The artist Natalie Salminen Rude

HANCOCK – Finlandia University Gallery will present the 31st Annual Contemporary Finnish American Artist Series Exhibition featuring the artwork of Natalie Salminen Rude at the Finlandia University Gallery, located in the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC), Hancock from Dec. 4 to Feb. 4, 2022.

An opening Zoom reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. EST.

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An in-person closing reception for the artist will take place at the gallery on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with an artist talk beginning at 7:20 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Finnish American artist Natalie Salminen Rude will present an exhibit titled in·ter·stice: (noun) a small intervening space. Contemplative, multidisciplinary and inquisitive, Salminen Rude aims to identify and uncover the dehumanizing forces found within technology and systemization. What is to be done if we are too deeply steeped in a system that we depend on? What happens when we never stop long enough to think thoroughly through the possible ramifications of progress as a core value, as our new sacred?

For Salminen Rude, an antidote lies in the re-humanizing of all things. A simple first step for her is more non-digital communication, through movement, word and image, in physical spaces. By use of antidotal and symbolic imagery, layered ideation, encaustic, oil, light and darks, and haiku (as “poetic assists” for conversation), Salminen Rude brings together an interstice for contemplation and conversation. Her desire is that viewers pay attention to and participate in their own inquiries and solutions. Through attention, dialogue and the art of breaking down the breakdowns, the re-humanizing of our world is still possible.

Salminen Rude is both an artist and a poet, with poetry and text playing a vital role in her practice. She works in a variety of mediums, employing oils, mixed media and encaustic in her paintings and sculpture. Her work explores and celebrates layered ideation, both physically and metaphorically.

Salminen Rude received a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 2003 and currently resides in Duluth with her husband and three children. Prior to the pandemic of 2020, she maintained a brick and mortar studio and showroom called Studio Haiku. She teaches encaustic workshops both locally and internationally, exhibits, and facilitates discussions on spirituality, the art of haiku, and what it means to live as an artist within the context of commitment, family, and the humble rhythms of life.

The 31st Annual Contemporary Finnish American Artist Series Exhibition in·ter·stice: (noun) a small intervening space will be on display at the Finlandia University Gallery through Feb. 4, 2022.

The Finlandia University Gallery is located in the Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy Street, Hancock. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or by appointment. Please call 906-487-7500 for more information.