Art from the Great Minnesota Get-Together
For most Minnesotans, the State Fair brings to mind fried food on a stick, baby farm animals, carnival games, and live performances. For Gerard Cafesjian, however, the State Fair was a chance to buy artwork from Minnesota artists. As we gear up for the “Great Minnesota Get-Together” at the end of the month, we wanted to shine a light on Gerard’s love of collecting art at the State Fair.
Gerard’s daughter Kathie, the museum’s CEO and founder, remembers that her father got to know many of the artists who exhibited at the State Fair. It was always important to him to encourage and support local artists, and he did so with gusto! He became such a prolific buyer that he was invited to visit the Fine Arts Exhibition a day early, before it opened to the public. This became an important annual day on his calendar, one he would rearrange his schedule to accommodate. He continued collecting art at the Fair up until 2013, the year he died.
After Gerard’s death, his art collection became a part of the Cafesjian Art Trust. Kathie opened the Museum in 2022 to share the vast and eclectic collection with the public. Although perhaps best known for its holdings in glass art, the Museum’s collection today includes fifty artworks purchased at the State Fair.
Here are a few highlights:
![2024.319.1 Version 1](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024.319.1-Version-1-256x300.jpg)
Dean Lucker (American, active since 1987). Kissing Couple Fortune Telling Machine, 1997. Wood, metal, plastic. Cafesjian Art Trust, 2024.319.1.
![2024.293.1](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024.293.1-300x249.jpg)
Paul Kellett (American). Cat in Basin, 2004. Watercolor on paper. H: 21 in., W: 25 in. Cafesjian Art Trust, 2024.293.1.
![2024.297.1](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024.297.1-300x223.jpg)
Vladimir Dikarev (Ukranian, born 1949). Three Sisters, 2004. Watercolor and colored pencil on paper. H: 30 in., W: 40 in. Cafesjian Art Trust, 2024.297.1
![2024.318.1 Version 2](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024.318.1-Version-2-199x300.jpg)
Lucy Rose Fischer (American, born 1944). Dancing with the Torah, about 2010. Blown and applied glass, paint. Cafesjian Art Trust, 2024.318.1.
As these examples demonstrate, you never know what you might find at the Fair. We can’t wait to see what Minnesota’s artists will have to offer at the Fine Arts Exhibition this year!
Q&A with the Curator: American Studio Glass at the CAT Museum
Two new exhibitions now open at the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum tell the story of American studio glass from its beginnings through today. From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement begins in the mid-1960s when ceramics professor Harvey Littleton hosted a series of workshops to experiment with blowing glass in a small, artist studio setting. The exhibition concludes with work created in the past five years from internationally known glass artists. Midwest Voices in Contemporary Glass, on display in the adjacent Focus Gallery, shows museum guests what artists in our very own region are creating today. In the interview below, Andy Schlauch, the CAT’s executive director and curator of the exhibitions, gives further insight into these exciting projects. From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement, and Midwest Voices in Contemporary Glass are on display at the CAT Museum through October 5th, 2024.
![Main gallery shot](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Main-gallery-shot-300x200.jpg)
From Origins to Horizons: The American Studio Glass Movement
Q: Why did you want to organize an exhibition about the American Studio Glass Movement?
Andy Schlauch (AS): Since we have such a remarkable and deep collection of glass art, I wanted to develop an exhibition that provides a context for this uniquely American movement. There are so many great artists working in glass, and I hope our guests are intrigued to learn about it.
To learn more and book your visit to the exhibitions, visit us online HERE.
Students and Science and Zebras…
Oh My!
If you’ve visited the CAT Museum before, you might know that we have a 25-person maximum for gallery tours. So how did we manage to engage the entire third grade at Island Lake Elementary with our last exhibition, Fooling the Eye? Simple: we brought the museum to them! Our Director of Education and Community Engagement, Laura Steefel-Moore, made seven visits to the school, creating an “in-house field trip” experience for each of Mrs. Gentry’s STEAM classes, ultimately serving all of the school’s 180 third-graders. STEAM—an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts, and math—was the perfect framework with which to study Fooling the Eye.
The 55-minute classroom lesson began with a map showing the CAT Museum in relation to Island Lake Elementary. Many students were surprised to discover they have a world-class art museum only eight minutes away from their school. They were especially delighted to learn that they could visit the museum for free with their families.
![Building photo cred Mounds View Public Schools](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Building-photo-cred-Mounds-View-Public-Schools-300x169.jpg)
Island Lake Elementary School. Photo courtesy of Mounds View Public Schools.
For more on School Programs at the CAT Museum, visit us online HERE.
VISIT US
The Cafesjian Art Trust is free and open to the public for guided tours only. Reservations are required. Both individuals and groups are encouraged to visit. Click below to make your tour reservation.
Hours
Thursday – Saturday
10:00 am – 4:30 pm
Cafesjian Art Trust
4600 Churchill Street
Shoreview, MN, 55126
VISIT US
The Cafesjian Art Trust is free and open to the public for guided tours only. Reservations are required. Both individuals and groups are encouraged to visit. Click below to make your tour reservation.
Hours
Thursday – Saturday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cafesjian Art Trust
4600 Churchill Street
Shoreview, MN, 55126
VISIT US
The Cafesjian Art Trust is free and open to the public for guided tours only. Reservations are required. Both individuals and groups are encouraged to visit. Click below to make your tour reservation.
Hours
Thursday – Saturday
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Cafesjian Art Trust
4600 Churchill Street
Shoreview, MN, 55126
![cat-logo-260×97-REV](https://cafesjianarttrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cat-logo-260x97-REV.png)