Artful News November 2025

In This Issue

Your Financial Help Is Needed!
CAC Evolves With New Name, New Partner
Holiday Shopping At The Art Gallery
​Get Creative With November Classes
​Teaching Artists Wanted
Holiday Activities for Members
​Our Members In The News
​In Memoriam - Lou Miller

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Your Financial Help Is Needed!

As 2025 draws to a close, Art of the Lakes has embarked on a year-end fundraising campaign to shore up our finances for 2026. We depend greatly on your membership fees, donations and sponsorships to help meet our financial needs.

Our non-profit arts organization works hard all year long to bring creative opportunities, delightful artwork and valuable connections to Battle Lake and the surrounding neighborhood. We serve residents, visitors and businesses of all types, creating a vibrant community we can all be proud of.

If you're not yet a member of AOTL, please join today. When you join as a new member in November or December, you'll enjoy the benefits of membership for the balance of 2025 and all of 2026. 

If you're already a member, please renew your membership when you receive your reminder email in mid-December. Your prompt renewal will help our cash flow and give us a strong start to 2026.

In addition to membership, please consider making a tax-deductible donation before year-end. If you prefer, you can make a donation through GiveMN, with early giving now open.

If you manage a local business, you can increase your brand visibility and tap into over 15,000 artful connections by becoming a 2026 business sponsor of Art of the Lakes.

Please help us continue our mission with your financial support. Thank you!

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The CAC Evolves With a New Name and a New Partner

Art of the Lakes is pleased to announce that the CAC has a new name: Creative Arts Community. The new name reflects the idea that creativity can take place anywhere, with an impact across our area.

After departing its former home on Main Street, the spirit of the original CAC has evolved into a community-wide program. Artful classes and workshops are being held at the Gallery, Battle Lake Senior Center, Glendalough State Park, Shoreline Restaurant, and Lakeview Senior Living (Good Sam).

And now, we're also pleased to announce a new community partner in this program: First Lutheran Church of Battle Lake. Pastor Lynn and her church have embraced the idea of community connections and have generously offered the use of their wonderful kitchen for culinary classes, as well as other potential facilities. 

We've already scheduled several culinary arts experiences at First Lutheran including lefse-making, Norwegian flatbread and pasta classes.

As the Creative Arts Community evolves into a region-wide program, we're grateful for your support of creativity in our area. Thank you!

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Holiday Shopping
​At The Art Gallery

Holiday Market, Nov. 14 - Dec. 21
Art of the Lakes artists have been busy creating some fabulous artwork perfect for holiday gifts and decor. The public is invited to shop at the Art Gallery as our Holiday Market opens for business on Friday, November 14, and continues through December 21.

Small Business Saturday, Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29 will be an especially good day to shop. That's when Small Business Saturday will be held in conjunction with Light Up the Lakes: A Hometown Holiday Celebration!

This event brings together residents and visitors for a day of shopping local, dining local, and celebrating together as we kick off the holiday season. The AOTL Gallery will be decked out and offering creative gifts, refreshments and prizes that day.

The celebration will culminate in a community gathering and tree lighting ceremony at Railroad Park, complete with music, refreshments, and festive cheer. Join us!

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Get Creative With
​November Classes

November can be a dreary month, but with fun classes like these, it doesn't have to be. Details and registration for all workshops can be found on our Classes page. Early bird discounts are available if you act fast!

Let's Make Lefse with Sandy Thimgan. Sandy will teach you how to make lefse with ease, using potato flakes.

Needle Felt a Christmas Ornament with Jill Beithon. Learn basic needle felting techniques to create a design of your choosing.

Resin Jewelry with Kathrine McDowell. Learn the process of making a beach-themed resin pendant and more.

Make Norwegian Flatbread with Sheryl Olson. ​Norwegian Flatbread is more like a cracker than a bread. Learn how to mix the batter, make balls, roll thinly, and bake. 

If you're a fiber artist, join other fiber creatives every Wednesday in the Gallery, from 2-4pm. Work on a project, share techniques, and connect with others!

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Teaching Artists Wanted

We're looking for artists to teach classes in our Creative Arts Community next year. Our programming committee has identified the following classes of interest:

• Mosaics, Beginning oil painting, Watercolor landscapes, Felting landscapes, Art journaling, Building a scarecrow, Birdhouse assemblages, Glass fusion, Pit-fired pottery or horse hair pottery, Other ideas - let us know!

Teaching Artists are paid positions. If you can help, check out our Teaching Artist page, then contact Shari Prigge at [email protected]

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Holiday Activities for Members

Members are invited to help us decorate the Gallery and set up for the Holiday Market on Tuesday, November 11 at 10am.

Our Holiday Party for members will be held in the Gallery on Wednesday, December 17 at 5:30pm. Bring a dish to share and a homemade gift (by you or someone else) if you wish to participate in the gift exchange. We'll sing holiday songs, eat good food, exchange gifts and enjoy each other's company!

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Our Members In The News

Summer Home by Lisa Stauffer

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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Ruth Hanson will exhibit around 25 paintings in an art show, Nature in Batik, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, MN. The exhibit runs November 12 - January 5, with a meet and greet event on December 5 from 5-7pm, during the Arboretum's festival of lights. 

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Four AOTL members will display at Minnesota State Technical and Community College in Fergus Falls from November 6 through January 9. Kerry Kolke-Bonk, Deb Connolly, Della Conroy, and Phyllis Joos team up in an exhibit entitled “The Heart of the Prairie:  Four Muses, Four Stories”. The opening reception will be held November 13, 2:00 - 4:00, at the Charles Beck Gallery.

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Bill Seykora, Merodie Seykora, Jon Thompson and 27 other artists will participate in The Alexandria Arts & Crafters Tour to be held November 6-8. The 41st annual tour will feature 30 artists, packed into 5 locations. Information and map 

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Lisa Stauffer will teach a class on Exploring Underpainting for Pastel & Other Media at White Bear Center for the Arts, Nov 14—Nov 16.

Several of Lisa's paintings have recently won awards.

• Reaching- White Pine won the Evergreen Award at Plein Air Grand Marais from Judge Neil Sherman.
• Farm House In Sunshine won Third Place from Judge Cheryl LeClair-Sommer at Prairie Lakes Plein Air.
• Summer Home won the Terry Ludwig Award at the Pastel Society Of America show at the National Arts Club in NYC in September. That award gave her Master Pastelist status with PSA. This painting was also chosen by the Director of the Butler Institute Of American Art for inclusion in the museum's Pastels In America show in April/May of 2026.

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In Memoriam

Long time Art of the Lakes member Eunice "Lou" Miller of Underwood passed away on October 8, 2025. Obituary

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Board Minutes

Board of Directors Minutes October 15, 2025

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Got AOTL News?

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

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