News

School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition

goersab — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:50:00 +0000

School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition goersab September 16, 2026

Fine arts students display nearly 60 contemporary works in three-story exhibition in Minneapolis

Cradled in straps of pale linen, supported by a copper-piping frame, rests a foot-long double-headed spoon, forged and fastened to the lower portion of a white-tailed deer leg and hoof. Around the corner, adhered to the gallery wall, are rune-like letterings created with tape – shapes that seem so familiar, yet so alien. And the posterior view of a skeleton painted with bleach is stretched across richly textured mauve fabric near the slumped figure of a soft, headless man-like 3D creature.

For two weeks this summer, 46 emerging artists in �� Polytechnic ��. School of Art & Design took over three floors of the Q.arma Building in Minneapolis for “Fieldwork,” a curated exhibition featuring 57 works of art spanning painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, comics, photography, ceramics and metals.

Travis Bennett's 'Untitled (Dining Object No. 1)'

“The top-to-bottom ‘Fieldwork’ exhibit at Q.arma was a unique opportunity for our students to come together,” said Senior Lecturer Darren Tesar, program director of B.F.A. studio art and B.S. arts administration and entrepreneurship. “It showed that our studio art program and the School of Art & Design is a leading institution of contemporary art. We are not bound by dogma or tradition. It ��. important for people to see our students’ full range and complexity.”

Selected works from “Fieldwork” will be on display through October at the university ��. Library Art Lab, on the first floor of the Robert S. Swanson Library & Learning Center.

Engaging in every aspect of an exhibition

Alongside faculty, recent B.F.A. studio art graduates Ashley Hannasch and Xander McFaul helped install “Fieldwork.” They thought the Q.arma experience was a unique opportunity to engage in every aspect of an exhibition in a setting outside of the university – from transportation to curating to installation and final gallery preparations.

McFaul, of St. Paul, whose pieces in the show were “Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink Moon” and “This Is Our Last Song,” said, “This is significant on my resume and opens the door to more Twin Cities opportunities in my future. I encourage students to apply to as many of these opportunities as possible, as well as start curating their own shows in their own spaces and communities.”

A detail of Xander McFaul's 'Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink Moon'

Hannasch, of Lakeville, Minnesota, agreed. “Working alongside faculty and students strengthened my confidence in exhibition planning and gave me a deeper understanding of the collaborative nature of working in a gallery,” she said. “I encourage current students to seek opportunities both within and beyond the university, trust their instincts, and build relationships with fellow artists.”

Hannasch, whose exhibit piece was “Spineless,” noted, “I believe artists grow strongest when we communicate, collaborate and support one another as a community.”

Ashley Hannasch's 'Spineless,' bleach on fabric

Two current students, Travis Bennett and Cora Kauffman, think “Fieldwork” was a great opportunity to showcase their work to a bigger audience outside of campus.

“It helped me understand how my work exists within a larger gallery space and gave me more experience for future exhibitions,” said Bennett, a fashion design and development and studio art major, concentrating in metals and contemporary art jewelry.

Bennett, of Hager City, creates artwork with a Midwestern-Gothic flair, inspired by his material-based investigation of the relationship between the body, animals and objects of utility. His piece in “Fieldwork” was titled “Untitled (Dining Object No. 1).”

“Growing up in the rural Midwest has influenced my work a lot. I thought about the way we harvest our food, and I wanted to transform a deer's foot, something that is a byproduct of hunting, into a utensil and case that feels both functional and uncomfortable,” he said.

Cora Kauffman's 'Before you even know it,' packing tape

Kauffman is inspired by forms of language. “After my semester abroad in Japan, I knew I had to continue this line of work. I thought about the forms present in the written Japanese language and how to create something that invokes these forms while remaining as ephemeral as spoken language is,” she said. Her “Fieldwork” piece, “Before you even know it,” consisted of several site-specific installations of rune-like letters.

Kauffman, a studio art major from Chippewa Falls, was awarded a solo thesis show at the university ��. Gallery 209 this fall. “This experience was a great opportunity for me to learn how an exhibition is organized and installed. I was also able to learn how to manage my time as I installed my piece in the gallery,” she said.

Ella Borchert's 'Soft Male Figure,' soft sculpture

Collaborations to create trajectory

“Fieldwork” emphasized the university ��. commitment to preparing students for professional careers in the arts, highlighting the making, collaboration, curation, installation and professional practices that shape contemporary artists.

The exhibit included a juried collection by intermediate and advanced studio art courses, an independently organized exhibit by the student-run Fine Arts Association, and a series of pop-up presentations and sales by the Print Club, Comix Club, Metals Guild and more.

Sabrina Hagberg's 'Shards of My Reflection,' oil on wood

Tesar and Professor Alex DeArmond knew Q.arma had a history of exhibiting emerging artists’ works. “Owner Jono Query has a passion for providing art spaces to students, knowing how difficult opportunities can be after graduation. We wanted to create a connection. Studio art seemed to be the best vehicle for an exhibit,” Tesar said. “If we’re going to show our strength as part of the university, we need to show our work professionally in spaces like Q.arma. We need to provide access and opportunities outside of our campus for our students and create a trajectory for them for after graduation.”

Ashley Hannasch's 'Spineless,' bleach on fabric; and Bryan Irish's 'Clothesline,' condoms, found objects, clothesline, clothespins

After the exhibition, which was held June 6-21, Tesar and other faculty realized how much students want more external professional, collaborative and entrepreneurial experiences.

“There ��. only so much that an in-class curriculum can do. The experience allowed us to fill a gap that we can’t provide in the classroom – for the students to see how art plays out across a wide range of organizational models. The collaboration between Stout and Q.arma provided access for students to see and act with economy and culture in the private sector,” Tesar said.

“Every single student could put on an exhibition. Younger students need to learn that they can’t just follow; they have to create these opportunities for themselves as well. And we need to help them recognize it takes a collection of people to make these possibilities happen,” they said. “Creating the experiences gives students that confidence – it gives them the know-how. They become aware of the nuance and simplicity of making things happen professionally.”

Meghan LeMay's 'Bouquet Twisters,' leather, PVA size liquid sealant, oil paint, wood

�� Polytechnic ��. School of Art and Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest, offers bachelor ��. degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design.

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Fine arts students display nearly 60 contemporary works in three-story exhibition in Minneapolis Q.arma, Xander McFaul, Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink Moon

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B.F.A. Studio Art

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B.S. Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

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Search Keywords: Q.arma Buildingstudio art degreearts administration and entrepreneurship

Hero Caption: Recent studio art graduate Xander McFaul displayed 'Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink, Pink Moon' at the 'Fieldwork' exhibition at Q.arma.

Darren Tesar

Darren Tesar ��. activity—visual, curatorial and textual—can be understood as simply as a prolonged proximity maintained between entities, materials and/or processes. Prolonged proximities that produce a kind of pidgin—a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that do not have a language in common. The result is a production and maintenance of signs that are doubly non-native, meaning the author and object/subject are both made into partial objects.

This notion of partial plays off all three of its possible meanings, namely having a particular liking or fondness for something or someone, that, by nature of its sentimentality (a form of bias or prejudice), relates to being or affectation only in part, not total; incomplete.

Notable activities include: phantoms (1996), MnArtists, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2024; CLING RING, MirrorLab, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2022; _storation of limbs, MnArtists, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2021; NCAF Development Grant, Taipei, Taiwan, 2020; Yoke Anima, Seohak Gallery, Jeonju, South Korea, 2019; Curator: unsupportive, N/A Gallery, Seoul, South Korea, 2019: VAF Fund, Midway Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2018; Guest Curator (with Wen Li Chen): he’ (FOGSTAND Gallery) Taiwan Academy, New York, NY, USA 2018; Rough Sleeper, Sadie Halie Projects, Minneapolis, MN, USA 2018; bar-mouthing, Sadie Halie Projects, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2106; bar-mouthing, (Exhibition text, They Rephrased the Question for Another Answer: Chun Kaifeng), Fost Gallery, Singapore, 2016; fromming (Exhibition text for Death is the mother of beauty: Charles Matson Lume), New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN, 2015; Refining Commitment, Serpentine Magazine, USA & DE, 2015; Guest Curator: Absolving the Object: Kaifeng Chun, Richard Frater, Song-yun Kim, Latent Spaces, Singapore, 2015; Time after Time, Market Gallery, Glasgow, UK, 2014; Nameless Forms, Latent Spaces, Singapore, 2014; Refining Commitment, XMS Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan, 2013; Reverential, published for the exhibition, Della Liquidezza Della Terra, Milan, Italy, 2013; Resident Artist at Seoul Art Space_Geumcheon, Seoul, South Korea 2013

Full Name: Darren Tesar

Job Title: Senior Lecturer / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Contemporary Sculptural Practices & Environmental Aesthetics

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Visual & Performing Arts Department

Program

All Degree Programs

B.S. Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

Curriculum Vitae: Darren Tesar CV (217.26 KB)

Website: Personal Website YouTube Channel

Education:

Degree: M.F.A.

University: Glasgow School of Art

Degree: B.F.A.

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

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UW Regents approve new arts administration and entrepreneurship degree

polingj — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 18:04:05 +0000

UW Regents approve new arts administration and entrepreneurship degreepolingj April 21, 2021

Graduates will be cross-trained to manage cultural organizations, arts-based businesses

University of Wisconsin-Stout believes in the holistic value of the arts in society with a School of Art and Design that offers six undergraduate Bachelor of Fine Arts programs and a Master of Fine Arts, as well as an art education program.

The university also recognizes the economic value of the arts industry. A new, cross-disciplinary degree program — arts administration and entrepreneurship — will equally blend courses in the arts and management, preparing graduates to lead cultural organizations, such as museums and arts centers, and independent arts-based businesses.

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved the Bachelor of Science program on Friday, April 9, during its meeting in Madison.

The program aims to educate students “for a new society where the arts are more integrated into areas such as science, business and the community.”

Choral activities director Jerry Hui instructs students at an outdoor practice. / ��

Students will graduate “with a refined understanding of how the arts function in our society,” according to information presented to the Regents.

Development of the program reflects a strong job market in arts administration and arts-related businesses. �� cited a projected 11% growth nationally in the industry over the next nine years, including in management, finance, marketing, fundraising, grant writing and more.

Close to 90,000 people in the U.S. are employed in arts administration and as entrepreneurs in the arts, according to the Department of Labor, with a median annual wage of more than $49,000.

The on-campus program will begin enrolling students this fall.

Connections with area arts organizations

The program plans to develop partnerships with area and regional arts organizations. The program advisory committee will include industry professionals from such groups, aligning with �� . strategic plan to expand external partnerships.

Part of the rationale for the program is the thriving arts industry in west-central Wisconsin, as well as the Twin Cities, Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago. The Twin Cities, less than an hour ��. drive from ��, has been ranked as the fourth most vibrant arts community in the U.S.

Jerry Hui, choral activities director. / �� photo

In addition to metro areas, rural areas in Wisconsin and Minnesota are seeing growth with arts-based festivals, events and new and improved venues.

The new program, the first of its kind in western Wisconsin, will connect with arts organizations that work with underserved youth populations, creating potential internship opportunities and a “direct pathway for the program to recruit prospective students from underserved communities.”

“2020 saw a sea change in social justice and equity. Access to the arts needs a lot of work in this direction,” said Associate Professor Jerry Hui. “We hope to help by training future arts administrators who see the power of the arts to change minds and foster community and will work in their capacity to provide arts in an inclusive and equitable way.”

Courses in arts, administration, business

Required courses will be from the university ��. School of Management and from the School of Art and Design. Students will take credits in arts administration, understanding of the arts and in business perspectives, along with general education courses.

The program will blend all aspects of the arts — art, design, music and theatre — with the business courses, setting it apart from two other related programs in the UW System.

Students in the art-design and management schools represent about 25% of �� . undergraduate enrollment.

Dave Beck, School of Art and Design director / ��

“Until now, these two units operated independently, without overlap of curriculum, instructors or students. This program aims to leverage these strengths to align the multiple, diverse visions of these two entities into a shared future,” said Dave Beck, associate dean of the College of Arts, Communication, Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the School of Art and Design.

Faculty from both schools will recruit, teach and advise students in the program.

“It is �� . belief that this program will represent the type of skills expected of graduates in the 21st century, including strong communication skills, creative problem solving and an emphasis on collaboration amongst multiple disciplines and fields,” said Hui, who directs choral activities at �� and is involved with regional music groups.

The new program could “open the doors to other opportunities on campus that encourage cross-university collaboration.” A new Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts program, for example, allows students to explore their interest in art and design before choosing a program.

The business courses will train students to develop independent business skills. �� . School of Management offers 10 undergraduate programs, such as business administration.

Gindy Neidermyer, CSTEMM college interim dean / ��

“As Wisconsin ��. polytechnic institution, collaborative learning is what we do,” said Gindy Neidermyer, interim dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management. “We are excited to bring the students, instructors, communities and industry together with this new discipline and to prepare the leaders that will assist our communities in enhancing and building meaningful ways to connect post-pandemic. The roles the managers of these associated organizations will play in the growth and sustainability of regional communities will be invaluable and will influence how other industries positively interact with their communities as well.”

With the new program and the video production program, the School of Art and Design will have its first two Bachelor of Science programs. A computer science B.S. program in the STEMM college has a game design concentration.

A field experience, internship or co-op will be required with the arts administration and entrepreneurship program, part of �� . 100% commitment to experiential learning.

The Regents’ approval brings to 47 the number of �� undergraduate programs, along with 23 Graduate School programs.

###

Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

All Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship News

School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition

Fine arts students display nearly 60 contemporary works in three-story exhibition in Minneapolis

UW Regents approve new arts administration and entrepreneurship degree

A new academic program recognizes the economic value of the arts industry in society.

A new academic program recognizes the economic value of the arts industry in society. Jazz band practice

B.S. Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

Through experiential learning the program provides you with a broad foundation across diverse fields in arts and design.

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Hero Caption: Jazz band students practice for a performance at ��. / �� photo

Chiwei Hui

Brief Biography

Jerry (Chiwei) Hui has written a wide variety of music that ranges from serious concert art music to humorous choral arrangements. His music has been performed in the United States, Germany, France, Scotland, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong by community choirs, campus ensembles, and professional groups. Described by critics as “seriously fun”, and with “accomplished contrapuntal texture.”, his composition has won prizes including the Robert Helps Prize 2008, and received commission that was featured at the World Saxophone Congress.

As a conductor, Dr. Hui has founded and directed various community choirs, church choirs, chamber ensembles and orchestras. At home in both early and contemporary music, he has performed often as baritone and countertenor, actively premiering works by fellow composers. Performances by his ensembles have been featured on Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Choral Directors Association conference, and the Fringe Series of Madison Early Music Festival. He is currently the director of choral activities at University of Wisconsin-Stout, assistant conductor at the Madison Early Music Festival, director of the Chippewa Valley Festival Choir, and artistic director of the Schola Cantorum of Eau Claire.

A native of Hong Kong, Jerry Hui received his DMA degree in music composition at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Hui's principal composition teachers include David Crumb, Stephen Dembski, Robert Kyr, Joel Naumann and Laura Schwendinger. His conducting teachers are Beverly Taylor, Sharon Paul, and Bruce Gladstone.

Full Name: Chiwei Hui

Job Title: Associate Professor / Director, Choral Activities

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Audience Engagement Current Practices of Arts Presentation Early Music Historically informed performance practices Contemporary Choral Music Arts Entrepreneurship Interdisciplinary Creativity

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Visual & Performing Arts Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Chiwei Hui CV (448.18 KB)

Website: Personal Website

Education:

Degree: D.M.A. Music Composition

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Degree: M.M. Music Composition and Choral Conducting

University: University of Oregon

Degree: B.A. Music Composition and Computer Science

University: University of Wisconsin-Madison

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News

School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition

Engaging in every aspect of an exhibition

Collaborations to create trajectory

Menomonie Public Library spaces reimagined for the future by interior design majors at �������� Polytechnic

Graphic design, interactive media senior awarded national AIGA Worldstudio D×D Scholarship

Menomonie Market Food Co-op meals boosted by animation faculty, students’ commercial

B.F.A. Studio Art

B.S. Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

Darren Tesar

UW Regents approve new arts administration and entrepreneurship degree

School of Art & Design students take over Q.arma with juried ‘Fieldwork’ exhibition

UW Regents approve new arts administration and entrepreneurship degree

B.S. Arts Administration & Entrepreneurship

Chiwei Hui

Brief Biography

Menomonie Public Library spaces reimagined for the future by interior design majors at �� Polytechnic