Montana native has been a part of Cultural Center since 2017

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

With each trip to the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, visitors are sure to see a smiling face. In fact, there are usually multiple smiling staff members ready to help, and one of those staff members can be seen at every art gallery show, workshop, event and opportunity to spread the arts to the region.

Cheryl Bannes became acquainted with the regional arts retreat as an artist in residence in September of 2012. Living in Montana, she had painted enough mountains and had decided that she wanted to observe the scenery that Minnesota had to offer.

“I really enjoy water and that’s one thing Minnesota has a lot of,” said Bannes. “So it seemed logical, if you want to observe water, Minnesota is the right place to go. The lakes country itself, it’s’ such a different scenery and focus than mountains, which I have painted lots of. The trees are all different too, there are more deciduous trees here.

“I was here almost a month at that time,” she continued. “When I got back home, a couple of my friends asked about being in rural Minnesota, in New York Mills. I said, ‘you know, it’s actually pretty nice, I could see living there—it’s nice, people were nice, it’s a nice area—I could see living there,’ never actually thinking that I would.”

The call came in 2017, asking if Bannes would head up a new position and become the Cultural Center’s Artistic Director. With a love of creating arts programming, she accepted and has worked for the past eight years leading the arts education side of the Cultural Center’s programming.

“I hadn’t planned on moving to Minnesota, but they talked me into it,” smiled Bannes. “I have been working in the nonprofit art world most of my life and a big part of what I’ve been doing in the nonprofit art world is developing art education and outreach programs in rural Montana. I was one of two rural arts education specialist and state sponsored artists in residence who developed rural programs, so coming here and starting this job was not a big leap.

“There have been a number of people over the years who did parts of the things I do,” she continued, “but as far as an Artistic Director, there had never been that position. It’s grown more than anything, the position has grown to encompass a larger area, more people, parts of the job have grown dramatically and it’s gotten to be quite large.”

Bannes said that one aspect of the job changed quite dramatically after the Covid pandemic in 2020. Worldwide, art became a major part of daily lives in quarantine.

“Of course, 2020 changed everything,” she said. “It certainly changed the art world, the arts became real prominent between 2020 and 2021, not that they had ever been in the background, but arts were really what saved people during isolation and that changed the entire art world as far as viewing outreach and what can be done to reach more people to create connections.”

Bannes commented on how art brings people together and has a healing effect in different situations. She said that it is a great medium for creating authentic connections and believes that it very well could be what brings world peace.

“Apparently politicians don’t get that,” she laughed. “Nobody has asked us to come fix it all yet.”

Along the lines of peace through art, one of Bannes’ highlights from working at the Cultural Center over the years has been cultivating the annual Celebrating Cultures event, where Minnesotans from all over the state come together to share their culture, heritage, and history.

“I was very surprised, coming from Montana, when I got to Minnesota and I would talk to people, how little connection or interaction they had with the Native Americans here,” she explained. “That really surprised me because I came from a state where it’s education is mandated at the state level, there are offices for Indian education for all. So, to come here and not see any of that was a huge surprise. So being able to say, ‘hey, this is an area that we need to work on,’ and having it grow to what it is now, has been a real highlight for me.”

Another highlight, being a metalsmith by trade, has been the creation of the now-annual Heavy Metal Exhibit, which will also feature a Metals Market this year. The event is meant to highlight metal workers, whose artwork is often seen as the product they create, but people often miss the art-factor of their creations.

“That is a show I’m very proud of because blacksmiths are frequently seen as functional iron workers and not everyone recognizes the art of it,” said Bannes. “So, being able to put the work of blacksmiths and knife makers, and spear fishing makers, sculptors, big metal sculptors, in the gallery for everyone to celebrate and learn that this is a really incredible art has really been a highlight for me.”

Bannes has even joined the Minnesota Metalsmiths Association to get to know metalworkers throughout the state and to learn more about their art forms.

“I just really enjoy getting to know them and the work that they do and I’m just so impressed at the quality of work in this area and I want everyone to really appreciate handwrought, handmade metal objects.”

As she begins her retired life, Bannes looks forward to utilizing her new studio which is set to be built before long and to get back into creating her own artwork. She also is looking forward to being able to enter art shows and galleries as an artist, rather than someone working in the industry. In Montana, she had her artwork showcased in many galleries and is looking forward to entering those spaces once again as an artist.

“I have been so lax for so long because of time constrains,” she said. “I just don’t have the time to spend in my studio, and so I’m very excited to start my own work again. Now the problem is I have so many ideas, I don’t know where to start!”

Bannes is also planning to join as many area art clubs and organizations, as well as attending workshops, teaching workshops, and participating in art events across the regional art centers of the state. As a member of the bar of the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, she also looks forward to returning to do some advocacy work at the state and federal levels.

“The quality of art in rural Minnesota is astounding,” she said. “I just really appreciate the arts being celebrated as much as they are in Minnesota and as supported as they are through the Legacy Amendment. Minnesota is unique, and that needs to be noted and appreciated, because the support of the arts here is unlike most any other state.

“We need to make sure the Legacy Amendment remains a bipartisan bill that is supported and I would like to be more involved,” she continued. “I’ve been always really actively involved in arts advocacy at the state and federal level. I love advocacy work.”

While her favorite part of her job included meeting and working with the many regional artists, and curating their art shows, she knows that she will miss the people most of all.

“I love curating shows and it’s a privilege when people trust me with their artwork and I will definitely miss meeting new people and new artists,” she said.

A community retirement-art-party will be scheduled for late August for the region’s artists, art fans, and community members to come and enjoy art while wishing Bannes a happy retirement.