Submitted Photo An ink creation titled “Caves” by Cera Pignet is among items on display at the Northwest Arts Center.

Two exhibitions are opening this month at the Northwest Arts Center at Minot State University.

MSU art faculty are showing new work in many diverse mediums during the “Faculty X” group exhibition, on display alongside “Serendipity,” an exhibition of vibrant printmaking by North Dakota printmaker Sharon Linnehan, according to MSU.

“Faculty X” is on view from March 3-31. An opening reception with the artists will be held today from 6:30-8 p.m. Faculty will be speaking to their work and processes during the reception.

A public reception and online viewing of “Serendipity” with Linnehan will be held on March 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. Linnehan will be speaking to her work and the exhibit at 7 p.m. that day. Masks are not required, but individuals who are not fully vaccinated or deemed vulnerable are encouraged to continue to wear masks. Both exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

While at the Northwest Arts Center, the exhibitions are available for viewing Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1-5 p.m. It is closed holidays. The Walter Piehl Gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library at Minot State University, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The exhibition and related events are free and open to the public.

“Faculty X” and “Serendipity” are supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. “Serendipity” is also sponsored by the North Dakota Art Gallery Association, a statewide service organization for nonprofit museums and galleries.

The faculty biennial is a tradition spanning over 30 years at MSU. Every two years, art faculty exhibit their ongoing research in art in a group show for campus and community audiences. Featuring Art Department Faculty Micah Bloom, Andrea Donovan, Bill Harbort, Linda Olson, Ryan Stander, Greg Vettel and Artist-in-Residence Cera Pignet, this exhibition showcases a diverse array of traditional and contemporary media and processes, including drawing, digital, glass, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics and sculpture.

After the previous Faculty Biennial Exhibition was canceled by the pandemic in spring of 2020, faculty felt a rematch was in order. “Faculty X-2” reflects not only the diverse explorations in subject and media, but also resilience as a community, said Northwest Arts Center director Greg Vettel.

“The energy speaks to the enthusiasm in the department, both in our interactions with our students and our independent work,” he said.

Linnehan’s “Serendipity” is a series of monotype prints, a technique she has been working with since the late ’90s. She first paints on a smooth, beveled plexiglass plate with colored French etching ink. Then the inked plate is placed on dampened paper and run through an etching press. Since the press can exert 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch on the print, pushing the ink into the softened paper, the effect of the color is totally different than that of painting directly on the paper. Colors appear to recede in space, creating a sense of atmosphere and layering within the image. The end result is a combination of painting and printmaking elements.