Rituals
stories and objects from artists’ daily routines
ArtReach St. Croix, in partnership with guest curator William G. Franklin, is presenting Rituals, this summer’s Mobile Art Gallery exhibit.
This atypical exhibit will be centered on the thought-provoking stories on the oddities of Minnesota- and Wisconsin-based artists and what their daily routines have been like during this past year. Accompanying the stories, artists will showcase objects of ritualistic significance in their lives.
Rituals hopes to inspire audiences to reflect on how to keep going in good and challenging times.
René Descartes believed that idleness was essential to good mental work, and he made sure not to overexert himself. “And after my mind has wandered in sleep through woods, gardens, and enchanted palaces where I experience every pleasure imaginable, I awake to mingle the reveries of the night with those of the day.”
excerpt from Daily Rituals, How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Collaborating with the exhibit, photographer Lauren Bína will work with accepted artists to capture snapshots of their working spaces and/or other places associated with their creative and ritualistic activity.
Mobile Art Gallery was developed by ArtReach St. Croix to invite the the community to have unexpected art experiences outside of a typical gallery. 
Mending, the 2020 Mobile Art Gallery exhibition, was on display at Afton State Park, along the Brown’s Creek State Trail in Stillwater and outside the Walker Art Center. 
Mending, the 2020 Mobile Art Gallery exhibition, was curated by William G. Franklin.
Rituals will be ON VIEW in the ArtReach St. Croix Mobile Art Gallery
• OPENING PARTY on July 1st, 6-8pm at ArtReach St. Croix
• Lake Elmo Park Reserve / July 2-4 / Friday 6-8pm / Saturday & Sunday 9am-4pm
• Afton State Park / July 9-11 / Friday 6-8pm / Saturday & Sunday 9am-4pm
• William O’Brien State Park / July 30-August 1 / Friday 6-8pm / Saturday & Sunday 9am-4pm
• Interstate Park-MN / August 6-8 / Friday 6-8pm / Saturday & Sunday 9am-4pm
• Walker Art Center / August 21-22
The exhibit is centered on thought-provoking stories of Minnesota and Wisconsin-based artists and what their lives have been like during this past year. Accompanying the stories, the exhibit showcases objects of ritualistic significance in their lives and images of their studios, the latter, a collaboration with local photographer Lauren Bína. Rituals is an exhibit conceived and curated by William G. Franklin.
Sign-up here for online conversations with the artists, moderated by the curator, available soon.
Rituals and the 2021 season of the Mobile Art Gallery is supported in part by Xcel Energy Foundation, RBC Wealth Management Foundation and EagleView Wealth Management Group.
FamilyMeans developed mental health resources to accompany the exhibit.
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William G. Franklin is a bilingual educator and an independent art curator. Franklin has juried student exhibitions, served as panelist reviewing applications for grants, and advised in art committees. He teaches modern and contemporary art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and at Saint Cloud State University. Franklin will be teaching the graduate seminar Criticism and Theory 1 to MCAD’s MFA candidates this coming fall.
Lauren Bína is a professional teaching artist based in Minneapolis, MN. Bína holds a K-12 Minnesota teaching license and has extensive experience teaching in and through the arts with diverse audiences. She currently teaches media arts at Perpich Arts High School and works as a Lead Educator at the Walker Art Center. Bína’s sculptural photography explores the relationship between experience and memory.
ArtReach St. Croix is a nonprofit regional arts organization committed to the mission of connecting communities to the arts throughout the St. Croix Valley.
Mobile Art Gallery summer exhibition 2021 is a partnership between Minnesota State Parks Naturalists, Washington County Parks Naturalists, Family Means and ArtReach St. Croix.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Creative Support for Organizations grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional project funding comes from RBC Wealth Management Foundation.