BRAINERD — The Crossing Arts is honoring artist Evelyn Matthies with an exhibition of her work.
The exhibition, Joyful Expression, will feature an array of Matthies’ different pieces. A vibrant and enthusiastic voice for the arts, Matthies shaped generations of creators in the community. This collection is on display at The Crossing Arts Gallery in downtown Brainerd until Aug. 8.
A reception and celebration of the life and work of Matthies will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 10, at The Crossing Arts. The event is free and open to the public, though donations are welcome.
Matthies was an artist first but always an educator. After beginning her career in elementary education, she shifted to arts education when she and her husband Bill moved to Brainerd in 1959, both teaching in the Brainerd School District. In the 1960s she joined Central Lakes College, where she led the arts department for more than 30 years. A founding member and former president of The Crossing Arts,
continues to ripple through the region’s creative landscape.
Joyful Expression showcases the breadth of Matthies’ artistic exploration, with watercolor — her lifelong home medium — at the center. Her work reflects the movement, freedom, and bright character she carried into every classroom and every canvas.
This event is sponsored, in part, by the voters of Minnesota through grants from Five Wings Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
The Crossing Arts’ gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. The Crossing Arts is a 501c3 nonprofit located in the heart of downtown Brainerd at 711 Laurel Street.
For more information, contact The Crossing Arts at 218-833-0416 or
.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.