Art Exhibits

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Our congregation has created an art gallery in our main gathering space (known as Pilgrim Hall). We are pleased to display work from various artists in our community and beyond.  We feel blessed to be surrounded by these beauty and spiritually meaningful creations. We welcome inquiries from artists about showing your work.

Current Show Running: “Deep Diving and Other Finds”

These acrylic paintings by Sara James will be on exhibit through December 31. Sarah says of her work:

Doing art is like having a conversation with the canvas. Make a mark, respond to the mark. Seeing is as important a skill as craftsmanship. Sometimes I lead, other times I follow. This approach allows my unconscious to enter the work and have a play in the direction of the conversation. I trust my unconscious more than intention or taste. I try to hold close the courage to fail so I can take risks. The hope is that I can amaze and move myself and then maybe others too.

A man and a woman. The woman is seated and wearing a green dress. Her hair is in a braid. The man is standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder and wearing a red shirt. They are looking lovingly at each other.
“Coupled”
A woman in a bathing suit and swimming cap at a pool seemingly holding someone learning to swim. There are flags across the pool and a tiled floor to the pool room.
“Greetings Shirley Babashoff”
An acrylic painting of two chairs in a room with black-and-white tiled floor, an aquarium, and a table with a flowered plate
“Yellow Chairs”

Here are some of the exhibits we have hosted in past years:

  • Life-size puppets created by children in the First Church community for the production of “Joseph’s Colorful Coat”
  • Photographs of church towers from around the world by Don Loegering
  • Minneapolis Public School exhibit of students’ artwork depicting “What Is Home to Me?” focusing on issues of affordable housing and homelessness
  • Serigraphs with religious themes by John August Swanson
  • Hooked art (textiles) by rug hooking artists Tish Murphy, Joan LeVine and Kathy Morton Mulvain
  • Nature photographs and poetry by Bob Ochtrup, photographer, and Jeff Wolvertine, poet
  • Watercolor paintings by Ann and Wayne Sisel
  • Nature prints by Jan Shogren
  • Favorite art pieces from the First Church community
  • Watercolors and pastels by Walter Breckenridge
  • Exhibit of prints by 21 different artists inspired by the poem “Laughing  Bear” by Katherine Tilton, which is about domestic abuse. “The Laughing Bear Portfolio” was the inspiration of Diane Eicher who is also one of the artists. First Church also hosted a fundraiser for the St. Paul Domestic Abuse Intervention Project.
  • Abstract paintings in oils and acrylics and pencil drawings by Amy Smith
  • Watercolors and sketches by Soon-Wai Wong.
  • Paintings by Jill Stebbins
  • Batik by Kim Gordon