Photo of Gordon Parks authorized for use by the Gordon Parks Foundation, New York CIty, NY.
The Gordon Parks Gallery ascribes to a multi-faceted mission: to support the arts curriculum and cultural activities of Metro State University and to preserve the legacy of the 20th century multimedia artist Gordon Parks.
As an academic venue, the gallery is committed to providing educational opportunities for adult learners through internships, student exhibitions and related programming. As a civic venue, the gallery is dedicated to exposing Minnesotans to the life and work of Gordon Parks through youth and community outreach programs.
Gordon Parks Gallery is dedicated to showing the work of various subjects, media, forms and content by diverse artists, including emerging and established artists of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
If you’re interested in exhibiting at The Gordon Parks Gallery, please reach out to Dr. Megan Arney Johnston, gallery director, at megan.johnston@metrostate.edu to receive details about the submission process.
The Prophet of Produce, handmade paper w/ chest hair, 2026
Metro State University and the Gordon Parks Gallery are proud to present a major retrospective exhibition of the sculptural work of acclaimed artist Professor Erica Spitzer Rasmussen, honoring her nearly three decades of rigorous studio practice, transformative teaching, and visionary institutional leadership.
The exhibit opens with a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23. The show will continue through June 25. Gallery hours are 1 to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The gallery is located on the first floor of Metro State’s Library and Learning Center, 645 East Seventh Street, at the University’s Saint Paul Campus.
The exhibition features Rasmussen’s signature paper sculptures, including her striking shoe forms and boldly constructed neckwear, alongside garment-based works such as capes, jackets, and bustiers that evoke the body while functioning as autonomous sculptural objects. Also included are her handmade books—intimate works that function as a homage to family, memory, and the rituals of care. In a significant new development within her practice, the exhibition premieres collaborative video projects that demonstrate how her books are dimensional, kinetic objects.
This retrospective also celebrates Rasmussen’s 29-year tenure at Metro State University, where she has shaped generations of artists and provided essential leadership as Director of the Gordon Parks Gallery, advancing its mission as a vital site for contemporary art, critical dialogue, and community engagement.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Metro State University has launched the Erica Spitzer Rasmussen Endowed Scholarship for Studio Arts, with a goal of raising $25,000 to support future students. This endowment honors Rasmussen’s enduring commitment to access, mentorship, and artistic excellence.
To contribute to the scholarship, please give online at: www.metrostate.edu/give, and select “Erica Spitzer Rasmussen Scholarship for Studio Arts” in the gift designation drop-down menu.
Artist Bio:
Erica Spitzer Rasmussen is an artist who creates handmade paper garments and small editions of hand-bound books. She received her BFA and MFA from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis), including coursework in Mexico and Greece. Her current work explores family stories and issues of identity. Rasmussen is a recipient of the 2018 Minnesota Book Artist Award and various grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2018, 2015,1999). Other professional highlights include a papermaking residency in Salzburg, Austria (2025), bookbinding residencies in Venice, Italy (2024, 2022, 2018, 2016), a solo exhibition in Mexico City, Mexico (2012), and a residency in Vienna, Austria (2010). Her work has been featured in such magazines as FiberArts, Surface Design Journal, American Craft and Hand Papermaking. Her artwork is exhibited internationally, and it resides in such collections as the National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, DC), Harvard Libraries (Boston, MA), the Library of Congress (Washington, DC), Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (Washington State), the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN), the Minnesota History Center (St. Paul, MN), Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum (Hollywood, CA), Stanford University Libraries (Stanford, CA), and the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense (Milan, Italy). https://ericaspitzerrasmussen.com