C4W:2023 The Periphery of Power

“Radical self-love demands that we see ourselves and others in the fullness of our complexities and intersections and that we work to create space for those intersections”. - Sonya Renee Taylor 

Gamut Gallery's annual Call-4-Work exhibition is not a show that influences what art should be. Instead, the chosen guest curator brings their unique perspective and interpretation of the submitted works ranging the full “Gamut” of visual media. 

When Esther Callahan accepted the invite to curate this year’s C4W:2023, she went in as a blank canvas and let the artwork choose her, empowering the 254 artists to lead the way through all 1,076 submissions. Through our guest curator’s lens and perspective, this body of work presented the theme, The Periphery of Power.

This year’s group exhibit will feature 45 artworks from 44 artists, 33 of which have never been exhibited at Gamut Gallery. The pieces Callahan chose convey her vision of art as a vehicle of agency and power.

Art invites us to experience both the relatable and the unrelatable. It offers us a space to break down the confinements of expectation and it lives alongside, and informs, the intersections of daily life. Art opens the world of exploration – of the self, of our shared spaces, of our shared futures – and is a consistent truth-telling experience.

“Collectively the works are joyous and fierce, honest and intimate, encouraging a crowd-shared consciousness to sew together multiple narratives and channel a bit of revelry and reflection. Inspired by the importance of creating a space that originates from a need to delve into all sorts of wide-ranging, hot-topic issues, this exhibition references The Periphery of Power through love, social mores, gender, intimacy, beauty, materiality, maternity, and more.”

“This exhibition covers a range of artistic mediums, from highly detailed paintings rendered in acrylic on panels – paintings that complicate the relationship between artist and subject; beautifully emotional digital photography that denote resilience and resistance; to high fire stoneware ceramics whose visceral context embraces transformation in both the material and the conceptual.”

“Each selected piece is part of the fearlessly celebratory nature of the exploration of beauty, autonomy, representation, and desire, and serves as an homage to all the fragmented pieces of human beings and the central note that art has played within our collective history.” – Esther Callahan 

About the Guest Curator

Esther Callahan is an independent curator, arts organizer, and feminist scholar with roots in Minnesota. Over the past 20+ years in the Twin Cities, she has created and co-created various platforms for cultural production rooted in interrogating the impact of racial and gender equity. She is the former Co-Director of the Emerging Curator Institute (ECI), a Minnesota-based nonprofit designed to build the individual practices of emerging curators from diverse backgrounds. In addition to ECI, Callahan was a Curatorial Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), where she co-founded the Curatorial Advisory Committee that embraces all departments in Mia, from facilities, security, accounting, visitor services, and curatorial, as a model to help inform Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion practice in curatorial work. 

Featured Artists:

Andy Jacobs, Becky Roberts, Ben DiNino, Brian Britigan, Briana Auel, Brooke Bartholomew, Caitlin Rose, Christopher Jones, CL Martin, Daniel Allyn Lee, Desirée Forgét, Devin Newby, Dustin Steuck, Erin McKillip, Henry Tyson, Jennifer Chilstrom, Jess Eckerstorfer, Karen Caldwell, Kathryn Blommel, Kelly Helsinger, Kevin Bergkvist, Kristi Abbott, Lindsay Alsaker, Lorelei Beckstrom, Lucy Comer, Nick Kim, Nikolina Lazetic, Perci Chester, Peter Giebink, Renée Boynton, Samantha Rickner, Sarah Sosa, Sarah Swan-Kloos, Sarah Vanasse Miles, Sean Ferris, Sepia Edwards, Shalom Ukwesa, Shanna Allyn, Shea Maze, Steve King, Travis J Collins, Von Dickens Ulsa, Wil Natzel, Yvette Griffea-Gray 

Opening Night:

Saturday, July 15th // 6-9pm

• $10 pre-sale, $15 door

• Pre-sales available and recommended

• FREE for Gamut Members

Featuring 44 local and national artists, Icy Icy Baby Shaved Ice Truck & DJ Ramses

The Periphery of Power Artist Talk:

Thursday, August 3rd // 7pm

• $5 pre-sales, $10 door

• FREE for members

• Pre-sales coming soon!

• Entry will be available at the door

Summer Makers Market:

Saturday, July 29th // 12-4pm • FREE

Featuring Twin Cities makers Alicia & Jakob Speich, SNEW Ceramics, Third Daughter Restless Daughter, VCKSZ, Electro Magnet People, Ashley Nichole Designs, Brad Hay (aka Regenerate Wood), Rachel Schroder (aka Ms Stitch), Nichole Showalter, & Crisp Motif.

Continuing the tradition started in 2020, Gamut will be hosting a FREE summer pop-up Makers Market, right in the gallery and their courtyard! One of the best ways to support local art is by purchasing work from local artists. This year’s artists create an eclectic variety of ceramics, glass art, cross-stitches, jewelry, fiber art, and home goods perfect for any art lover.

The core of Gamut's philosophy is the sincere belief that art fosters community and that everyone should have access to becoming a collector. With that mission in mind, they are constantly working to reach new audiences that might not have previously known how welcome they are in gallery spaces. Knowing that many of their visitors have begun their journey collecting art at Gamut is such an incredible honor that they feel so lucky to be a part of. 

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday - Friday, 11am - 6pm

Saturday 11am - 4pm

Gamut is available by appointment, please request an appointment 48 hours in advance.