Growing outdoor art gallery opens June 27

The seventh season of the “Larger Than Life” Outdoor Art Exhibit will kick off June 27 at Riverside Park in Mantorville.

During the COVID year of 2020, Brian and Mary Jo Hindal came up with the idea of having large photographs printed on metal and displayed on frames in the park. Since many opportunities were closed that year, the exhibit made it possible for people to drive by or walk in the park to visit the four photos on display.

It has grown to include more artists each year; this year, 38 artists will be featured in the park – 17 of them new to the event. Larger Than Life has now grown to be the largest outdoor art display in greater Minnesota.

Artist submissions for the exhibit open November, with a deadline of Feb. 1. The contest is open to artists in southeast Minnesota counties surrounding Mantorville.

This year's entries include artists from Dodge, Olmsted, Steele and Mower counties. Each artist may enter up to two selections to be judged for the display; art that uses copyright work is not eligible to be used.

When the submission period closes, the judges meet for a group decision about which artwork will be a good fit for the display during the summer months.

This year, there are six different types of artwork mediums, including acrylic, oil, pen and ink, colored pencil, and watercolor, along with photography and sculpture.

The images are sent to a shop in Rochester, where each is printed on a 4-foot-by-8-foot metal backing. The artist bio is printed by a local laser graphics business and is placed next to the art display on the frame.

The metal frames are driven into the ground around Riverside Park, and the art display is then attached to the frame, along with the artist bio. Wood frames were used originally, but the switch to metal has made them easier to set up and store, mow around and withstand inclement weather.

The art fair, featuring the works of local artists, begins at 10 a.m. June 27th. The artwork unveiling will begin at 11 a.m. and is expected to last about an hour.

Orchid Jane will provide music from noon to 2 p.m.

The art fair and unveiling event are free to the public. The Kasson-Mantorville Lions will sell brats/hamburgers, and Mrs. Patty’s Sweet Treats will be selling cold ice cream treats.

The unveiling and art show will go on rain or shine, so organizers are hoping the weather cooperates.

New this year for the opening day is an artists' raffle. Featured artists have donated an artwork piece that will be going home with the winner whose ticket is drawn when the event wraps up at 2 p.m. Raffle tickets will be $1 each or $3 for five tickets. Your entry tickets may all go on one art piece – or be spread among different art pieces.

Visitors attending will be able to talk to the artists to find out more about their projects, while some artists will also be demonstrating how they create their artwork.

There are now 15 art projects attached on the outside store walls in Mantorville from last year's display, with additional displays in other communities in our area.

Brian Hindal said the big displays should weather well for 8-10 years in the outdoor conditions. Last summer, people used the large display panels as shade during Music in Mantorville on warm Tuesday evenings.

After the unveiling, the Larger Than Life Outdoor Art Exhibit will be available to view daily from dawn to sunset until Sept. 1 in Riverside Park.

It will be removed then for the town to prepare for Marigold Days, which is held the weekend after Labor Day.