Northwest Arts Center Opens Fall Semester with Three New Exhibitions

MINOT, N.D. – The Northwest Arts Center opens the fall semester at Minot State with multiple exhibitions featuring a diverse range of artwork. It is the 31st year for the INT’L All Media annual juried exhibition, on display concurrently with What The Print?, drawn from the MSU Collections, and the annual MSU NOTSTOCK Exhibition later in September.

INT’L All Media 2026, sponsored by the Northwest Arts Center, features 34 artworks by artists from the United States, Canada, Japan, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. From the first call for entries in 1995, the competition has brought diverse artwork “in all mediums, traditional and experimental,” to the University campus and greater Minot community. In addition to drawings, photography, sculpture, and painting, this year’s exhibit also includes an animated artist book and a short film.

Juror for INT'L All Media 2026 is ceramic sculptor Sarah J. Conti of Boise, Idaho. Conti's sculptures use birds as an access point to discuss social and environmental issues and spark conversation about climate change and humanity's impact on the earth. She earned her BFA from the University of Idaho, completed post-baccalaureate studies at the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the University of Montana, and co-founded Wildfire Ceramic Studio and Gallery in Missoula, Montana.

“When sorting through the submissions to make my final selections, I considered the technical prowess of the work and the conceptual fortitude of the ideas,” Conti states. “I continually asked myself: what is this work doing that is important in this time and in this place?”

Conti will be visiting the Minot State campus Sept. 10-11. In addition to working with students, she will be giving a public sculpture demonstration and workshop on her technique and process in the MSU Ceramics Studio in Pioneer Hall Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. Sculpting and clay tools will be provided, along with clay for each participant.

On Friday, Sept. 11, a public reception and online viewing of INT’L All Media 2026 with the juror will be held at 6:30 p.m. Conti will be giving a juror’s talk at 7 p.m., with an awards presentation to follow.

Prior to the reception, Conti will also be presenting on her own artistic journey in the Art Seminar Series on Friday, Sept. 11 at 12 p.m. Held in Hartnett Hall, room 106, Art Seminar presentations offer students and the public the opportunity to learn about the work, lives and experiences of guest artists visiting the University. The lecture is open to public audiences and often streamed live to the Northwest Arts Center social media channels.

Two other exhibitions share the galleries during August and September. First is What The Print?, an exhibition drawn from the Minot State University permanent collection. It showcases different printmaking techniques such as relief, silkscreen, lithography, and intaglio. These artworks are part of the Minot State University Permanent Art Collection, which consists of over 1,500 items including works on paper, paintings, sculpture, ceramics and textiles.

The latter half of September sees the return of the NOTSTOCK to the Northwest Arts Center. On view from Sept. 17 through Oct. 3, the exhibition is part of the annual Minot State University Arts Festival. It will feature prints, pottery, and poetry from this year’s guest artists: screenprinters Jake Rathkamp and Max Wesoloski, ceramicist Heather Lepp, and poet Grace (Ge) Gilbert.

While at the Northwest Arts Center, the exhibitions will be available for viewing Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1–5 p.m., until Saturday, Oct. 3. 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 Northwest Arts Center is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.