The Northwest Arts Center has announced the presentation of new work by Minot State University Artist-in-Residence Blaire Engel.

“BRD,” an exhibition of ceramics sculpture, opens with a public reception on Friday, April 25, and is on view until May 31.

Engel is a Minot-based ceramicist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honors degree in ceramics from Brandon University. Engel’s work often combines her love of science fiction with her interest in biotechnology and apocalyptic ideas. Her current body of work consists of sculptural birds, telling the story of a world where genetic editing and biotech have gone too far. Engel’s work has been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Minot State University’s Artist-in-Residence program began in 2021, with the goal of providing time and space for artists to work while helping build community in the Art department, according to a Northwest Arts Center news release. The resident artist serves as a resource for students and faculty and holds workshops and events related to their creative practice. During the year-long residency, they also create a body of work to exhibit at the end of the spring semester.

Friday’s public reception and online viewing will run from 6:30-8 p.m. Scheduled is a juror’s talk with Engel at 7 p.m. The reception can be attended either in person or online from the Northwest Arts Center’s social media.

“BRD” is available for viewing Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 1-5 p.m. The Walter Piehl Gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library at Minot State University, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The exhibition and related events are free and open to the public.

The Northwest Arts Center is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Submitted Photo
“Scavenger,” a ceramic work created in 2025 by Blaire Engel, is included in a collection on exhibit beginning Friday in the Northwest Arts Center.