Artful News March 2026

In This Issue

Special Gallery Events in March and April
Call for Studio Tour 2026 Artists
Get Outdoors and Become a Better Landscape Painter!
Full Year of Classes Ready and Open
Become a Featured Artist in 2026
Volunteer Spotlight
​Our Members in the News

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Special Gallery Events
​March and April

MSHSL Regional Art Competition and Exhibit
The 2026 Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Regional Art Competition will feature an exhibition this March in the Gallery. Approximately 90 students from high schools surrounding the area will showcase 133 works of art. 

The Exhibition is open Saturdays from 11am to 3pm, and Sundays from noon to 4pm, from March 1 through March 22. There's a closing reception for participating students including awards, classes & tours of Battle Lake's public art on March 27.

Battle Lake Art Student Exhibit
In April, the Gallery will host an exhibition of work created by Battle Lake primary and secondary students of art teacher Amanda Callahan. The exhibit will be open Saturdays and Sundays, and by appointment, April 11-19.

Spring Gallery Hours Coming!
Spring Gallery hours will be announced soon for April and May.

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Call for Studio Tour 2026 Artists

register

Yes, we know there's still snow on the ground. Yes, we know some of you are still in Arizona, Florida, Texas, or California. Nonetheless, it's time to get registered for the 2026 Studio Tour, and we need you to make it our best Tour ever!

As challenging as it is to conjure those glorious July days right now, now is the time to sign up. The deadline to register is March 15, and it only takes a few minutes. 

We're bringing back the colorful brochure, Miles of Art prize drawing, Google Map of locations, Artist Profile promotions and more to help participating artists and Tour attendees have a great experience. But we need your registration now to get all that done in time!

​Returning and new artists are encouraged to sign up today! (If you need a studio, we'll help find you one.)

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Get Outdoors and Become a Better Landscape Painter

Painting and photo by Lisa Stauffer

learn more

By Stephen Henning, PLPA Chairman
Serving as Chairman of Prairie Lakes Plein Air has reinforced something I deeply believe: nothing accelerates growth as a landscape painter like working outdoors. The challenge sharpens your eye, strengthens your instincts, and builds confidence in ways studio work alone cannot. That’s why I’m encouraging our Art of the Lakes members to participate this summer.

If you’ve wanted to strengthen your landscape painting skills, this is the season to do it. Whatever medium you work in, Art of the Lakes offers workshops designed to help you grow. For example:

• Acrylic Painting with Stephen Henning – May 29, 9:30 – 4:00, Glendalough State Park
• Watercolor Painting with Michael Holter – June 9 – 11, 9:00 – 4:00, Glendalough State Park

Enter Prairie Lakes Plein Air — and Grow as an Artist
Why paint outdoors? Often called “painting bootcamp,” working en plein air strengthens essential skills: simplifying complex scenes, mixing accurate color efficiently, and making confident decisions under time pressure — because the sun doesn’t wait.

Shifting light and changing weather force artists to respond instinctively. That urgency often results in fresher brushwork and a sense of immediacy that brings a painting to life.
Equally important is the camaraderie. Painting alongside other artists while exploring new — sometimes unexpected — locations adds energy and inspiration that simply can’t be replicated in the studio.

Prairie Lakes Plein Air (PLPA) is now the third largest plein air competition in Minnesota, bringing together artists from across the region for focused outdoor painting and professional critique.

When you register for PLPA, you’ll receive an additional discount on workshops taught by ribbon-winning plein air artists. Each of the following workshops includes outdoor painting with direct access to natural light. A competition piece can be painted on a workshop day, but only in the afternoon, after the demo has been presented – not while the artist is demonstrating. 

• Oil Painting En Plein Air with Mary Boylan – June 20, 9:30 – 4:30, Glendalough
• Casein Painting En Plein Air with Greg Preslicka – July 25, 9:30 – 4:30, Henning Landmark
• Soft Pastel Painting En Plein Air with Lisa Stauffer – August 9, 9:30 – 4:30, Prairie Wetlands
• Painting En Plein Air with Stephen Henning – September 12, 9:30 – 4:30, Maplewood State Park

Winning an award is always exciting. But one of the greatest benefits of PLPA is the judge’s critique and closing demonstration. Listening to commentary on other artists’ work — as well as your own — offers insight that can shift how you approach painting moving forward. The live demo and Q&A consistently provide practical tools you can apply immediately.

I encourage Art of the Lakes members to step outside your comfort zone this summer and join us. We have remarkable landscape talent within this organization — and Prairie Lakes Plein Air is an opportunity to refine your skills, deepen your artistic confidence, and be part of something larger than yourself.

Commit to the experience, register for PLPA, and make this a summer that moves your work forward.

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Full Year of Art Classes
​Ready and Open

Adult classes & workshops for the full year are posted on the Art of the Lakes website, with two more to be added soon in the areas of photography and culinary arts. We plan to print a brochure of 2026 classes and make it available in the gallery.

Classes are already starting to fill up! If there is a class or workshop that you're interested in, be sure to register sooner rather than later. We have some great new artists as instructors, who are very excited about joining the Creative Arts Community in Battle Lake. Try something NEW!

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Become a 2026 Featured Artist

By Donna Westerling
Spring is almost here, and I'm working on the Featured Artist calendar. There are several openings: the month of May, and at least one opening in the months of June, July, and August. 

To be a Featured Artist you need to be a current member, have your gallery shifts scheduled and be at least 2 years since you were last a Featured Artist. 

Step up and showcase your work!  To get scheduled, contact Donna Westerling 612-386-2868 or [email protected]

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Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteers make our organization work! Here are stories about just some of them and their amazing contributions.

Thank you Cliff Fegert for helping move shelving from storage to the basement as we emptied our gallery for the MSHSL exhibition.

Thank you to Marit Salveson, Jann Kline, and Bonnie Pfeffer for helping remove art from the gallery and hang art at the Lakeview gallery at the Good Samaritan.

Thank you Dan & Sandy Thimgan for almost ten years (!) of training new and retraining existing members on gallery operations ("gallery sitting"). They are retiring from this role - please contact Deb Ness if you'd like to help fill this need.

Thank you Peggy Olson, as she comes up to speed volunteering her time in her new role as Volunteer Coordinator.

If you know of any volunteers who deserve some recognition, please email notes to [email protected] for inclusion here. Thanks!

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Our Members in the News

Art of the Lakes members are among the most active and accomplished artists and art supporters around! Here's a selection of news about just some of them.

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David Beddow has a painting currently on display as part of the Seeing God exhibit at the St. Paul Monastery in St. Paul. His painting in the show was inspired by a trip to Assisi, Italy in 2024. This is an interesting exhibit of 2D and 3D work. If you are in the St. Paul area check it out.

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Paul Eidenschink's art and creative process were featured in a PBS Up North Arts documentary titled "Keep Your Brushes Wet". The video includes scenes of Glendalough State Park and Battle Lake and can be viewed here.

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AZ Snowbirds will be meeting on March 25 for lunch at The Gilbert House restaurant in Gilbert, AZ followed by a visit to the Gilbert Visual Art Leagues annual fine art show.  Susan Seaborn is assisting with jurying the show. A few of the Snowbirds (pictured) met in February in Mesa, including some short-term visitors.

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Welcome new members: Fern Belling (Detroit Lakes), Tammy Froemming (Battle Lake), and Ron Nelson (Clitherall).

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Board Minutes

Board Minutes February 12, 2026

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Got AOTL News?

Please email stories and images to Art of the Lake's newsletter editor, Tom Kuder. Deadline is two days before the end of each month. Thanks!