The Third Floor Gallery
The Third Floor Gallery is located in the new Library and Learning Center on the St. Paul Campus at 645 East Seventh Street.
Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Phone 651-793-1631.
To request accommodations for a disability, call Disability Services at 651-793-1540 or 651-772-7687 (TTY)
Current Exhibit
Necessary Ornamentation: Selections from the Minnesota Mosaic Guild
Show Dates: April 18 - July 25, 2008
Reception Thursday, April 17, 4 to 7 pm
The history of mosaics is a rich and complex one. Evolving at least 4,000 years ago as a decorative art, fine examples of ancient mosaics have been preserved throughout the European, Muslim and the African worlds. From the highly naturalistic religious narratives (as we see in early Christian art) to the elaborate geometrical patterns of Islamic architecture (such as those executed in Moorish Spain), a contemporary mosaic artist is rarely without inspiration.
Necessary Ornamentation: Selections from the Minnesota Mosaic Guild is an exhibition which investigates the breadth and depth of the local mosaic-making community. From traditional tiles to sculptural objects, this show features a variety of styles, techniques and materials.
Regarding the diversity of the work in the show, exhibition coordinator, Gil Gragert, said, "There's no way to nail down the typical Guild member or the work. The artwork is often elegant. Sometimes it is primitive or quirky in form. Members struggle and experiment among the many styles and substances of the media. With ranges of experience from only months to fifteen years or more, you'll find a range of quality, but never a lack of spirit in the work."
Established in 2004, the Minnesota Mosaic Guild (MMG) was formed to promote the art of mosaic, foster exploration and experimentation in the media, provide educational opportunities in mosaic, and share and celebrate the diversity of experience and knowledge in the media. MMG members emerge from a multitude of artistic backgrounds including sculpture, art instruction, jewelry making, graphic design, and oil painting. While some MMG artists practice more traditional mosaic techniques using Italian smalti or commercial tiles, others practice their art in non-traditional modes including picassiette, memory ware, stained glass, and found objects, or through a combination of approaches.
Past Exhibit s
Senior Salon 2008
Show dates: March 14 - April 4, 2008
Reception: Thursday, March 13 from 4-7 p.m. with student films at 5:00 and 6:30 p.m.
 Tradition and Innovation: Contemporary Textiles in Kumasi, Ghana
Reception: Thursday, Jan. 24 from 4-7 p.m.
Show dates: Jan. 25 – Feb. 22, 2008
To the uninitiated, the richly decorated fabrics of West Africa may at first appear simply flamboyant or festive. But social scientists, scholars and philosophers agree that clothing is a complex form of communication. The clothes that we wear often relay messages about our gender, age, marital status and social standing. And even today, among the influx of western garb and growing technologies, many communities in West Africa still continue to produce yardage that incorporates substantive content, dating back countless generations.
The exhibition examines the very notion of communication within Ghanaian textiles while simultaneously celebrating its beauty. The batik yardage by Dorothy Amenuke and the adinkra cloth of the Boakye Family Workshop are highlighted in this sumptuous sampling of African ingenuity.
This exhibition is curated by Prof. Mary Hark (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and is accompanied by a film by Amara Hark Weber (Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, Durham, NC).
 Focus on Fibers: Selections from the Textile Center
Reception: Thursday. Nov. 29, 4 - 7 p.m.
Show dates: Nov. 26 - Dec. 14, 2007
This exhibition investigates the breadth and depth of the local fiber field by featuring the work of fourteen Textile Center members. From traditional weaving and beading techniques to abstract sculptures and duct tape dresses, this show spans the gamut in terms of form and content.
Participants include: Susan Bradley, Brenna Busse, Nancy Eha, Diane Fitzgerald, Nancy Gipple, Carolyn Halliday, Tim Harding, Candy Kuehn, Laura Leonard, Nancy MacKenzie, Ruth Mordy, Kelly Marshall, Carly Stipe and Tressa Sularz.
Regarding the quality and diversity of the work in the show, Textile Center Executive Director, Margaret Miller, said, “We are extremely fortunate to live in a community of talented fiber artists whose work is unrivaled. As this show exemplifies, fiber art offers unlimited opportunities for exploration in technique and media, making it one of the most innovative and exciting art forms today.”
 Picture This: the Art of Children's Books
Reception: Thursday, October 18,
4 - 7pm
Show dates: October 19 - November 9, 2007
The first exposure to art for many children is through picture books. The interest and imagination stimulated by these books can bring the child back to the same book over and over again and makes an indelible impression that stays with the child into adulthood.
This exhibition seeks to provide the viewer with examples of both the book making process as well as the range of media and genres that are found in illustrated books for children. Materials presented are from books published for children from 1928-2006. This show attempts to demonstrate the wide range of art that is included in the world of picture books. Works on display come from books that are considered childhood classics (Millions of Cats and Pokey Little Puppy) to newer books currently capturing the hearts and minds of readers. Some of the materials presented are from illustrators who wrote the text, others from illustrators who adapted text from folk tales and other works feature illustrators who worked in collaboration with an author.
 Testimony: Visions of Hope and Despair from East Africa
September 14 -October 5, 2007
Reception -
Thursday, September 13, from 4-7 p.m.
From 1999 through 2002, while Daniel Cheng Yang was still a teenager, the self-taught photographer began to visit the war-torn refugee camp of Kakuma Turkana in northwestern Kenya. Born to the son of a Hmong refugee and a former international relief worker, Yang desired to tell the stories of ancient tribes helplessly caught in the cultural and political conflicts of a contemporary civil war.
Regarding this project, Yang said, ?I thought that if I could take images that stick in people?s heads, I could create change.? Elaborating on his humanitarian concerns, Yang noted, ?Those suffering are no different than you or me. It is simply a matter of geographical circumstance. We must view the single mother suffering from HIV/AIDS in Haiti as our own mother. We must view the young boy throwing rocks in the West Bank as our own son. We must view the elderly fleeing their homes in Darfur as our grandparents. It is our duty to be a voice for the voiceless.?
The resulting exhibition is a collection of hauntingly beautiful and disturbing black and white photographs that represent the struggles of the 100,000-plus refugees that have been stranded in the camp since 1992. A powerful and moving exhibition, Yang?s work has brought international attention to the plight of the uprooted peoples of Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and Somalia, as well as the indigenous Turkana.
Many thanks are owed to Prof. Suzanne Walfoort, who produced the DVD interview. Her contributions to the project bring another layer of richness to the exhibition.
A portion of the proceeds of Yang?s book, Kakuma Turkana, Dueling Struggles: Africa?s Forgotten Peoples (Pangaea Publishing, 2002), will fund food and supplies for the camp?s residents.
 The Poetry of Everyday Life
April 20 ? July 27, 2007
Reception -
Thursday, April 19, from 4?7 p.m. A creative music performance will be presented by Douglas Ewart and Inventions from 5-6 p.m.
A Collaborative installation by Mary Bergs and Monica Reede
Bergs? work is concerned with compositions of objects and their relationship to one another. By removing objects from their usual context she infuses them with new meaning and we are allowed to see them in all of their richness. Her specific arrangements of these objects create an environment set up for observation, reflection and pause. Bergs? work is a meditation on the art of paying attention.
Reede?s work has focused primarily on the interaction between our interior and exterior experiences. Through her arrangements of images, she creates an opportunity for contemplation. Reede?s work explores the paradox of how noticing the seemingly insignificant events of our lives can open us up to something larger than ourselves and lead to moments of great pleasure and peace.
In this world of over stimulation, moments of quiet are becoming more rare and, consequently, more valuable as people attempt to deal with the complexities of their lives. The work in this exhibit presents an opportunity to stop and look deeply at the everyday occurrences and objects that form the background of individual and collective experiences.
 Senior Salon 2007 - March 9 - April 6, 2007
Reception: Thursday March 8, from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Participants include:
Patricia Erickson, Ellen Rice, Amy Roth, Suzanne Shaklin, Matt Spillum, Susan Stenfors, Sharon Staum, Sam Aon P. Theth and Tanya Trombley.
January 26- February 23, 2007
 Mirror, Mirror By Laura Crosby
Reception: Thursday January 25, from 4- 7pm
This exhibit explores the American image industry and works to dispel the myth and cultural stereotypes of women where ?thinness? and ?that certain look? are regarded as a state of grace.
Crosby?s work has documented many issues including Minnesota?s homeless youth, physically challenged and disenfranchised youth, and teenage prostitution. She has photographed women from birth to 100 years of age to document the progress of time through the different stages of women?s lives.
Regarding the exhibition, Crosby has said, ?When I looked at the work I had done previous to Mirror Mirror, it became evident that there was a piece missing that needed to be done?that was the American image industry. There?s a myth that women should look a certain way to achieve success. It comes from the cosmetic industry and the fashion industry. Just think about what recently happened in the publicity surrounding Katie Couric when she became CBS anchor?her publicity photos were retouched so that she looked 20 pounds thinner. It?s a myth?our images of beauty are manipulated and it can cause serious damage to people to think that?s how we?re supposed to look.?
The reception will include a 5:30 p.m. theatrical presentation called ?Whose the Fairest of them All?.? Crosby will be joined by Dr. Nor Hall (former advisor and faculty member at Metropolitan State, writer, archetypal psychologist and theater-artist) for this event.
November 17 - December 15, 2006
 Hanta Po: All of You Out of My Way
Reception: Thursday. November 16, from 4 to 7pm
From Franklin Avenue of Minneapolis to the Trail of Broken Treaties caravan that traversed the country, the photographs of Minnesotan Dick Bancroft tell the pictorial story of the American Indian Movement (AIM). The exhibit, for the first time debuting in Saint Paul, captures the creation, commitment, passion and personalities of AIM from 1969 to the present. The result is a profound photographic record that preserves the history of AIM?s formation and impact.
October 13 - November 3, 2006
 Eclectic Clay: Selections from Northern Clay Center?s Teaching Collection
Reception : Thursday, October 12 from 4-7 p.m. with a wheel throwing demonstration by Ursula Hargens from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The objects in the exhibition are drawn from Northern Clay Center?s teaching collection, and are representative of the range of work shown for the past 16 years. Pots, sculpture, conceptual tile-all show that the combination of expert hands and intelligent creativity can produce objects that challenge and delight. Some are utilitarian, some carry the function of making us think or appreciate form and space in different ways. We hope that they will also provide inspiration and pleasure to all who visit.
September 8 - 29, 2006
Reception: Thursday, September 7 from 4-7 p.m.
Folk Nouveau
 Artwork by
Beth Barron, Dean Lucker, Judy Onofrio,
Douglas Padilla and Ann Wood
The artists of Folk Nouveau are a far cry from the traditional notion of folk artists. They are neither uneducated, nor isolated. Rather, they are informed citizens of the world working in a visual and tactile format. Some have college degrees. Others have traveled and shown widely. What they share is an appreciation for a humble hand and everyday materials.
For example, Beth Baron embroiders domestic textiles that may be small in scale, but relay monumental sentiments. Band-Aids, handkerchiefs and duct tape tell stories of personal and communal grief. These evocative works are not without an inkling of optimism, for they are often embellished with elegant threads and glass beads that seduce the eye.
Judy Onofrio?s figurative sculptures, which reflect events in the artist?s life, are encrusted with what others might consider to be the debris of a consumer society. A lifelong collector, she collates bits of vintage jewelry, bottle caps, pottery shards and other oddities to provide rich textures for her whimsical works.
Ann Wood and Dean Lucker find inspiration in the work of Midwestern folk artists and low-tech animated toys and games. When working as a team, they craft kinetic objects that are playful and engaging. They allow us to rekindle our childhood imaginations. As individual artists they conjure emotive works that are often technically sophisticated.
Among other topics, Doug Padilla?s raw and energized constructions often address his Norwegian -- Mexican heritage. His cross-cultural ethnic background is evident in the iconography, palette and materials that he chooses. Anything from dried beans to architectural fragments inform and enrich Padilla?s work.
In contradiction to the old adage that ?you can?t make a silk purse out of a sow?s ear,? these artists have the ability to reconfigure remnants of our shared culture into something simultaneously beautiful and meaningful.
April 21 - 22, 2006
Cy Thao beautifully tells the unfathomable epic of Hmong history and migration through folk-art paintings. Much of Thao?s early work explored creation myths, persecution by Chinese rulers, the Vietnam War, and other tragic events suffered by the Hmong people. Thao?s latest work seeks to integrate the childlike simplicity of the Hmong aesthetic through new subject matter including still life paintings.
The opening reception for this exhibition is Friday April 21st from 4-7Pm with Hmong dancers and singer at 6PM
The show runs from April 22nd- July 27th, 2006
Cy Thao will be presenting an artist?s talk and show slides of his current work. This presentation is free and open to the public and will take place on Saturday, April 22nd from 11-12 noon.
 March 17 - April 14, 2006
Senior Salon 2006
In the spirit of multi-disciplinary creativity, this exhibition features many works of the 2005-6? graduating baccalaureate artists and writers. From paintings to photographs to poetry and prose, this show spans the gamut in terms of form and content.
 November 18 - Dec 16, 2005
"Books Abound" featuring one-of-a-kind handmade books by artists associated with Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Reception: Thursday November 17th 4-7 p.m.
October 14 - November 5, 2005
Domestic / Landscape Fiber art by Mary Hark andTeresa Paschke
Reception: Thursday, Oct. 13 from 4?7 p.m.
 Sept 16 - Oct 7, 2005
Mixed Media: The Faculty Show
Exhibiting artists include: Joseph Flores, Carol Lee Chase, Kristen Lowe, Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, and Elaine Woldorsky
 March 11 - April 8, 2005
Senior Salon 2005
Participating artists and writers include: Rosa Donlin Pisca, Kathy Engebretson,Lisa Eriksson, Shanan Horecka, Denise Lusby, Kim Mark, JoAnne McKim, Jennifer Sansom, Ramona Stately and Michael Winslow.
November 12 - Dec. 12, 2004
Images from the Heartland: Celebrating Minnesota's Diversity
Photographs by Wing Young Huie
 November 2-7, 2004
El Dia de los Muertos: Amor Eterno (Day of the Dead)
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