Mandalas and Spiritual Art, by Richard Bonk
October 1-31, The Institute for Health and Healing, Abbott Northwest Hospital, 800 E. 28th St., Minneapolis, MN 55407, (612) 863-3333.
The Institute for Health and Healing at Abbott Northwest Hospital has commissioned Richard Bonk to create a custom Mandala reflective of the Institute’s mission and values and responsive to the space, staff and patients. The public is invited to a free dedication of this unique image and an opportunity to meet the artist and view an exhibit of his mandala and spiritual art prints on Friday, Oct. 7, from 7-9 p.m. at the Institute. For those interested in creating their own mandala, there will be a workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 6-9 p.m., $40. For more information or reservations, call (612) 863-3333.
"As a consciousness explorer, meditator and artist," Bonk says, "mandalas have held a special interest for me. In my art making process, I seek to create images that document and stimulate specific states of consciousness." From ancient through contemporary cultural and spiritual traditions mandalas, or circular art forms incorporating geometric patterns, cultural and deity representations, have been used for aesthetic, decorative and instructional purposes. Beyond the more mundane functions, mandalas also serve more esoteric purposes, being visual depictions, or maps of inner realms. Often these mandalas are used as a meditative preparation or focus with the intent of invoking a specific state of consciousness and/or insight
Bonk’s current spiritual-art explorations have generated the MandalArt Healing Image process. As part of this technique an "informational snapshot" is taken of a person or object. Original sources may be as varied as a sound or voice recording, writing sample, biofeedback file, astrological chart, e-mail, computer file, text or photo, which is then transformed into raw data in the computer, then run through a series of art filters. The resultant image is a unique aesthetic representation of the "parent." This image can be "tweaked," i.e., altering colors, forms, etc., to generate an energetic reaction or specific state of consciousness in its viewer, by-passing the inner cognitive judge to appeal more directly to intuitive aspects of self. In turn this process can encourage transformative insight and stimulate personal healing.
For more information on Richard Bonk, visit www.richardbonk.com, e-mail [email protected], or call (612) 727-3562.
"The Midas Touch…A Touch of Gold…A Touch of Class" by Kathleen Parker and Barbara Boulka
Opens Oct. 4 at Robbin Gallery, 4915 42nd Ave. N., Robbinsdale, Minn. (three blocks east of Highway 100 on 42nd Avenue North, just before the railroad tracks on the right hand side.) Gallery hours: 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Noon to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call (763) 537-5906.
Kathleen Parker and Barbara Boulka have created an amazing array of exquisite art – from unique and intricate masks to beautiful raku pottery, and from watercolor collage to abstracts to realism. Gold weaves its way through their art in beautiful designs and free-flowing techniques, which draw you into a place, within yourself, that feels the awe and wonder of the creative spirit.
The artist reception is from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2. Meet the artists, enjoy refreshments and journey through the realm of "The Midas Touch."
"Run-On," photography by Dan Beers
On exhibit through Oct. 29 at IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts, 2446 University Ave. W., Suite 100, St. Paul. (651) 644-1912 or www.ifpmn.org
Award-winning photographer Dan Beers has cultivated himself into a virtuoso of small, inexpensive plastic cameras by using their simple constructs, inherent light leaks and other snappish quirks to create images of incredible depth and imagination. The resulting prints (both black and white and color) come in an array of peculiar sizes and orientations, varying from 20 to 80 inches on their long side. The most surprising pieces are multi-exposure, dreamlike panoramic images, shot with a Diana – considered a toy-like camera – and give a visual sense of the passage of time.
"For many years, I studied and followed the canon of image structure, composition, content, focus and framing. Ultimately this way of working was not satisfying," says Beers of his formal training. "I began to break each of these rules as a way to free up my way of looking at landscapes and creating an image. The result is a body of work that is less literal, sometimes completely abstract, and much more satisfying."
"…I have just begun to explore the possibilities of this way of making a photograph, and its implications for how the landscape can be treated in photography."
All photographs in this exhibit are shown courtesy of Flanders Fine Art.
