Artistry is thrilled to have Jon Kamrath, Mary Beth Magyar, and Paul Stapp in the Inez Greenberg Gallery with their exhibitions Public Offerings. They explore the question of what makes something public. What one person sees as a mundane storefront can be a beautiful reminder of the past. Everything we see is full of stories that aren't visible to the naked eye. How does the meaning of something change when only part of it is public? In nature, is anything private? By bringing together these artists, Artistry hopes our audience can find art not only in InezGreenberg Gallery, but in the world around them.

JON KAMRATH
My Structures and Complexes series are about exploring what is a “solid foundation” and what we choose to build upon this foundation.  These sculptures serve as a metaphor for larger questions of stability, reliability, trust, endurance, support, achievement and safety.  

The name “Structure” comes from both the building-like structures themselves and the scaffolding support structure below that serves as a foundation.  As I am building these sculptures, I like to envision the scaffolding as the physical representation of the societal and personal support structures we all use in our lives. We often take for granted the permanence of things such as relationships, health, or the environment, and build elaborate structures upon them assuming their longevity and eternal support.  Sudden events such as the pandemic, health crises, or environmental change may expose their fragility, and by highlighting the constant cycle of damage and repair these structures face I am attempting to portray their temporary, organic and evolving nature.  

The term “Complex” works as a name for a large shared living space, but also refers to the complicated nature of creating shared environments, both physically and relationally.  The support and underlying groundwork created by others becomes a foundation allowing us to reach greater heights and achievements.  Likewise, our endeavors also serve as a foundation for those still to come.  Multiple people begin relying on shared foundations, each person trusting their own wellbeing to the judgment of others. This creates an opportunity for greater success, while at the same time increasing risk of disaster.  

Jon Kamrath grew up in St. Paul, MN and spent his summers working with his father as a finish carpenter, inheriting his craftsmanship skills, love of tools, and architectural appreciation. He attended Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, where he met his muse. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Art Education, he married her and taught middle school art in Fergus Falls, MN. He then went on to attain his Masters of Fine Arts from Iowa State University. Moving back to Minnesota, Jon taught art at Eagle Ridge Academy for 5 years. He is currently sculpting out of his studio in Mahtomedi where he lives with his wife and three children who constantly help to give him endless amounts of inspiration. 

MARY BETH MAGYAR
"The way to fight is not to reflect horror and put your spirit down. It's to create something with beauty that gives you hope." Marina Abramović In this time of political and by consequence social change I have felt overwhelmed and wanted to focus on a way to make something that brought joy. The quote by conceptual artist Abramović stayed with me and challenged me to rethink how and why I make things. The Book of Delights by poet Ross Gay also helped inform this work. His way of looking for a daily delight and proclaiming it as such helped him find more joy as well. Currently my practice is changing and I am navigating new ideas and experimenting with clay and collage; trying to inspire my own moments of "that is a delight"!

My work is inspired by nature and communities, often the combination of the two. This series of birds organized into a murmuration, is to recreate a moment of joy that is experienced in nature. These moments of awe feel like rewards for choosing to hike, bike, run, canoe, or however one communes with nature. By recreating this inside I hope to inspire people to get back outside or provide a quiet, joyful respite for those unable to be outside. 

Magyar was born and raised mostly in California but has lived all over the country. She received a BFA in painting from Michigan State University. In 2014, after a break from the art world while caring for her family and a move to Minnesota, Magyar restarted her solo studio practice. The studio practice is in combination with her Community Engagement practice. In order to better work with the community she finished her Master's in Education at Hamline University in December 2022. She started a public art project in 2021; smallärt gallery. The 3 mini-galleries in Rochester focus on women and BIPOC artists. Alloftheartists.com is a website she started that is a diverse index of contemporary MN artists, and resources. Her community engagement practice centers mostly on community resource schools in Rochester, rural outreach, the unhoused population and work with IMAA, Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association. Magyar's solo practice is based on exploring community relationships and focused on creating moments of joy and wonder.

PAUL STAPP
I visit the built environments of cities and towns to note the currents of deterioration and alteration commingling there. There I’ve recognized that even the most incongruous-looking architectural modification was at some point the result of someone’s intentional action. Further exploration in these environments has inspired a series of shop window photographs. Their once carefully-curated, now merely-neglected presentations show an even stronger influence of intent.

The photographs in “Public Offerings” take away this concept of intention. Even if they weren’t conceived as such, what if we viewed these objects as Public Art? 

Raised in the minimalistic geography of East-Central Illinois, photographer Paul Stapp learned early to seek out beauty amid the mundane. Early forays into photography led him to the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA Photography, 1979), and a lifelong interest in art led him to the University of Chicago (MA Art History, 1990).  Insights from both have added conceptual depth and direction to subsequent projects. He lives with his wife in St. Paul, MN and is an avid amateur oboist.