In January 2024 the Preston Area Arts Council disbanded due to a lack of new members and current members aging out. But before that happened the council decided they wanted to present the Preston Veterans Home with a gift.
The council was made up of five members: Kay Spangler, founder and co-director, Mariella TerBeest-Schladweiler, co-director, Eileen Linden, the late Gerrie Daley, Sharyol O’Connor, and the late Hallie Snyder. They proposed many ideas. Eileen suggested stained glass work similar to what they did for the veterans cemetery. A sculpture of an eagle in flight was also suggested, but that was not feasible. They even thought about buying a premade sculpture, but they thought that was too impersonal. Ultimately they decided on a painting with mixed media by a local artist, so the planning started. Mariella suggested Kelly Puent. Mariella knew Kelly through the Bluff County Studio Art Tour, which they both participated in.
The council wanted to allow other local organizations to join them, so they started by talking to the VFW Auxiliary #6893 to see if it was a project they would be interested in supporting. And then they talked to the Preston American Legion. Jon Haugan from the American Legion decided it would be a great project to support and joined their committee. It was Jon’s idea to use old local photographs or postcards and enlarge them to 16”x20” framed prints. This was a project two years in the making.
The funding of the project came from the Preston Area Arts Council, Magdlin-GilbertsonVFW Auxiliary, and Adrian and Catherine Snyder in memory of Hallie Snyder.
Once everything was in place, they now needed some inspiration for the painting. So one afternoon Mariella and Eileen started sifting through a lot of old photos and postcards that the Preston Historical Society had. They found an old postcard that was dated from 1910. It was a picture of a woman in a rowboat out on the Root River. The postcard depicted everything that makes Fillmore County and Preston special. It was perfect. This was their inspiration. And so “The Lady of the Root River” was born.
Kelly is a mixed-media artist. Originally from Dresser, Wis., Kelly was looking for a change so she moved to Minnesota. After moving to southeast Minnesota, she taught art to third-12th grades in Chatfield for 14 years. Since she was a child she was drawn to art of all mediums. And being an art teacher she had the opportunity to learn many different mediums. She has participated in the Bluff County Studio Art Tour for six years. She will also be in the artist showcase for Cabin Fever in Lanesboro, Minn., on March 9. Kelly discovered a representative from the veterans home came to her open studio last year and bought two small pieces of artwork. She discovered this by seeing them hanging in the meditation room at the veterans home when she went on a tour of the new facility. She was very surprised and honored to see the artwork there; she had no idea who bought it. Kelly stated, “I appreciate the sacrifices made by our veterans, I feel so honored to have my work chosen to be on display in such a beautiful facility.”
The new piece took her a few months to complete since she has a full-time job, she would work evenings and weekends on it. In the painting, she used many mediums including oil paints, acrylic paints, stained glass, glass pebbles, tiles, stones, wood tiles, tree branches, Sharpies, and spray paint. Yes, Sharpies and spray paint. Kelly delivered the artwork on November 11, 2023, it was hung on November 13, and the group finalized the donation on November 20. The council was even allowed to pick the spot where the artwork is hanging.
The Preston Area Arts Council also donated five Southern Minnesota Civil War images which they enlarged to 16”x20” size. Because they needed permission to display them in a public setting, the rights to the images they donated were purchased from the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul, Minn. Kelly’s Printing in Preston, Minn., printed the enlarged images for the council. The council found themselves so honored to be able to have a piece of artwork that they donated to be a part of the veterans home. It was an amazing project to be able to share with not only the veterans, but the community.
The Preston Area Arts Council may not be together anymore but they will live on through a wonderful donation for our veterans, families, visitors, staff, and community to enjoy.
If you are visiting a loved one or friend at the Preston Veterans Home, you can view the piece of artwork in the sitting room off of the main entrance. The Preston Veterans Home is located at 1864 First Minnesota, Preston, Minn.
If you are interested in Kelly Puent you can visit her website at www.imperfectionstudiokellypuent.com, on Facebook at Imperfection Studio: Fine Art by Kelly Puent, or at her studio located at 26503 245th Ave., Fountain, Minn.
Kelly and Mariella will both be participating in the Bluff County Studio Art Tour April 26-28, 2024.
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