Props to our supporters. As we get ready for our grand opening on September 19th, we most undoubtedly know that we would be nothing as a collective without the collaboration we’ve ascertained with gifted artisans and individuals giving their time and talents towards the success of our little enterprise. So we’re giving each one the their due, or “Props” as a way of saying thank you for being a part of our upcoming Grand Opening celebrations.
Contributing Artists
Christina Ridolfi
Christina Ridolfi is an independent exhibiting visual artist and educator. She is also a participant in the locally owned artist collective, Omforme. Her most recent exhibitions were at the Minnesota State Fair and at Art a Whirl with Franconia Sculpture Park. As an entrepreneur she formed MRM, a Minneapolis-based fine art design and fabrication company. She holds degrees in Sociology/Anthropology and Interior Design from Lake Forest College in Chicago and Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee
Don Myhre
Don Myhre’s art speaks volumes of who he is despite his super quiet nature. He is head of the 3D Department of Minneapolis College of Art & Design which is one of the country’s leading colleges for art. Don’s extraordinary versatility as a sculptural media artist showcases talent in everything from bronze, paper, found object, resin and other forms of three dimensional works. His unique take on visionary results are clearly seen in the large scale modular wall installation he created for Omforme using a combination of found and reclaimed objects that has to be seen in person for full scale appreciation of this large and wonderful work of functional art.
Ross Marckert
Designer Ross Mackert brings Jet-age influences and a heady array of skills to every project. Raised and schooled in the Midwest, he nevertheless has a wider view, possibly shaped by his time perusing volumes of the World Book Encyclopedia in his youth. The fact that that it was a 1960’s edition may have been responsible for his stylistic tastes. Ross studied sculpture at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus Ohio before moving to Lawrence Kansas to complete a bachelor degree in Product Design at the University of Kansas. After working to make other product firms uber successful, Ross set out on his own in 2005 doing product design consulting, prototype fabrication, and crafting unique and repurposed objects of art and utility.
Alec M Smith
Some people are born with innate artistic talent and don’t even realize it until later on in life. Alec Smith is one of those artists. Despite obsessive sketching as a young lad, Alec nevertheless decided sports was the way to go playing hockey. But the art world kept calling him back into the fold and in his mid-20s, he decided to pay attention to that inner gut and started his road to becoming a full fledged artist. Though mostly self taught through exploratory methods, Alec’s style and finesse of re-imagined classical interpretations of art rivals that of many true masters of their craft in both paintings and bronze sculpture formats.
Muddy Paws Cheescake
The effervescent owner of Muddy Paws never seems to sleep! Tami Cabrera has earned her reputation as the “Luxury Cheesecake Aficionado” in the twin cities. But if you thought that all Muddy Paws does is cheesecake, you may want to rethink that notion as Tami’s version of savory items on the menu are just as delectable as her 222 flavors of cheesecake. It’s no wonder she wins awards every year for her food and is a perennial favorite of wedding event scene and other important public events.