Antarctic Marathon Inspired Art Exhibit | Burnsville

Annie Young’s “Journey to Rock Bottom” Exhibit is open at the Ames Center in Burnsville.

After “surviving” an unusual artic blizzard in 2018, Burnsville artist and runner Annie Young returned from the Ice Marathon in Antarctica to focus her artistic attention on creating a new collection. It was inspired not only by the howling winds, frigid temperatures and desolate and unforgiving environment, but also the marathon runners who traveled from all over the world to face these same harsh conditions.

The entire collection will be on display in October at the Ames Center art gallery in Burnsville.

Ten local artists with a variety of backgrounds and abilities were invited to collaborate with Young to help bring her ideas to fruition. They will also have a few of their individual works on display.

Young calls the exhibit, “Journey to Rock Bottom,” is a rendezvous of dreams and possibilities, a merger of artistry and athleticism. The painted stories affect many of the viewers’ senses and truly reflect the heart of the Antarctic.

Young, who is blind, hopes visitors will dream big after experiencing the exhibit and realize that dreams can be achieved with the help of others. Though Young is unable to see her work, she continues to ask visitors who come to experience her work the same question she has always asked: “Do you see what I feel?”

The net proceeds from sales of “Journey to Rock Bottom” exhibit pieces will benefit these nonprofit charities: Haven Housing (havenhousing.org), The Dragonfly Project (dragonflyproject.org) and Fly Into July/Pathways Program (fly.org.au).

The exhibit dates are Aug. 29 to Nov. 5. The Ames Center is located at 12600 Nicollet Ave. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturay and during events at the Ames Center.

A free artist reception will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 from 5:30-8 p.m.

Young is arranging an audio description of her exhibit for visitors with vision impairments. It will be available on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Young will also discuss stories that have inspired her art.

The artist collaborators in “Journey to Rock Bottiom” are Bonnie Featherstone (watercolor), Jim Geisinger (encaustic wax), Margi Grill (mixed media), Sheri Grube (part-time visual artist/full-time dystonia awareness advocate), Eric Helland (hand-turned wood), Eric Menzhuber (oil and Young’s initial teacher after she lost her sight), Richard Mittelstadt (acrylic), Bob Schmitt (ink and brush in the manner of Asian brush painters), Christine Tierney (oil) and Corey Walton (spoken word and homeless advocate through drama).

Young is an award-winning artist and U.S. Air Force and Minnesota Air National Guard veteran. She deploys the interplay of acrylic paint colors and a variety of textural mediums using her enhanced sensorial awareness, both echoic and haptic. She continually challenges the boundaries of her perceived abilities, exploring the rules of compositions, color and contour. Her work is exhibited and collected throughout both North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Learn more at annieyoungarts.com.

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