September 14 – October 15, 2022
Printmaker Michael Weatherly
Reception Friday 10/14 @ 4-6pm
All are invited to the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center Gallery between September 14 – October 15, 2022 to see contemporary artwork by Michael Weatherly.
An Artists Reception is being held on Friday, October 14 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. This event will include an artist talk and light refreshments will be served.
The Reception and Gallery are always free to see and open to all. Gallery Hours are:
- Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Thursdays 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Closed Sundays/Mondays/Tuesdays
- Available for private tours, contact info@kulcher.org
Michael Weatherly is a Minnesota based contemporary printmaker from Elbow Lake, MN. He furthered his education at the University of Minnesota Morris obtaining a BA in Art history and minor in Studio art with an emphasis in printmaking.
Michael’s artwork is thought-provoking and evocative. The prints have strong lines, and bold themes. He works with several printmaking methods including linocut, wood cut, multimedia prints, and poly plate lithography. Michael describes his work as contemporary, but also says he designs and prints what he likes, which sometimes leads to diverse subjects.
Michael has been the recipient of several artist grants including the McKnight Foundation Artist Grant, Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Grants, and Individual Artist Grants from the Lake Regions Arts Council. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, and has been featured on the cover of 500,000 Evangelical Lutheran Church bulletins.
Artist Statement:
“In early 2018, I started working on prints that dealt with human emotions and the human condition to try to establish a connection with the viewer. With 2020 in my sights my goal was to work big again and move towards more installation type art. Through some great discussions with colleagues, the ideas of carving and printing on actual doors came about.
Behind the Door tries to address things that we as people would rather keep secret and behind closed doors such as an addiction or abuse. The door also symbolizes a portal that these people might be trying to escape. With the surging rate of opioid addiction, overdoses and abuse, we are experiencing one of greatest public health crises our nation has ever faced.”
The drug epidemic
ep·i·dem·ic
noun
a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time
More than 750,000 people have died from a drug overdose in the United States from 1999 to 2018, with nearly 450,000 deaths involving prescribed or illicit opioids. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Understanding the Epidemic, an average of 128 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
Convergence of an epidemic and pandemic
Nationally, suspected overdose submissions to the Overdose Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) in 2020 rose by 18% in March, 29% in April, and 42% in May, based on a 30-day rolling mean comparison to these months in 2019. The ODMAP report showed increases of 11.4% for fatal overdoses and 18.6% for nonfatal overdoses during 2020.
According to an estimate by a report from the Well Being Trust and the American Academy of Family Physicians, the economic recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to a large increase in deaths from drug overdose, alcohol abuse, and suicide in coming years. Depending on the course of the pandemic and response, projections for excess deaths from these causes over the next 10 years range from 27,644 to 154,037, with 75,000 excess deaths being the most likely.
Michael continues, “I hope that this work will help start a conversation about these issues and bring awareness. I am interested in how artists address themes that are tragic, scary and painful and how as an artist to grapple with the human condition.”
Michael’s show at for the Cultural Center Gallery features a variety of artwork and includes two doors from his Behind the Door project.
Join us at the Gallery Reception honoring Artist Michael Weatherly on Friday, October 14, 2022 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. View the artwork, hear from the artist, visit with your neighbors, make some new connections. All are welcome (free to attend, open to all)!
Call 218-385-3339 or email info@kulcher.org with any questions or to schedule a private gallery viewing.