Guan & Bachmeier

On view in the Main and East Galleries from 27 January - 19 March 2023

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum is pleased to present Convergence/Transcendence: The Art of Zhimin Guan & Brad Bachmeier.

This exhibition includes numerous works each artist created independently of one another—Guan his paintings and Bachmeier his ceramics—as well as a selection of items they created in collaboration with one another. It is truly striking in Convergence/Transcendence to see how well so many of the independently made works from the two artists complement each other and even form close 'pairings'.

• An exclusive Member Preview was held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday 27 January 2023.
• A Public Opening was held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday 29 November 2023 with a 2 p.m. gallery talk.

Zhimin Guan applying underglaze on a collaborative platter in the painting studio at MSUM.

Zhimin Guan, born in Anhui province, China, lives with his wife, Weiwei, in south Fargo, ND where he maintains his studio. Guan is Professor of Painting in the School of Art at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). He earned his MFA in painting and drawing from Fort Hays State University in 1998, the same year he joined the faculty at MSUM.

Guan has exhibited his art throughout the UnitedStates and China, including exhibits at the China National Art Gallery, China Academy of Art Museum, Singapore Asian Artist Gallery, New York Asian Cultural Center, North Dakota Museum of Art (NDMOA), The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, and Plains Art Museum. Guan has presented 20 solo exhibitions, participated in over 200 group exhibitions, and received 25 visual arts awards. He was the 2010 McKnight Fellowship recipient from the Lake Region Art Council (LRAC). His works have been featured in numerous art magazines and are part of public and private collections, including The Microsoft Permanent Collection, the Kilbourne Group, Singapore Asian Art Gallery, The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum, Plains Art Museum, and NDMOA. Guan strives to balance traditional and experimental techniques and figurative and abstract subjects in his art.

Brad Bachmeier trimming the foot on a collaborative platter in the ceramics studio at MSUM.

Brad Bachmeier is a native of Anamoose, ND, currently living south of Fargo, ND with his wife, Susan. Bachmeier is Professor and Chair of the School of Art at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) and serves as the Program Director of Art Education and the Art Therapy Program Coordinator. He was recognized by the Carnegie Foundation as a nominee for US Professor of the Year, and was awarded Minnesota Higher Arts Educator of the Year by the Art Educators of MN.

Brad’s ceramic work, through his business—Bachmeier Pottery, is collected nationally and internationally and can be found in public and private collections in all 50 states, including the ND Governor’s Mansion, The Microsoft Permanent Collection, The South Dakota Museum of Art, Watermark Art Center, Plains Art Museum, The Dakotah Prairie Museum, and Michelle Obama’s office in the White House (personal collection). Brad is one of only 19 brick sculptors in the nation as recognized by the American Brick Association. Brad has completed many large-scale pieces of public art and has served as project coordinator for numerous others. “In recognition of his numerous, significant and continued contributions to the state and region” he was awarded the state’s highest recognition in Art: the biannual North Dakota Council on the Arts (NDCA) Governor’s Award. Over his 30-year career in the visual arts, Bachmeier has garnered over 50 regional, national, and international grants and awards.