The Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC) is excited to announce the opening of their 2025 Guest Juror Exhibition, juried by esteemed artist and cultural organizer Nancy Ariza. The exhibition is already open at the LRAC Main Gallery and they have already welcomed a number of visitors engaging with the powerful and diverse artwork on display.

In preparation for this exhibition, the gallery also received a mini-makeover! Two of our movable walls and pedestals were freshly painted, adding new color and dimension to enhance the gallery experience.

“The Guest Juror Exhibition is always very popular with regional artists, and we receive over 100 submissions each year. Every Guest Juror brings their own talent, aesthetic, and professional eye when jurying the work. It transforms our gallery space and creates a buzz with our visitors. We invite established artists to select the very best from our regional talent, and it’s consistently one of the strongest mixed media exhibitions we present,” said Naomi RaMona Schliesman, LRAC Gallery Curator.

About the guest juror – Nancy Ariza

Nancy Ariza is a printmaker, educator, and arts and cultural organizer with over a decade of experience designing and leading arts programming in museums and nonprofit organizations across Minnesota. In 2024, she founded Amilado Press, a collaborative print studio based in Richfield, Minn., focused on publishing, artist residencies, and arts education.

In addition to her work at Amilado Press, Ariza serves on the Leadership Council of Serpentina Arts, supporting Latinx artists across Minnesota, and is a board member of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center. She holds an MA in Education from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, specializing in culturally responsive teaching, and earned a BA in Art History and a BFA in Printmaking from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Exhibiting artists

Katie Muzquiz, from Detroit Lakes, Thom Tammaro, from Moorhead, Marie Merten, from Alexandria, Mary Erickson, from Menahga, Loretta Cantieri, from Moorhead, Kim Baird, from Moorhead, Tricia Coulson, Rochert, Annette DuBord, Moorhead, Laura VonBank, Moorhead, Linda Beilke, Detroit Lakes, Alyssa Christoffers, Moorhead, John Shaw, Battle Lake, Carmen Bruhn, Detroit Lakes, Lrez, Perham, John Beaudine, Moorhead, Nancy X. Valentine, Battle Lake, Katy J. Olson, Underwood, Dennis Krull, Moorhead, Torri Hanna, Fergus Falls and Maggie Peterson, from Detroit Lakes.

Gallery hours

Monday – Thursday | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Closed Friday – Sunday

Contact: 1-800-262-2787 or 218-739-5780 | Email: LRAC4@LRACgrants.org

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Lake Region Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, with additional support from the McKnight Foundation.