The Rumriver Art Gallery was initiated to support and show local artists’ work. One issue many artists experience is where to show their work as gallery space can be limited, especially to those who are just starting. Our mission with the gallery is to support and show the artwork of local artists. The shows are changed every month, providing many opportunities throughout the year for artists to display their work. The Art Gallery brings the community together and creates a greater appreciation for art. Selected artwork may be available for sale.
Being that we are located in a very old building, there are no elevators or escalators. The only way into the 21 Step Gallery is to climb up 18 stairs. We are currently exploring options and funding to make this gallery more accessible for everyone.
If you’ve ever counted the stairs on your way up to visit the 21 Step Gallery, you may have tilted your head in confusion as your count abruptly stopped at 18 steps.
Legend has it that Rumriver Art Center Director Larry Weinberg was CERTAIN there were 21 steps. RRAC Co-founder Susan Yee suggested it was 18.
Susan was correct.
But being the fun, quirky Art Center RRAC is, Larry’s certainty was honored with the title: 21 Step Gallery.
Larry suggests that it remained the 21 Step Gallery to honor Susan’s birthday, which falls on the ’21st,’ and that 21 is a popular and memorable number.
Upcoming Shows
- Jill Whitney – Making Waves: August 9, 2025 – September 6, 2025
- Deborah Ann Kirkeeide – Captured By Color: September 13, 2025 – October 11, 2025
- Bonnie Klatt: October 18, 2025 – November 8, 2025
- Holiday Show and Shop: November 15, 2025 – December 20, 2025
Gallery Hours
Summer Hours (6/2 – 8/31)
Monday – Thursday: 9:30am – 4:00pm
Friday: 9:30am – 12pm
Saturdays 8/23: 10am – 3pm
Closed Sundays
Closed Saturday 8/30
September Hours (9/2 – 9/27)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays: 10am – 3pm
Saturday 9/13: 10am – 4pm
Saturdays 9/20, 9/27: 10am – 3pm
Other days by appointment only. Please email sales@rumriverart.com to arrange.
Current Gallery Show: Making Waves
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center is presenting a new art exhibition, Making Waves, by Jill Whitney-Birk. On August 16th, from 2 pm – 4pm the 21 Step Gallery will be hosting an opening for Whitney-Birk’s show. On Tuesday, August 26th, at 5 pm she will be giving an artist talk. All events are open to the public and free to attend.
Jill is a mixed media/fabric artist from St. Paul, MN who loves all things old. From fashion to film, pictures to culture- she tends to live in a nostalgic world of her own-and her work reflects that.
On the flip side, she is a feminist pushing for equality, respect and power due to all people. So somewhere between the glorious past and the tremendous future, Jill’s body of work resides. Utilizing fabric, vintage photos, strong words and the “womanly art” of stitching, she hopes to bring joy, challenge, and empowerment to people through her mixed media art.
This series is very time consuming due to the huge number of hand-stitches (a process called slow stitch) on each piece. No sewing machines are used. It’s a very meditative process and lots of quiet time is spent with each piece. Jill finds the juxtaposition of “feminine stitchery” and badass empowerment to be very exciting and fulfilling.
The exhibition will open August 9th and run until September 6th, 2025.
Next Gallery Show: Captured By Color
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center is excited to announce the opening of a new art exhibition: Captured By Color by Deborah Ann Kirkeeide. On Saturday, September 13th from 2 pm – 4 pm the 21 Step Gallery will be hosting an opening reception for Kirkeeide’s show. On September 20th from 11 am until noon she will be providing an artist demo on color mixing with acrylic paint. Individuals are also invited to meet the artist on Tuesday, September 23rd from 10 am – 12 pm. All events are open to the public and free to attend.
Captured By Color is a display of Deborah’s vibrant smaller acrylic paintings that are visions and stories that seem to be simple and ordinary yet explore the beauty of moments caught in time which can be playful or stir memories. Her brush captures the subject’s beauty through expressive brush work, lush color and captured light. Included are recent abstracts, though a different vision, are a new challenging direction engaging the imagination. The goal to discover beauty remains the same. Imagination, texture, color and form are the building blocks of her abstracts allowing for freedom to wander and discover a different reality.
For Visual Artist Deborah Ann Kirkeeide, creating has never been an option but an integral part of who she is. At a young age Deb was crafting, constructing and sewing imaginative things. High school was an introduction to drawing and illustration which led to a continuation in art education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Northern Arizona University. Love of color and intrigued with the discovery of texture and brush work, painting became a natural channel for her passion. Oil, her first love, was replaced by acrylics due to issues with materials and offered exciting new discoveries. Acrylics continue to provide Deb with an endless journey of possibilities exploring both representational imagery and abstractions.
The exhibition will open on September 13th and run until October 11th, 2025.
Past Shows
- Surelle Schewe – The Stories She Tells: Saturday, September 10, 2022 – Saturday, October 1, 2022
- Call for Entry – World of Anime: Saturday, October 8, 2022 – Saturday, October 29, 2022
- Paul Hanson – Portraits in Watercolor: Saturday, November 5, 2022 – Saturday, December 17, 2022
- Sanjukta Mitra – Spiritus: Saturday, January 7, 2023 – Saturday, January 28, 2023
- Danniella Mortezaee – Love Always: Saturday, February 4, 2023 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Val Coopet – Faces and Places: Saturday, March 4, 2023 – Saturday, March 25, 2023
- Montana Becker – Prone to Wander: Saturday, April 1, 2023 – Saturday, April 22, 2023
- Kenya Latourneau – Kenya Letourneau’s Kreations!: Saturday, June 3, 2023 – Saturday, July 29, 2023
- Juanita Tatum – Exploring Emotions Through Faces: Saturday, August 5, 2023 – Saturday, September 30, 2023
- Britt Maki – Don’t Be Hasty: Saturday, October 7, 2023 – Saturday, November 4, 2023
- Holiday Show and Shop: Saturday, November 18, 2023 – Saturday, December 30, 2023
- Margarita Stantchevski – Beauty and More: Saturday, February 10, 2024 – Saturday, March 9, 2024
- Joel Springer – Finding My Voice: Saturday, March 16, 2024 – Saturday, April 13, 2024
- Lynelle Kocher – Bits and Places: Saturday, April 20, 2024 – Saturday, May 11, 2024
- MaryLeah Marshall – Themes from Nature: A Collection: Saturday, May 18, 2024 – Saturday, June 8, 2024
- Rachel Coyne – Rock and Rollerskate: Saturday, June 15, 2024 – Wednesday, July 3, 2024
- Jerry Jorgenrud – Spiritus: Saturday, July 13, 2024 – Saturday, August 3, 2024
- Sandy Adler – Celebrate Creation: August 10, 2024 – September 7, 2024
- Carol Collins – Wonderful World of Fur and Feathers: September 14, 2024 – October 5, 2024
- Emma Ahart – Visceral: October 12, 2024 – November 9, 2024
- Holiday Show and Shop: November 16, 2024 – December 21, 2024
- Laura Hanson – Forced Witness: January 4, 2025 – February 1, 2025
- Angie Renee – Inked, Ripped, Glued: The Processing of Creating Light Within the Dark: February 15, 2025 – March 1, 2025
- Jena Rivard – It’s Made From WHAT???: March 8, 2025 – March 29, 2025
- Art Jacobs – Pastel Images – Landscapes and Still Lifes: April 5, 2025 – May 3, 2025
- Erik Jon Olson – The medium IS the message: May 10, 2025 – May 31, 2025
- Lucy Sinkkonen – Calling and Renewal: June 7, 2025 – July 5, 2025
- Eric Zuccola – Preposterous Portraits: July 12, 2025 – Aug 2, 2025