Artist loans painting to city hall
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A painting by an eminent Minot artist is bringing a lively splash of color to Minot City Hall.
Walter Piehl, who presented the painting on loan on Wednesday, Sept. 9, said it is an appropriate place to showcase the artwork, given the circumstances around which it was created.
The painting of a woman on a bucking horse, titled "Miss Minot tops the Mighty Mouse: Sweetheart of the Rodeo," was conceived by Piehl at the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Souris River flood.
Piehl said he had been approached by then mayor Shaun Sipma about participating in a venue for demonstrating artists and musicians as part of a remembrance event in Oak Park in June 2021. He responded if his painting turns out to have any relationship to the flood, he would let the city hang the art for a time.
Piehl had been working on a series of cowgirls riding bucking horses at the time.
"It just popped into my head as I was working this, 'Oh, this should be Miss Minot riding a horse called the Mighty Mouse,'" he said. Using a rodeo analogy to visualize the flood fight, Piehl also added a swatch of blue across the bottom - a nod to the Mouse River.
Piehl didn't immediately finish the painting, though, placing it in storage. Meanwhile, Sipma left office.
"It languished for a long time in storage," Piehl said. "I've had opportunities to sell it after I pulled it out of storage and people have been in the studio. But I thought, I really should see if the City of Minot is interested."
The unfinished painting appeared in a Taube exhibit, but once the final paint strokes were made last week, Piehl contacted Mayor Mark Jantzer about hanging the art in city hall on loan.
It was a welcomed offer, although as of Wednesday, a decision still needed to be made about where in city hall it will hang.
"I"m just delighted to accept this piece on loan," Jantzer said. "Walter is a treasured local artist, and I think the city certainly should be supportive of arts in our community. We have a great amount of art in our city. So this is just wonderful."
Piehl said he also has suggested bringing more local artwork to hang in city hall through a loan arrangement with a local artists co-op. The pieces would be rotated occasionally for a fresh look but also would be for sale. Jantzer said he will be following up on the suggestion.
Piehl's painting in city hall also is for sale. However, to see it continue to hang in city hall, he is proposing a reduced price for a buyer interested in keeping it on public display for an extended period.