Social Justice Exhibit and Forum
Thursday, February 4, from 6-10pm
Saturday, February 13, from noon-4pm and 5-9pm.
Saturday, February 20 & 27 from noon-4pm.
Northrup King Building, Gallery #322
1500 Jackson St. NE. Minneapolis, MN 55413
There is a limited number allowed in the gallery. I will be in studio #170, clay@3 from noon-10pm on February 13th.. Come and say hi to me in clay@3
after you see the show.
How this body of work relates to social justice?
I asked Alexis to react to the death of George Floyd through dance.
I responded to Alexis' movements in clay as she was moving in front of me.  When I draw from life, I feel the tension and the sweat of the dancer.  I am responding to motion in front of me.  It is clear George Floyd and the protests have impacted her.  I am exploring.  I do not have answers. 
Social Justice is a conversation.  I converse through observation and drawing, Alexis converses in movement.  This is the raw conversation between a white visual artist and a black dancer.  These pieces are recordings of live conversations from the summer of 2020. 
For hundreds of years Maiolica glazes were used to tell the stories of primarily wealthy people in Medieval Europe. I am using the same materials and techniques to portray black dancers as they respond to critical events occurring in our backyard.

Kathy Mommsen’s 2020 State Art Board Art Initiative Grant
Ceramic Mural Created for a Social Justice Exhibit

Public Statement
Kathy Mommsen will create a ceramic wall while observing a black dancers to be displayed in a Social Justice Exhibit in Minneapolis.
Artist Background
I am a ceramic artist creating life size relief walls with images of dancers in emotional poses. During the last six years I have been a full time artist with a studio/gallery in the Northrup King Building. My dedication has led to a wall commission for Hennepin County Medical Center, a one person show at the Owatonna Arts Center and two Artist Initiative Grants.  For my 2016 Artist Initiative Grant, I manipulated, designed and glazed large clay vessels while observing a live model. By the end of the project I was hiring professional dancers as models, in place of traditional art models, for their ability to hold challenging and emotional poses. In 2018 the Artist Initiative Grant moved my work from vessels to large relief walls.  I was able to create three life size walls. I found the scale and expressiveness of the dancers were appropriate for my direct approach. I now want to apply these skills to create a large piece for a Social Justice Exhibit.

The Proposal
For 2020, I am proposing to create a body of work using a black dancer as a model in my studio. I will do a series of sketches and clay wall pieces to describe the power, beauty and strength of black dancers. I have been combining live dancers with my clay work for the last 4 years, but I want to take it to a new level. My vision is to have my work, which is inspired by the movement of dancers, be viewed in a Social Justice Exhibit. 

I am striving to show the essence of people in action. When I work, I sculpt and draw a series of actions to show the gesture.  The models show several gestures, usually as a fluid series. These poses require the model to move and stop in dynamic or challenging poses.  Like every human action my ceramic process involves many layers. Observing the model new at each layer creates images that are raw, expressive and leave only the most essential gestures. My ceramic walls are designed to show the emotion and movement of the dancer.

The Event
I will install my new body of work into a Social Justice Show. I will participate in Social Justice Discussion that will be boderated by Tina Burnside, the Co-Founder, Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery. This event is open to the public.

Impact on the State and Creative Community
My figurative wall piece and the related dance performance will impact a larger and more diverse audience than previous projects because it will be viewed with other Social Justice Artists. This event provides Minnesotans with an art experience that is not currently available.