Gethsemane, 1980
Picture
Josephine, 1981
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum is pleased to present Frozen Music: The Midwestern Architectural Prints of James Tiernan O'Rourke, a touring exhibition of woodcut prints by the late artist and museum founder James Tiernan O'Rourke, (1933 - 2011) from the Permanent Collections of The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum.

One of the driving forces in James Tiernan O’Rourke’s life and art was his abiding passion for architecture. Structures are overwhelmingly represented as the subjects of his woodcut and linocut prints. James was an advocate for their preservation—frequently lending his images to use and prints to sell to regional groups working to support restoration projects. He was personally the steward of two late 19th-century homes—the Franklin-Sharp House, his residence for the second half of his life, and the Martinson House, which served as Rourke Gallery for decades—and the historic Moorhead Post Office Building, now The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum.
This exhibit highlights many of the structures and places that captured James’ imagination in Minnesota and North Dakota. Some of the sites featured are iconic and immediately recognizable to the residents of our region. Other have been lost to mishap or the march of time. James’ bold, lyrical linework, limited color palette, and the deliberate flattening of forms memorialize the unique “skylines” of the High Plains.

The Exhibit

​The exhibition comprises 23 O'Rourke woodcuts and is currently on tour in west central Minnesota. Catch it at a location near you! 

  • Breckenridge Public Library - 1 April to 16 May
  • Detroit Lakes Public Library - 18 May to 28 June
  • Moorhead Public Library - 29 June to 10 August

This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota state legislative

Available for Rental beginning September 2021
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.   
Exhibitions and operations are supported in part by the generous support of the following regional, state, and local entities:
This activity is funded by The Arts Partnership,
with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.
This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota state legislative appropriation.
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