Sheryl McRoberts, Rick Mittelstadt, and Sarah Drake are among the three artists honored on Oct. 10 in this years Alumni Art Show.
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The Alumni Art Show featured 22 pieces that were selected from the 35 pieces that were submitted.
The show was put on by the School of the Arts and the Alumni Association.
The winning pieces were Abitibi on Rainy River II by Sheryl McRoberts, A State of Uncertainty by Rick Mittelstadt, and Dancing the Night Away by Sarah Drake.
First Place: Sheryl McRoberts ’76
“Abitibi on Rainy River II”
Sheryl McRoberts’ “Abitibi on Rainy River II”
Major: M.A. in art with an emphasis in sculpture and drawing.
Q: What drew you to art?
A: I was drawn to the St. Cloud graduate program because it was stronger than the U of M
Q: What are you doing now?
A: I teach sculpture and drawing at Normandale Community College
Q: What is it like being part of an alumni art show at St. Cloud State?
A: The alumni art show as a very pleasant experience (especially winning an award).
Q: What pieces did you submit to the show? Why did you choose them?
A: I submitted a drawing titled: “Abitibi on Rainy River II” (pen and ink)
Q: What defines you as an artist?
A: Most of my work in in sculpture, in fact I have a % for art piece installed somewhere in one of your science buildings at St. Cloud.
Second Place: Rick Mittelstadt ’69
“A State of Uncertainty”
Rick Mittelstadt’s “A State of Uncertainty”
Major: Art Education.
Q: What was your grad year?
A: I graduated SCSU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education back in 1969 when the Vietnam War was racking up some of the largest U.S. daily casualties and the University was called St. Cloud State College.
Q: What was your major?
A: With a physical disability of a bad knee keeping out of the war, I was awarded a deferment that allowed me to pursue a Masters Degree in Studio Art (Printmaking and Jewelry Making) with my second graduation in the spring of 1970. [Footnote: I had to hire a typist to type my thesis paper because it had to be presented on onion skin paper, and I made too many typing errors on the good ol’ typewriter!]
Q: What drew you to art?
A: A love for mark making and precision work.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: Having painted in watercolors for years after graduating from the University, I switched over to working with acrylics in 2009 and I am currently creating enough new paintings for a one-person exhibition in the Robbin Gallery in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, next August. I currently have an exhibit at the First Presbyterian Church in South St. Paul.
Q: What is it like being part of an alumni art show at St. Cloud State?
A: It’s nice to be exhibiting my work at my old Alma mater.
Q: What pieces did you submit to the show? Why did you choose them?
A: I chose it because of its track record of fetch a couple of awards since I created it early in 2016.
Q: What defines you as an artist?
A: My attention to detail. My inherited mechanical aptitude provides me with a great amount of satisfaction when I am making or repair stuff using my hands and my creative problem solving mind.
Third Place: Sarah Drake ’05 ’09
Dancing the Night Away
Sarah Drake’s “Dancing the Night Away”
Major: Bachelor of Elective Studies with minors in Geography, Human Relations, and Multicultural Education. Master of Science and Social Responsibility.
Q: What drew you to art?
A: In high school I took a lot of independent study art focused classes and went to the Technical College for graphic design. I was drawn back in almost 7 years ago by the artisan village of Tiebele in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Q: What are you doing now?
A: I use my artwork as an education tool and fundraiser for the nonprofit I created, herARTS in Action. The money raised by selling art and hosting artist residencies helps fund access to clean water and sanitation in Burkina Faso and the arts in Minnesota for those typically marginalized from the arts.
Q: What is it like being part of an alumni art show at St. Cloud State?
A: It’s honoring and fun and exciting to be recognized by your alma mater and to have a chance to exhibit with your peers.
Q: What pieces did you submit to the show? Why did you choose them?
A: Dancing the night away, American water artist Gothic were juried in, and In my dreams was not accepted. I chose three artworks that I thought represented the new skills I was learning and also a diversity in the theme and techniques.
Q: What defines you as an artist?
A: For me art making is connecting to people through their stories, telling it visually through my work, and then the larger community learning, growing and building relationships based on what they learn from viewing the artwork.
