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ARTIST + MUSE
​
24 ​Woodcuts by Charles Beck from the Timothy Murphy Collection

Picture
Snow Geese
Picture



Cathedral Forest
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum is pleased to present Artist + Muse: woodcuts by Charles Beck from the Timothy Murphy Collection, a touring exhibition of woodcut prints by the late artist Charles Beck (1923 - 2017) from the collection of the late poet Timothy Murphy (1951 - 2018). The collection remains on semi-permanent loan to The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum thanks to the Murphy family. ​

Murphy was an admirer and friend of Beck and derived both enjoyment and inspiration from his friend’s artwork. Murphy’s poem “Snowgeese” references and gives direct attribution to Beck’s iconic landscape of the same name:

Snowgeese
for Charles Beck


​The flock is whorled like a translucent shell
and intricate as the tubing of a horn,
its embouchure, the soft foot of a snail
lighting on sand, except the sand is corn,
chisel sloughed and left to build the soil
from which indebted farmers have been torn.

I catch one note—a wild, wayfaring cry
as snow geese splash into a glacial mere.
Framed by moraines under a nacreous sky,
they echo in the chambers of my ear.
How does an ear rival your artist's eye
that sees what I can only hope to hear?

Reproduced images of Beck woodcuts are also featured in most of Murphy’s published collections of poetry. 

The Exhibit

​This exhibition comprises 24 Beck woodcuts and 6 Murphy poems on panel. It has previously toured west central Minnesota thanks to support from the Lake Region Arts Council. 

Interpretive materials and exhibition signage included; please inquire for display space requirements, rental fees, and dates of availability. Only venues open to the public will be considered for exhibition.   

Charles Beck, Canvas Backs; woodcut, SP (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Marsh Grass; woodcut, 6/200 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Evening Chores; woodcut, 21/150 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Survivor 2; woodcut, 31/150 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Sunflowers; woodcut, 12/150 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Moon Shadows; woodcut, SP (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Winter Geese; woodcut, SP (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Winter Apples; woodcut, 19/150 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Charles Beck, Prairie Flowers; woodcut, 46/200 (Collection of Timothy Murphy, 1951-2018)
Exhibitions and operations are supported in part by the generous support of the following regional, state, and local entities:
Picture
This activity is funded by The Arts Partnership,
with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.
Picture
This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota state legislative appropriation.
Picture
This project is supported in part by
a grant from the North Dakota Council on
the Arts, which receives funding from the
state legislature and the National
​Endowment for the Arts.

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
521 Main Avenue
​Moorhead, MN 56560
​

Tel. 218.236.8861
© 2021 The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
  • Home
  • Exhibitions
    • Annette Marchand
    • Micro-Theatre
    • Traveling Exhibits >
      • Artist + Muse
      • Frozen Music
      • White Earth Window
    • Calendar
    • Collections
    • Past Exhibitions >
      • Guan & Bachmeier
      • Susan Morrissey
      • Art Ghoullery V
      • Kathleen Ristinen
      • Dave Thune
      • J.S. Postovit: A New Bestiary
      • Joe B. Milosevich >
        • The Collected Object
      • Three Women ...
      • Recent Acquisitions
      • Dan Jones
      • In the Elements
      • 2021 Live & Silent Auctions
      • 360° Tours >
        • Abstract: episode 875
        • Isolated Interiors
        • Looking at the Overlooked
      • Charlie Thysell
      • Art Ghoullery IV
      • Wayne Gudmundson
      • The 62nd Midwestern
      • Tri-College Sculpture
      • Philip J. Thompson
      • Eric A. Johnson
      • James T. O'Rourke
      • Cyrus M. Running
      • Robert A. Nelson
      • Charles Beck
      • Thysell Linocuts
      • Deborahmae Broad
      • Ben Rheault
      • 60 Years, 60 Works
  • About
    • History
    • Archives + Reading Room
    • Mission
    • Staff and Board
    • Rental >
      • Facility Rental
    • The Rourke Microprairie
  • Visit
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Friends of The Rourke
    • Anniversary Fund
    • Corporate Partnership
  • Learn
    • Get to Know Your Sewing Machine
    • Introduction to Watercolor
    • "From the Collections" Video Series
    • Video Courses >
      • Intro to Abstraction - Virtual Class
      • Shape to Form - Virtual Class
      • Image Transfers - Virtual Class
      • Single-Layer Linoleum Cut - Virtual Class
      • Three-Layer Linoleum Cut - Virtual Class
      • Cardboard Prints - Virtual Class
      • Intro to Collage - Virtual Class
      • Wheat Paste - Virtual Class
      • Plexiglas Drypoint - Virtual Class
      • Instant Books - Virtual Class
      • Post and Screw Books - Virtual Class
      • The Sketchbook - Virtual Class
      • Glue Prints - Virtual Class
      • Pamphlet Stitch Books - Virtual Class
      • Monotypes - Virtual Class
  • e-News Signup
  • Artist Resources
    • Heart Show Entry Form
    • Rourke Studios