Anderson Center celebrates 15 years

The Anderson Center will celebrate its silver anniversary Jan. 22 with a reception and the opening of an exhibition featuring works by local, regional and national artists.

“The Anderson Center: A Celebration of 15 Creative Years” is free and open to everyone, director Robert Hedin said. “This is very much open to the public,” he said. People who come “will find something Red Wing can be very proud of.”

The reception, starting at 6 p.m. in the historic main residence, will feature puffed rice treats, a version of A. P. Anderson’s original recipe which debuted at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Anderson invented the process for “puffing” grains that led to the marketing of puffed rice and puffed wheat cereals.

The exhibition opening will follow at 7 p.m. in the main building.

“All the wonderful things the Anderson Center has accomplished in the last 15 years will be on display,” Hedin said, “from the global reach of its residency program to the center’s award-winning restoration efforts of the Tower View estate.”

The event will include open studios, live musical entertainment, and two floors of galleries filled with artwork by dozens of artists, “who have helped make the Anderson Center such a unique and special place,” he said.

Featured will be large displays by Anderson Center artists. Among them are glassblower Gail Dahlberg; potters Julie DeVetter, Angela Foley, and Sheri Buckzo; publisher Scott King; metal sculptors Max Cora and Erik Legrey; painters Lynn Brown, Gita Ghei, Art Kenyon, Nancy Murphy, Ardee Rosasco and Peggy Simonson.

“I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that we would have done what we have accomplished in 15 years,” Hedin said.

“We realized we first had to restore this wonderful old estate,” he explained, “then start building.”

Additions include new studios for on-site artists, relocation of a historic granary to the estate, and inclusion of artists in ongoing and month-long residencies.

“The very last piece of this wonderful puzzle is restoration of the barn and silo, two of the original structures of the Tower View farm,” Hedin said. Drawings and plans for that project will be on display at the anniversary gathering.

Visitors also will be able to see some great 20th century artists’ works that are part of the Anderson Center’s permanent art collection. Included are works by Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Warhol, and Matisse.

“The center’s permanent art collection is one of the finest of its kind in rural Minnesota,” said Sean Dowse, chairman of the Anderson Center Board. “It’s a great addition to the cultural life of Red Wing.”

People can go on self-guided tours of all the buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the main residence with its distinctive Georgian Revival architecture, cherry woodwork and decorative painting. They can climb the landmark water tower and tour the galleries and studios, and view an array of historic photos and a never-before-seen display of the first cereal experiments by A. P. Anderson.

Other features include large displays by the Tower View Alternative High School, the Sheldon Theatre Scene Shop, the Red Wing Environmental Learning Center, and the Red Wing Archaeology Field Station, all organizations that call the Anderson Center home.

“Taken as a whole, the exhibition tells a wonderful story,” Dowse said. “It depicts the many reasons why the Anderson Center has played such a vital role in the region’s cultural enrichment and Red Wing’s community life, and why it’s become such a prized destination for artists, writers, and scholars from around the world.”

“There have been a lot of supporters in Red Wing who have helped the Anderson Center tremendously,” Hedin added. “We are deeply appreciative of their hard work,” commitment and vision.

The center is on Highway 61 at Highway 19. Call (651) 388-2009 or visit the Web site www. andersoncenter.org.

Tags: arts and entertainment, anderson center, red wing, lifestyle, arts