( Grand Forks) - The Public Arts Commission (PAC) Board of Directors has named Vickie Arndt as their Gallery Director to manage three art galleries under their direction.
Chairman of the Board Barry Wilfahrt said, “The PAC board has been searching for the right person to help up develop a dynamic marketplace for regional artists and art collectors, and we found that person in Vickie Arndt.”
Wilfahrt added, “Vickie grew up in Grand Forks and spent more than 20 years in New York City working with installing and coordinating art exhibits at galleries, studios, and art organizations. She received her degrees in fine arts from Wayne State University in Detroit and State University of New York at Stony Brook where she was on full scholarship and teaching assistantships. She is an active artist who did solo exhibits in New York City. She knows art exhibits from both sides: the artists side as well as the gallery side working with consignments, sales, and inventory. PAC is delighted to find someone with this extensive experience to grow public art in Greater Grand Forks.”
Vickie Arndt said, “The Covid pandemic brought me home to be close to family. I am excited to build upon the remarkable foundation established by PAC over the last few years. I look forward to building momentum to engage artists, collectors and the public in my new role. With the support of artists, collectors, benefactors, and community stakeholders, we have an opportunity to make Greater Grand Forks a leading public art community, enhancing quality of life.”
Arndt will manage three art galleries in Grand Forks under the direction of PAC. In 2019, PAC installed two art exhibits: “The Art of Healing” at the Altru Professional Center, and the “Art & Artists Among Us” at the Alerus Center. Both of those exhibits include gallery space for regional artists to exhibit and sell their art, and both sites are high traffic areas in the community with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. PAC also manages the art gallery in City Hall known as the “Mayor’s Art Award” to profile a regional artists each quarter. New exhibits will be going up at all three galleries in the next month.
Artists and collectors can contact Vickie Arndt at Gallerydirector@publicartnd.org.
PAC had a grand opening in early September of the “Northern Rose” sculpture by Zoran Mojsilov on 42nd Street in front of the Canad Inn. PAC is coordinating several other new public arts projects - including murals and sculptures - planned for 42nd Street and downtown Grand Forks. PAC provides leadership in the annual Art on the Red event in June.
The Public Arts Commission (PAC) was formed as a nonprofit in 2014 to enhance public art offerings in Greater Grand Forks to create a more vibrant cultural and artistic life for residents and visitors. PAC is committed to building and exhibiting a collection of high-quality public art for the enjoyment and enrichment of citizens and visitors as well as provide artists an opportunity to show their work, create imaginative spaces, enliven the public realm, foster culture awareness in the community, and to encourage the collection of art. PAC will provide a means by which artists, collectors and organizations may exhibit artworks in public places in our region. PAC completed an Arts & Culture Master Plan in 2015 that was presented to the city in 2016. PAC conducted an inventory of public art in 2015 describing 162 works which started with the Grand Army of the Republic monument on Belmont Road dedicated in 1913. PAC has a ten-member board: Barry Wilfahrt (Chair), Mike Kuntz (Past- Chair), Brue Gjovig, Vice Chair), Janice Hoffarth (Treasurer), Bryan Hoime (Secretary), and trustees: Sen. Curt Kreun, Ann Brown, Sally Miskavige, Bill Palmiscno, and Dean Opp.