Emily Wilhelmina Dufke Lunde was born in northern Minnesota and, as she says, "with a handle like that you had to have a sense of humor." Laurel Reuter, Director of the Museum says of this North Dakota folk artist: "Were the people of North Dakota to name their living treasures, Emily Lunde would certainly be among them. She is one of the state's eminent folk artists and unofficial cultural historians." As both artist and author, Mrs. Lunde has recorded the life of Scandinavian immigrants settling the prairies and small towns of the Red River Valley during the early 20th century.
Mrs. Lunde did not begin to paint until the 1950s and always painted from memory. Her oils are widely collected. Dr. Robert Bishop, the late Director of the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City, personally gave over forty of her paintings to the Art in Embassies program for loan around the world.
I amaze myself when I think about what I was doing at the time. I was between five and ten years old when I perceived these things that went into my paintings. I was analyzing the adults. I guess you can't fool children as much as you want to.
— Emily Lunde
Rural Arts Initiative
The North Dakota Museum of Art is the State’s official art museum. As it is located in Grand Forks, it can be difficult for schools to plan day trips to the Museum. Due to the great distances some schools face, the Museum started touring exhibitions to towns throughout North Dakota through its Rural Arts Initiative program, which started in 2003. Since then, exhibitions have been installed in all corners of North Dakota, including smaller towns such as Crosby, Pekin, and Bowman, and larger cities such as Jamestown, Fargo, and Bismarck. The Museum’s Education Department delivers, installs, and de-installs exhibitions of original artwork free-of-charge to North Dakota communities.
A Primary goal of the Museum’s Rural Arts Initiative program is to provide North Dakota schools with quality arts education opportunities. The Museum works with community members to bring schools within a 50 to 60-mile radius of the exhibition site to participate in this unique arts education program. To assist schools with out-of-pocket expenses, the Museum offers travel reimbursements for North Dakota schools wishing to participate. Lesson plans and activities are also available for free download on the Museum’s website.
A Reception will be held on Friday, MARCH 31ST, from 7 - 8:30 PM. Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
