Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Rossbach.
Hi Dawn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been drawing from a very young age. During the course of my youth and teenage years, I was always interested in art but didn’t pursue any professional avenues. I dabbled here and there, but any artistic opportunities were few and would fall through. In my early thirties, my daughter was born and I decided to return to school for teaching. Because I knew this would be my only chance to take a drawing class with a professional artist, I did so even though I was thinking teaching English would be a safe bet for future employment. (The world can thank me later for not pursuing that!) While at Bemidji State, I took a drawing class with Maryann Papanek-Miller who suggested after seeing my work to try for the BFA program. Being naive to most of the world, I didn’t even know what that was. I did, and along with only one other person, we were accepted and that changed the course of my life to where I am today. I changed my major to art, got a double degree with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a teaching degree, and accepted a job teaching in a small rural town south of Park Rapids.
I taught in Menahga for 24 years and during that time I traveled with another art teacher and students to Spain and Italy where the art was abundant and magnificent. That trip brought back enough inspiration to guide me to start carving out time for myself as an artist, which was better for the students and myself. Shortly thereafter, I decided to find my people. In rural, west central Minnesota, that was going to take some digging but joining the board of the Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids led me to an underground of artists that continues to emerge. I began to exhibit works in some of the area art centers and galleries here and there. In 2019, a photographer and friend of mine, Jeremy Simonson, gathered a few artists together and proposed the idea of renting a small space to exhibit and sell our work. Our gallery, Studio 176, is a salon-style gallery with about a 350 sq. footprint immediately faced the challenges of the pandemic but we learned to market our artwork through an online presence.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been an easy journey, but it’s mine. The best thing about coming into this later in life is my story offers encouragement to those who think they can’t pursue art as a career.
My challenges mostly came from living in a time when women were just beginning to take the steps to find an equal footing. It seems odd to say that in this day and age. Even though there are plenty of women artists who can and do pursue their art today, I would say I was about 20 years off that mark and no one I knew pursued art as a career except what is now known as graphic design. Even though I lived in the suburbs of the Twin Cities and in the heart of St. Paul during my late 20s, I wasn’t in tune with the art world nor was I ready to be a part of it.
It was more like being in a life-sized maze and just not finding the exit. Add to that the bane of every artist’s early years, which is a lack of confidence. I sometimes wonder if that’s the biggest obstacle every beginning artist meets head-on, and on a daily basis. After a while, knowing that you can work through the artistic challenge before you, becomes the path to overcoming that lack of confidence, but it’s a challenge to not let that show.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Studio 176?
We are a small salon-styled art gallery that features the art and photography of local artists. From the onset, we have created a space where our community and visitors can come and visit with us about any aspect of art. Of course, our goal is to share our work, making it available for purchase, but the gallery space has become more than that. It’s a spot where connections are made, ideas are shared, and information about processes, techniques, etc. are discussed. And believe it or not, a place where other artists have come for inspiration through conversation and sharing their ideas.
The building itself is from the early 1900s with high tinned ceilings and a large window that lets in plenty of sunshine to illuminate the art naturally. During our summer season, we are open several days during the week which we hope to expand and during the winter we close for a few months. But we’re always by appointment for those who want to visit outside of our business hours.
In terms of what visitors can find, the artwork includes both oil and acrylic paintings, and fine art photography, some of which is conceptual where the artists take the photograph and manipulate the story and perspective. Also, you can find hand-pulled prints that include block prints, etchings, and collagraphs as well as abstract stained glass works We also offer gift merchandise that features our art on greeting cards, bags, scarves, etc. Two of the owners are photographers and do some commissioned photography work for area businesses and clients, and I do some commissioned paintings and limited design work for clients.
In addition to the available art and merchandise, we utilize our back wall to bring in “featured artists.” During the course of their time at the exhibition, most of them host a reception to connect with patrons, along with a video interview that dives deeper into their stories.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Don’t wait. If your soul is telling you to do this, do it. Don’t let the confidence factor sit at the table. And don’t compare your work to anyone else. And for Pete’s sake, don’t copy anyone. Let that inner child speak! They know more than you realize.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.studio176.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawnrossbach/ or @studio_176_gallery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/studio176.gallery/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@user-me1lg7xy2y
- Other: https://sites.google.com/studio-176.com/studio-176/home
