pfliger, former Minot State professor. Inspired by a cowboy and bucking bronco emblazoned bandana purchased in a vintage store, Pfliger’s “Bandana-rama” series uses iconic western imagery documented from vintage and contemporary sources. Some of the images even found their way between Piehl and Pfliger as the two traded materials. The finding and documentation of these images became the core for the series, and of course the title for the exhibit is a play on the 1980’s English Pop group.

“Doug’s Dogs” series started in 2005 as a fluke.  Several prototypes of the series had been constructed and submitted to a fundraiser for the Taube Museum of Art. The dogs were well received, and with many having been outbid, they wanted more. Doug agreed to make them, and their popularity continues to this day. The dog’s folksy quality is intentional, but their individual character was quite serendipitous. People began asking for other animals and soon other animals were added to the menagerie. In 2022 Pfliger reached the goal of having made 350 since their 2005 inception.

Humor has always been significant in Pfliger’s art, which tends to the whimsical and narrative. As Pfliger says, “I like working in a variety of themes and series in an attempt to both amuse and create dialogue.”

While at the Northwest Arts Center, the exhibitions are available for viewing Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1-5 p.m. It is closed holidays. The Walter Piehl Gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library at Minot State University, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The exhibition and related events are free and open to the public.

The North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD) at Minot State University received funds from three local agencies: Power of the Purse, Minot Area Community Foundation, and Minot Daily News, to assist MSU-enrolled students in the ASTEP program with transportation needs.

Advancing Students Toward Education and Employment Program (ASTEP) is a two-year program at MSU designed to assist students with disabilities transition from high school to college discovering life skills related to employment, academics, social interactions, and independent living skills.

“These funds will help support ASTEP students using public transportation to get to and from their community employment. Community jobs are critical for students to develop and practice their employment skills.  These employment opportunities lead to increased success after students graduate from ASTEP and continue to work in their communities.” said Tracey Olson, ASTEP project director. “These funds will also provide students with training and guided practice on how to navigate and stay safe when using public transportation. This is a great opportunity for students to learn this important independent living skill.” 

Have you ever wanted to learn an instrument and be part of a band? If so, you are in luck.

Minot State University’s Division of Performing Arts is hosting another season of the Minot Beginning Community Band (MBCB).

David Rolandson, associate professor of music, director of bands, and MBCD director, is an advocate for music education and community development.

“I am excited to continue bringing high-quality music instruction to the greater Minot region,” he said. “This unique opportunity allows beginning and novice musicians the opportunity to learn or reengage in music alongside their peers in a group setting. Music is very often a communal activity, and that piece can be lost when students are only taking private lessons and making music by themselves.”

MBCD provides beginning and novice instrumentalists with quality instruction and the opportunity to be a part of a concert band with other beginning performers from the community. The program provides learning opportunities for budding musicians ages 13 and up who want to learn or relearn the building blocks of music and performance.

Rehearsals have been held on Saturdays with the first hour spent in sectional and small groups with lessons from MBCD instructors. A final concert will be held in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on April 23 at 3 p.m.

Minot State University welcomed junior and senior students enrolled in the Aspire Scholars Program for a day of events to help them prepare for a career in education.

Aspire Day of Learning was Feb. 8 and helped students explore teacher education, early childhood education, special education, and speech-language pathology. Minot State faculty and education majors led students through several interactive sessions.

"We are very excited to welcome potential future educators to campus for a day of celebrating the profession of teaching,” said Lisa Borden-King, Minot State professor and head of the MSU Teacher Education Unit. “We sincerely believe that this program will help to engage high school students in the profession of teaching and thereby increase the number of individuals pursuing education as a career."

The first-ever group of Aspire Scholars are currently enrolled in a special education class through Minot State. The University has designed the Aspire Scholars Program to partner with North Dakota K-12 districts in identifying and training high school students who aspire to be educators. This collaborative effort aims to address shortages in teaching fields in North Dakota.

This program is possible through MSU’s partnership with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the Bush PIPELINE grant, and all tuition, fees, and textbooks are supplied to the students at no cost via the grant.

Beginning in Fall 2023, Minot State will have a men’s soccer club participating in the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). Former MSU women’s soccer coach Jason Spain has been hired to lead the club’s efforts. Information about how students can join, schedule, etc. coming soon.

On Thursday, March 23, Denise Lajimodiere, North Dakota poet and retired assistant professor of educational leadership at NDSU, will visit our campus. The following events are free and open to the public:

• From 3-4 p.m., on the main floor of the library, Professor Lajimodiere will take part in a discussion of her book "His Feathers Were Chains." Lizzy LeRud, associate professor of literature and rhetoric at MSU, will lead this discussion.
• At 7 p.m., on the third floor of Swain Hall, Professor Lajimodiere will read from her poetry. 

The library has a limited number of copies of Professor Lajimodiere’s book His Feathers Were Chains. Contact  JANE LA PLANTE, library director, to secure your free copy.

The Minot State Academic Hall of Fame Committee is requesting solicitation of nominations through March 5. Induction into the Academic Hall of Fame honors meritorious service in an academic discipline and highlights the accomplishments of our most distinguished alumni. Nominations may be made by any individual or organization, either within Minot State University or from the community at large. Please visit the following link for further information and the nomination form MSU - ACADEMIC HALL OF FAME. Members of the Academic Hall of Fame Committee who may be contacted for additional information include Kristi Berg, Krystal St. Peter, and Bilal Ab Bakr.  

The Minot State University Division of Science is looking for volunteers to assist with the Regional Science Olympiad for middle school and high school students that will be hosted on the MSU campus on Monday, March 13 (the Monday of Spring Break).

Event supervisors are responsible for making sure each event is ready. In some cases that requires writing tests, preparing activities, having materials ready to make measurements, and so on. Supervisors and other volunteers (assistants, proctors, etc.) are still needed for the following events:

• Middle School (Division B)
  • Storm he Castle Division B, Swain Pedagogy Lab, 9:40-10:40 a.m.
  • Write Do It Division B, Cyril Moore Room 111, 12-1 p.m.
  • Fast Fact Division B, Cyril Moore Room 311, 1:10-2:10 p.m.
• High School (Division C)
  • Scrambler Division C, Swain Pedagogy Lab, 8:30-10:40 a.m.
  • Detector Building Division C, Cyril Moore Room 311, 9:40-10:40 a.m.
  • It's About Time Division C, Cyril Moore Room 112, 10:50-11:50 a.m.
  • Trajectory Division C, Swain Pedagogy Lab, 10:50-11:50 a.m.
  • Fermi Questions Division C, Old Main Room 106B, 12-2:10 p.m.
  • Write It, Do It Division C, Cyril Moore 111, 1:10-2:10 p.m.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact BOB CRACKEL. He can provide you with the Guidelines and Rules for each of the events.

It’s time to start planning for Summer 2023 College for Kids.  As always, I’m really looking forward to summer and the amazing camps we can offer for the kids in our community.  Please feel free to share this opportunity with any talented friends and family you may have!  I have attached the PROPOSAL FORM for you to fill out. I’d like to have the proposals back by March 10. Thanks in advance for being part of such a wonderful opportunity for the kids in our area. 

Interested in the progress being made in Hartnett Hall? Would you like to know what is involved in the construction management process? Sign up for a tour! Tours are currently set for every other Friday at 2 p.m. and are limited to 10 people. To reserve your spot in a tour group, sign up HERE.

Northwest Arts Center
The gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The arts center is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 1-5 p.m., and by special arrangement. It is closed holidays.

• The Dog & Pony Show II: The Northwest Arts Center presents “The Dog & Pony Show II,” an exhibition by artists Walter Piehl and Doug Pfliger, on view from Feb. 16 to March 30. This iconic series of works from Piehl and Pfliger, including mixed media painting and sculpture, playfully intertwine in a dynamic display of color, line, and shape.

Flat Tail Press
Flat Tail Press is an educational printmaking studio at Minot State University. The gallery is located in the landing space on second and third floor of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-12 a.m.

Dan Conn, teacher education and kinesiology, has been named a sub-awardee for a large grant through the National Science Foundation. The grant supports a six-state alliance called Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities for Leadership in Education and STEM (CIRCLES). For his part, Conn will collaborate with colleagues for North Dakota State University and Indigenous communities across North Dakota to create culturally relevant STEM curriculum as well as provide training and professional development to middle school teachers that teach Native American students. The grant is for five years, and Minot State will receive $292,228 to support Conn’s contributions. You can learn more about the grant by visiting the CIRCLES Alliance WEBSITE.

Emerson Eads, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, has a newly completed 30-minute song cycle published by North Star Music. The song cycle, "Everywhere is Archipelago," for soprano and piano, was commissioned by soprano, Terri Eickel. Eads set four poems of Connecticut Poet Laureate, Margaret Gibson: "From the Very First Not a Thing Is, Dirt, Coyote, and Global Warming," to complete the piece. Stay tuned for information regarding the world premiere. For more information on "Everywhere is Archipelago," see Eads' WEBSITE.

Eads' cantata, "…from which your laughter rises," has been named a national semifinalist in The American Prize in Composition - choral music (professional division) in 2023. A companion to his "Mass for the Oppressed," this cantata, inspired by Kahil Gibran's poem "On Joy and Sorrow," was written for the mothers of the Fairbanks Four - four Alaskan native men who spent 18 years in prison for a murder they did not commit. The 20-minute cantata is for mezzo-soprano, oboe, mixed choir, and orchestra, with text from the bible and poetry by Eads' brother Evan Eads. The recording was released in Fall 2022 on the one-year anniversary of the sudden deaths of his conducting mentor, Carmen-Helena Tellez, and friend, oboist and producer, Thomas Moore. To hear the cantata, see Eads' WEBSITE.

Samuel Stinson, assistant professor of rhetoric and writing in the Division of World Languages and Cultural Studies, has just had his book chapter entitled “A body hast thou prepared me: Algorithmic Suture, Gamic Memory, and (Co-)creating a Rhetorical Network of Identity Trauma in Final Fantasy VII” published in "The World of Final Fantasy VII: Essays on the Game and Its Legacy," edited by Jason C. Cash and Craig Olen, McFarland Press. When you run in to him, give Stinson a gamer high five.

Amber Bell, administrative assistant in the Registrar’s Office, is January winner of the Staff Senate High Five Award. She is pictured HERE with MSU President Steven Shirley and Staff Senate Vice President Tiffany Pierson. Bell has been with Minot State since August 2022.

Maleeha Latif has been selected as our new director of international programs. Latif has been an adjunct instructor in the College of Business at Minot State University since 2019. She has also been an instructor in MSU First Year Experience classes, including the learning community designed for international students.

Doug Tiedman, senior instructional designer for the office of instructional technology, has been appointed as chairperson for the NDUS Blackboard Operational Governance Committee. This committee provides all oversight and decision making to the functional and technical operation of the NDUS single instance of Blackboard. Tiedman previously served as secretary for this committee prior to his appointment as chair. He will serve as chairperson for the spring, summer, and fall 2023 semesters.

Alaric Williams began as Minot State’s assistant vice president for academic affairs on Feb. 15. He is excited to begin and to get to know the campus community. Williams can be reached by EMAIL or by phone at 701-858-4335. His office is located on the second floor of Administration in the same hallway as payroll.

Mark Vernon, a senior in biology, was awarded the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium's Space Grant Student Fellowship in the amount of $3,600 for a proposal titled "Efficacy of Bait-Lure Combinations in Attracting Weasels and other Mustelidae in North Dakota." The fellowship was awarded as a stipend to conduct research in Chad Williamson's wildlife ecology lab during Spring 2023.

The Gordon B. Olson Library has been awarded a $2,000 Library Vision Grant from the North Dakota State Library for the purchase of ebooks and audiobooks.