This Sunday, Oct. 11, the Minnesota Valley Chapter of the Izaak Walton League opens its chapter house to the public for a new exhibit of watercolors, stained-glass works and photography. The open house runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at 6601 Auto Club Road, down in the river bottoms.
The show's full title is "If the Sun Is Out, Then So Am I – Watercolors, Stained Glass and Photography Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Sher Freebird." It covers Freebird's work in all 3 mediums. Organizers said it brings together 3 different forms of artistic expression. A nature-loving show suits the venue, which is a conservation group's clubhouse and not a white-walled downtown gallery.
The exhibit hangs in the Kouba Gallery. Volunteers from the Minnesota Valley chapter founded it, and the chapter runs it as a program inside the chapter house. The gallery says it celebrates art inspired by nature and conservation.
The gallery is named for Les Kouba, whom it calls "The Grandfather of Wildlife Art." Kouba was best known for some of the most popular Duck Stamps, and his work helped make wildlife art popular in the early 1970s. The gallery holds an open house on the second Sunday of every month, 1 to 4 p.m., so if Sunday doesn't work, another one is coming next month.
Can't make it Sunday afternoon? The gallery also offers private showings. You can request one through the gallery's website or by emailing jbarisonzi@iwlamnvalley.org. The chapter house phone number is 952-944-1423.
