Sonja Peterson: What the Trade Winds Brought at MMAM

May 6 through September 11
Opening Reception | Friday | May 6 | 5-7 pm
Minnesota Marine Art Museum | 800 Riverview Dr.
www.MMAM.org

MMAM to exhibit paper-cut works by Sonja Peterson

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) in Winona, MN, will be hosting the exhibition Sonja Peterson: What the Trade Winds Brought from May 6 to September 11, 2022. There will be an opening reception at MMAM to celebrate the artist and her work on Friday, May 6 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. 

Minneapolis, MN artist Sonja Peterson practices psaligraphy, the art of cutting out silhouettes in paper. She creates large-scale artworks, sculptures, and installations from complex and intricately cut paper and other materials. The Star Tribune calls her designs “stunning inventions in a virtually forgotten medium.” 

What the Trade Winds Brought explores the flora, fauna, and the history of travelers above and below the world’s waters. “My work depicts the impact of invasive species within a variety of ecosystems,” Peterson says. The interplay between her colorful negative backgrounds, shadows, and foregrounds of paper provide a sense of movement and vibrancy to her subjects, in a way that Hyperallergic refers to as “dreamlike” and “fantastical.” 

Psaligraphy is an artform that has not yet been explored at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, which opened in 2006. “We are very excited to exhibit Sonja’s large and colorful works and to feature a medium, cut paper, we have not previously exhibited,” says MMAM Curator of Exhibitions Jon Swanson. 

In addition to the May 6 opening reception, Peterson will be on site to lead a demonstration of her paper-cutting process during MMAM’s May 14 Seasonal Saturday program from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. She will return on Saturday, August 6 to lead a series of Gallery Walk & Talks, where visitors will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition directly with the artist. More information about the exhibition and its related programming can be found at www.MMAM.org.

Image: Sonja Peterson, Ghost Ship, 2016. Hand cut paper & acrylic on wall.

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.