Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Wirig.
Hi Amanda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a practicing professional artist and musician for about twenty years, since graduating from Minnesota State University, Mankato with a BFA in Art and a BA in Music as a double major. I’ve also spent many years as an arts educator and nonprofit arts administrator, where I did everything from running gallery programming, doing marketing and PR, teaching art and music classes, and grant writing. I ended up returning to MSU, Mankato for graduate school and received my Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership in 2015. I was working as the Executive Director of the Emy Frentz Arts Guild in Mankato when the pandemic hit, and after being furloughed for a year, my position was eliminated completely. I used the opportunity to relocate to Minneapolis, where I found an artist loft in an Artspace building with a community of other creative people. After several months of planning and preparation, I finally launched 119 North Weatherly Art Gallery in November of 2022. In addition to creating, playing in my band, and working on public art projects, I am also singlehandedly running the gallery and curating work for the very first juried exhibition, which will open in January of 2023.
119 North Weatherly was named for the fictional address for the Kenwood Parkway house in Minneapolis that was the TV home to Mary Richards, Rhoda Morgenstern, and Phyllis Lindstrom. The Mary Tyler Moore Show has always been a positive influence in my life, showing me what was possible for career-driven women and their chosen families of friends and coworkers, and even helping me to navigate being a single woman again after my divorce. In 2019 I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, just as Mary Tyler Moore had been when she was in her early thirties, and I again found myself looking to her influence to guide me. I live about ten minutes away from that house on Kenwood Parkway, and I drive by it every day to walk around the Lake of the Isles in the summer, just as Mary did in the opening credits of the show. Now that I live in the city where she “made it after all,” it only felt right to name the gallery in the show’s, and Mary’s, honor.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I always knew I wanted to run a gallery of my own someday, but the road to get here was a little more circuitous than I thought it would be. Because of my background in nonprofit arts administration, I originally planned to stay in the nonprofit sector, working with various organizations until I was able to start my own nonprofit and open a brick-and-mortar gallery. I somewhat naively thought that I was going to take my degree and go out and change the world for the better, but after working for several years in the nonprofit world, I became somewhat jaded about the inner workings of arts organizations. Pleading for money, board members and staff who knew little about artists and their needs, and the expectation that executive directors should be “yes men/women” instead of innovators who are willing to try new things and use their creativity were all experiences that I wasn’t willing to work with anymore. Fortunately for me, technology for artists was steadily getting better and better, and eventually software was created that allows for a brick-and-mortar gallery experience in a virtual reality setting. I was able to launch my own gallery without the hassles of space rental, shipping, liability insurance for artworks, and the frustrating world of nonprofit boards and fundraisers. I am able to keep costs to a minimum, and I retain creative control of the gallery and have the freedom to do what is best for the artists who exhibit there without needing to jump through hoops or ask for permission.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My visual art consists of acrylic paintings, mixed media work, fine art prints, and public art, most recently mural painting. I work in a Pop Art style filled with bright colors, retro imagery, and references to pop culture, music, and themes of social justice. I tend to use a lot of text and humor in my work, and even though some of the themes presented may be controversial, it’s not uncommon to hear gallery patrons laughing in response to my work, which always lets me know that I’ve succeeded in getting the message across.
I currently play lead guitar and sing backing vocals in an all-woman indie-pop band called Given Names, but I also play bass and classical guitar, ukulele, flute, and piccolo, and I sing and write songs on my own. I’m most influenced by Sixties garage rock and British Invasion artists, particularly Paul McCartney’s melodic style of writing and playing, and although my current band does not necessarily play in that style, I am working on side projects that allow me to explore that side of my musical creativity.
I’ve always been equally dedicated to both art and music, and although I sometimes have to give more attention to one discipline over the other depending on what I’m working on, they both influence each other in everything I do. On more than one occasion I’ve had people in my life tell me that its better to focus on one artistic medium, but I’m proud of the fact that I stayed true to myself and made the effort to pursue both of the things I love doing the most.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important thing I’ve learned along this journey is that the way you interact with other people will always play a part in the success of your career. The creative community is a smaller place than you would think, and word gets around when someone is rude, difficult, unkind, or egotistical. If you are kind, generous, and willing to help out your fellow artists, you will create a wonderful community of like-minded friends and colleagues who always have each others’ backs. Opportunities often come from the least expected places, because someone you know knows someone else you should know. If you’re a good human being, easy to work with, and you genuinely care about the people in your orbit, you will find that there are people who are more than willing to give you a chance and want to see you succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.119northweatherly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/119northweatherlympls
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWirigArt
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/119northweather
Image Credits
Daniel Dinsmore Photography
Amanda Wirig
