Is that a troll under the bridge? Are the gnomes and fairies milling about the Spoonbridge and Cherry? This Saturday the Walker Art Center transforms into a land of magic! Join us for Free First Saturday (Gallery admission is free from 10 am – 5 pm) and step into a realm of art-related fantasy. From 10 am – 3 pm journey on a quest through the Sculpture Garden and Open Field and meet mythical heroes and foes while participating (if you so choose) in challenges in each quadrant! So get ready to make a costume, grab a map, and set forth on your epic adventure!
This blog series will profile some of the many mythical characters you may encounter on this exciting quest, and also give a little background about the real folks playing each magical persona.
GARDEN QUEST CHARACTER PROFILE:
KOLE, SHOPKEEPER
Name: Kole Proudarm
Race: Human
Class: Fighter/Merchant
Level/Ability: 7th Level
Special Powers: Brawling, gambling, mining, repair, wilderness survival x2(cavern and tavern), divination
Gear: Peavey of Stunning, leather apron, jewel of strength, glasses of true seeing
Description of Garden Quest Activity: Co-owner of the shop in the marketplace, a one-stop shop for information, rumors, weapon enhancement and maps to the region.
About the player, Karl Unnasch
Karl Unnasch lives in rural Southeastern Minnesota and received his MFA from the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth. His stained glass, sculpture and installation work rolls out of a refurbished 1800s mercantile building. Karl teaches at the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse and has participated in shows in Boston, New York, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Denmark. He was a participant in the 2010 Minnesota Biennial and his public installations can be viewed at Rochester Community Technical College and John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota. He is the face of the Guild-of-One mobile workbench, recontextualizing and re-engineering public detritus and ephemera into objects of art and wonder. Karl is represented by the Anita Sue Kolman Gallery in Minneapolis and the Lanesboro Art Center Gallery in Lanesboro, Minnesota.
GARDEN QUEST CHARACTER PROFILE:
ORION, SHOPKEEPER
Name: Orion Proudarm
Race: Human
Class: Ranger/Merchant
Level/Ability: 7.5
Special Powers: Secrets, tracking, enchanting, wilderness survival, regeneration
Gear: Two handed sword, leather apron, jewel of enchanting
Description of Garden Quest Activity: Co-owner of the shop in the marketplace, a one-stop shop for information, rumors, weapon enhancement and maps to the region.
About the player, Andy DuCett
Andy DuCett is from Winona, MN and received his MFA from the University of Illinois. He currently teaches at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the University of Wisconsin-Stout. His work has been shown in galleries in Chicago, San Francisco, New York City, Milwaukee and Honolulu, as well as many Twin Cities locations. He has been published in New American Paintings, Vita.mn, Paper Darts, The Portland Mercury, Illiterate Magazine, DailyServing.com, as well as publications in Toronto, Berlin, Tokyo, and London. He recently was commissioned by the Walker Art Center to make a drawing for their First Free Saturday Program, and is included in the curated registry of the Drawing Center in New York City. He has an upcoming solo exhibition entitled “Why we do this” at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis, opening September 8th.
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