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
- William Bukowski – Painting Minnesota: March 21st – April 18th
- Kelly Meyer – Naturally Curious: April 25th – May 30th
- Steph Kunze: June 6th – July 11th
- Lauren Russell: July 25th – August 22nd
- Bernadette Chlebeck: August 29th – September 26th
- Tevka Lackmann: October 3rd – November 7th
Gallery Hours
Spring Hours (now – 5/15)
Mondays: 10am – 3pm
Tuesdays: 10am – 7pm
Wednesdays: 10am – 3pm
Thursdays: 10am – 7pm
Fridays: 10am – 3pm
Saturdays 4/11, 4/18, 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/30: 10am – 3pm
Sundays: Closed
Closed Memorial Day Monday, May 25th
Current Gallery Show: Painting Minnesota
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center is excited to announce the opening of a new art exhibition; Painting Minnesota by artist William Bukowski. On Saturday, March 21st, from 2 pm – 4pm, the 21 Step Gallery will be hosting an opening reception for Bukowski’s show. After the opening reception, Bukowski will be giving an artist talk beginning at 4:15 pm.
Bukowski has been influenced by the European tradition of realist painting. He loves to work “en plein air” painting landscapes on location. His themes include the gardens at Sibley Park, the Red Jacket Trail, Seven Mile County Park and a family cottage. He paints ordinary places singled out for their unique beauty. For inspiration and enrichment, Bukowski travels to Europe with particular emphasis to Italy. The “Old Masters” are the standards who guide his artwork.
The exhibition will open March 21st and run until April 18th, 2026.
Next Gallery Show: Naturally Curious
The 21 Step Gallery of Rumriver Art Center presents Naturally Curious, a solo exhibition by Minnesota artist and educator Kelly Meyer. The exhibition’s opening reception is on Saturday, May 9th, from 11 am – 1 pm at Rumriver Art Center. This show features embroidery, eco-printing, natural dyeing, and handmade paper, exploring sustainability, faith, and the beauty found in cycles of growth, decay, and loss. On Saturday, May 9th, from 1 pm – 2 pm, Meyer will be giving an artist talk in the 21 Step Gallery.
Meyer’s practice shifted during early motherhood, when she set aside painting and turned to needle and thread. What began as a practical decision became a meditative process, reshaping her visual language and deepening her attention to time, care, and material.
Drawn increasingly to the natural world and concerned about the environmental impact of conventional art materials, Meyer transitioned to eco-printing and natural dyeing—processes that use plant matter, steam, and patience to imprint nature’s marks onto fabric and paper. Working with foraged materials, vintage textiles, and handmade papers, she treats nature as both material and collaborator.
Naturally Curious invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and listen—to materials, to nature, and to what is often overlooked.
The exhibition will open April 25th and run until May 30th, 2026.
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
- Jill Whitney – Making Waves: August 9, 2025 – September 6, 2025
- Deborah Ann Kirkeeide – Captured By Color: September 13, 2025 – October 11, 2025
- Bonnie Klatt – The Sacred Patterns in Nature: October 18, 2025 – November 7, 2025
- Emma and Emery Tiffner – Double Take: January 10th – January 31st
- Miguel Joven – Photography of Miguel Joven: February 7th – March 7th