LRAC Main Gallery Schedule 2026-27
Artist Collaboration – Turmoil & Tranquility
Monday, January 12 – Thursday, March 12, 2026
Reception & Artist Talk: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Artist Talk: 5:30 PM
Turmoil & Tranquility brings together the work of Blayze Buseth, Désirée Sky Logan, Sam Busko, and Kiley Busko in a collaborative exhibition exploring fragility, pressure, and imbalance within both natural and emotional landscapes. Working across ceramic sculpture, suspended installation, and painting, the artists create a shared visual language where beauty and disturbance coexist. Blayze Buseth’s experimental ceramic vessels embrace imperfection, pushing clay to the edge of cracking and transformation, evoking landscapes shaped by time and pressure. Désirée Sky Logan contributes sculptural forms that reference imagined environments and emotional terrain, drawing subtle parallels to traditional shan shui landscape painting. In dialogue with these works, Sam Busko presents a suspended flock of ceramic birds that question freedom and agency as their forms become increasingly weighed down and distorted by dark, toxic-appearing coatings. Kiley Busko’s watercolor and ink paintings extend the exhibition’s inquiry, capturing moments of tranquility through vivid depictions of birds, while also confronting viewers with imagery of injured and deceased wildlife that speaks to vulnerability, loss, and environmental consequence. Together, the artists invite reflection on how imbalance and fragility shape both the natural world and human experience.
6A High School Art Competition Exhibition
Monday, March 30 – Thursday, April 23, 2026
Reception Saturday, April 25, 2026 10:30-12PM
The Lake Region Arts Council is proud to exhibit selected artwork from this year's High School 6A Minnesota State Visual Arts Exhibition and Competition. This is a yearly competition that showcases the best artwork from high school students throughout the state. Students compete at a regional and then state level. Entries are judged on the quality of the artwork and the student's artist statement. Regional winners will go on to compete at the State 6A statewide competition.
This annual exhibition at the LRAC Gallery, is juried by LRAC Gallery Curator, Naomi RaMona Schliesman, and features student work in a variety of categories, including:
Drawing
Painting
Sculpture
Digital Photography
Fiber Art
Computer-Based Artwork
Printmaking
Ceramics
2D Mixed Media
Collage
Graphic Design
LRAC BIPOC Artists Cohort FY26 Alumni Exhibition
Monday, May 4 – Thursday, June 25, 2026
Reception & Artist Talk: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Artist Talk: 5:30 PM
This special exhibition will celebrate the 9th anniversary of LRAC’s BIPOC Artist Cohort Program. Since its inception in 2017, more than 44 talented artists have participated in this unique 10-month program, focusing on career development, artist-led talking circles, and professional development workshops, Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists, in collaboration with Springboard for the Arts.
Featured Artists:
Katie Lou Muzquiz – Detroit Lakes, MN
Cody Avalos – Moorhead, MN
Lyssa Lovejoy – Evansville, MN
Victoria McWane-Creek – Fergus Falls, MN
LRAC Guest Juror Exhibition – Anne Meyer
Monday, July 13 – Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Closing Reception & Guest Juror Talk: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Guest Juror Talk: 5:30 PM
To apply: https://lrac4.org/call-for-artists
Anne Meyer is a multidisciplinary artist based in St. Joseph, Minnesota, whose practice bridges studio work, public art, and deep community engagement. A graduate of the University of Minnesota–Morris with a B.A. in Studio Art, she completed an apprenticeship at Saint John’s Pottery under master ceramicist Richard Bresnahan, grounding her work in craft, collaboration, and place-based inquiry. Meyer has led numerous public art projects across Minnesota, including large-scale murals, outdoor sculpture commissions, and the founding of a community art center and community choir, often inviting community members to participate directly in the creative process. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and she brings decades of experience as an educator, artist-in-residence, and collaborator. As Guest Juror for the 2026 LRAC Guest Juror Exhibition, Meyer offers a thoughtful, inclusive perspective rooted in artistic excellence, mentorship, and the transformative power of community-centered art.
2026 LRAC Guest Juror Exhibition | Important Dates
Call for Art: Monday, March 30 – Monday, April 27, 2026
Exhibition on View: Monday, July 13 – Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Closing Reception & Guest Juror Talk: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Guest Juror Talk: 5:30 PM
The Guest Juror Exhibition is always very popular with regional artists and gallery guests and features the very best work from across our region. This must-see exhibition highlights a wide range of artistic voices and perspectives. The Call for Art is open to all mediums and any theme. Artists 18 years and older are encouraged to apply and may submit up to three pieces of artwork for consideration.
Art Being Accepted
2D (painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, digital, etc.)
3D and sculptural works
Mixed media or multimedia
Installation proposals (space permitting)
Eligibility
Open to artists residing in the 9-county region served by the Lake Region Arts Council. Artist must be 18 years and older.
Submission Requirements
Up to 3 self-portraits per artist.
Artist statement encouraged, especially if conceptual or symbolic
Submission deadline: Monday, April 27, 2026
Important Dates
Exhibition Dates: Monday, July 13 – Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Reception: Tuesday, Closing Reception & Guest Juror Talk: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 (Guest Juror Talk 5:30PM)
Call for Art: Monday, March 30 – Monday, April 27, 2026
Artist Notified: June 1, 2026
Self-Portraiture: Reflections of the Self
September 28th – December 17th, 2026
Reception: Tuesday, October 20th, 2026 5:00–6:30 PM
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Artists Talk: 5:30 PM
To apply: https://lrac4.org/call-for-artists
The Lake Region Arts Council invites artists to submit work for “Self-Portraiture: Reflections of the Self”, a regional exhibition celebrating the infinite ways artists see, interpret, and express themselves.
Theme & Artistic Direction
Self-portraiture can be intimate, symbolic, playful, conceptual, or boldly imaginative. This exhibition embraces the full spectrum of how artists choose to represent their identity, presence, story, or spirit.
We welcome self-portraits that explore:
Realistic, stylized, abstract, or surrealist interpretations
Literal likenesses or symbolic representations of self
Personal narratives, emotional journeys, memory, or inner dialogue
Identity as it relates to culture, place, body, or experience
Invented personas, alter-egos, masks, or mythic forms
Inner worlds expressed through dreamscapes or conceptual imagery
Mixed media explorations that layer material, time, or meaning
Sculptural or 3D works that extend self-portraiture beyond the frame
Every self-portrait is a one-of-a-kind expression—an invitation for the viewer to step into the world of the maker.
What We’re Looking For
Artists are encouraged to push boundaries and consider:
Who am I?
How do I wish to be seen?
What stories, emotions, or symbols shape my identity?
What lies beneath the surface of a portrait?
All visual interpretations of self are welcome—from the personal to the conceptual, from the introspective to the experimental.
Art Being Accepted
2D (painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, digital, etc.)
3D and sculptural works
Mixed media or multimedia
Installation proposals (space permitting)
Eligibility
Open to artists residing in the 9-county region served by the Lake Region Arts Council. Artist must be 18 years and older.
Submission Requirements
Up to 3 self-portraits per artist.
Artist statement encouraged, especially if conceptual or symbolic
Submission deadline: August 17th, 2026
Important Dates
Exhibition Dates: September 28th – December 17th, 2026
Reception: Tuesday, October 20th, 5:00–6:30 PM (Artist Talks at 5:30pm)
Call for Art: July 20th – August 17th, 2026
Artist Notified: August 28th, 2026
Magical: A Passage to the Extraordinary
January 11 – March 11, 2027
Reception: Tuesday, January 19, 2027 5:00–6:30 PM
Reception: 5:00–6:30 PM
Artists Talk: 5:30 PM
To apply: https://lrac4.org/call-for-artists
The Lake Region Arts Council invites artists to submit work for “Magical: A Passage to the Extraordinary”, a regional exhibition exploring the many ways magic appears in our lives, our imaginations, and our understanding of the world around us.
Theme & Artistic Direction
We encourage artists to interpret magical in a personal, nuanced, or unexpected way. Consider sharing work that reflects:
A place, plant, animal, or landscape that evokes wonder or transports the viewer beyond the ordinary
A human or group of people who embody the extraordinary
An object or symbol infused with mystery, transformation, or emotional resonance
Visions that emerge from your inner world, dreams, or intuitive mind’s eye
Reflections on the idea of magic as a tool for understanding our relationship to the universe—its mysteries, beauty, and complexity
Magic as symbolism, myth-making, or meaning-making
Magical thinking—whether viewed as playful imagination, self-deception, or a source of life-enrichment
This call invites a broad range of interpretations, from the literal to the abstract, from the whimsical to the philosophical. All media welcome.
What We’re Looking For
We are seeking artwork that explores concepts such as:
Wonder • Mystery • Transformation • Imagination
The unseen or symbolic
Emotional or spiritual resonance
The extraordinary hidden within the ordinary
Let your work reflect what magic means to you—whether grounded in nature, culture, ritual, memory, storytelling, spirituality, or creative inquiry.
Art Being Accepted
2D (painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, digital, etc.)
3D and sculptural works
Mixed media or multimedia
Installation proposals (space permitting)
Eligibility
Open to artists residing in the 9-county region served by the Lake Region Arts Council. Artist must be 18 years and older.
Submission Requirements
Up to 3 self-portraits per artist.
Artist statement encouraged, especially if conceptual or symbolic
Submission deadline: September 28, 2026
Important Dates
Exhibition Dates: January 11 – March 11, 2027
Reception: Tuesday, January 19, 5:00–6:30 PM (Artist Talks at 5:30pm)
Call for Art: August 31 – September 28, 2026
Artist Notified: October 26, 2026
