Thank you to our 21 Step Gallery Sponsor (September 14 – October 5): Rum River Open Studio Artists! Their generous sponsorship fuels creativity in the NW Metro, funding studio space for gallery displays and art instruction.
The Rum River Open Studio Artists is a drawing and painting community, based out of the Rumriver Art Center in Anoka, MN. We come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and all have a passion for creating. Doing art in community strengthens each member’s talent and ability to share their artistic eye. We are open and welcoming to fellow artists looking to grow in their art with others, meeting weekly on Wednesday mornings at the Rumriver Art Center or (during the summer) en plein air around the Anoka area. To join us, please visit
https://app.getoccasion.com/p/n/rsdvfobd.
To support or sponsor creativity in the NW metro – reach out to: info@rumriverart.com.
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 funding options such as grants and fundraisers to get a chair lift installed for the stairway 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
- 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: January 4, 2025 – February 1, 2025
- Angie Renee: February 8, 2025 – March 1, 2025
- Jena Rivard: March 8, 2025 – March 29, 2025
- Art Jacobs: April 5, 2025 – May 3, 2025
- Ju-Ping Huang: May 10, 2025 – May 31, 2025
- Pamela Lifsob: June 7, 2025 – July 5, 2025
- Eric Zuccola: July 12, 2025 – Aug 2, 2025
- Jill Whitney: August 9, 2025 – September 6, 2025
- Deborah Ann Kirkeeide: 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
September Hours (9/2 – 9/27)
Mondays & Fridays: Closed
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays: 10am – 3pm
Saturday 9/14: 2pm – 4pm
Saturday 9/21: 9:30am – 2pm
Fall Hours (9/30 – 12/20)
Monday – Friday: 10am – 3pm and select Saturdays
Saturday 10/5: 11am – 3pm
Someone may be available beyond those hours and if there is a class scheduled on our CALENDAR there may be someone at the Art Center able to assist you. Please call 763-323-8830 or e-mail sales@rumriverart.com first to make arrangements if you need to stop in outside of our office hours.
Current Gallery Show: Wonderful World of Fur and Feathers
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center is presenting Wonderful World of Fur and Feathers by artist Carol Collins. On September 14th from 2 pm – 4 pm the 21 Step Gallery will be hosting an opening for Collins’ show. On Saturday, September 21st at 11 am Collins will be giving an artist talk, this is a free event and anyone is welcome to attend.
This gallery show will feature 30 paintings of animals and birds by Carol Collins.
Carol’s life before art consisted of a world as a wife, mom, nana and squeezed in there pursuing a career in accounting and finance. After retiring and moving to Arizona, she felt the pull to start painting.
Carol began her journey in 2016 when she walked into her first oil art class with a blank canvas, tubes of paint and a few brushes and started painting. Her first small painting of two cardinals took over a year to complete.
This painting was followed first by a portrait of a swan and next, one of an owl, before Carol transitioned to four-legged animals. At present her art is more varied, based on a realistic approach that strives to capture the viewers’ attention and imagination with light, color and emotion.
Although Carol has painted in acrylics and experimented with fiber clay sculpture, her medium of choice now is oils. She relishes the challenges oil painting poses: learning how to blend; master change in direction; developing consistency; and elevating her subjects. Her work is carefully executed and abounds in vivid colors and excitement.
After moving back to Minnesota, she is still learning and striving to bring her paintings to life.
Carol was a featured Artist of the Month and her paintings have won several awards in Arizona and Minnesota.
The exhibition will open September 14th and run until October 5th, 2024.
Next Gallery Show: Visceral
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center is presenting Visceral by artist Emma Ahart. On October 12th from 2 pm – 4 pm the 21 Step Gallery will be hosting an opening for Ahart’s show. On Saturday, November 2nd from 11 am – 12 pm Ahart will be giving an artist talk, this is a free event and anyone is welcome to attend.
Ahart has been creating art since she could hold a pencil. She grew up exploring as many art mediums as she could through opportunities presented through school and family encouragement. Drawing was her main area of focus, and she did not start painting until taking a class in high school where it quickly became her favorite medium. Now acrylic paintings are her go-to when it comes to making personal art that is not related to school or her job. Within her exploration of art through the years she would be drawn to themes that would include heavy personal symbolism as a means of self expression, and she places significant value in works that could elicit an emotional response from viewers. Her work has been included in several community gallery shows, including two call for entry shows at Rumriver Art Center.
Ahart struggled trying to figure out what she wanted to pursue for a career after high school, but with the encouragement of several teachers she ultimately decided to pursue teaching art. She completed her general credits at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Stout to complete her Bachelors of Science in Art Education in the spring of 2021. In the spring of 2024 she completed her Masters in Education and Differentiated Instruction. After graduating with her bachelors she taught painting and drawing at Anoka High School and is now working alongside the teachers who inspired her in the first place. Ahart is now in her fourth year of teaching and has truly loved the experience and is looking forward to the years to come.
Through this show Ahart explores several themes that draw heavy inspiration from personal meaning in her life. These themes include the relationship with ones’ self and with others, self perception, beginnings and endings, desire, longing, acceptance, and balance. A goal she had for her work was to create imagery that would be emotionally impactful. She explored this through high contrast, color choice, and pieces including wolves and deer that are unsettling, mysterious, and thought-provoking. Red is the most prominent color used, with the intention of creating a sense of power and intensity in many of her pieces.
The exhibition will open October 12th and run until November 9th, 2024.
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