Art in Community Upcoming events Teen Writers Speak: An Open Mic Night for Teens November 6, 6:00-8:00 PM White Bear Center for the Arts Join fellow writers for an open mic night meant for teens to share their latest work, test new ideas, or simply soak in the words around them. Register in advance and let us know if you'd like to read. This event is for teens, but adults are encouraged to attend. Lori Dokken Presents: "Painting Joni" November 9 at 2:00 PM The Hanifl Performing Arts Center A performance of Joni Mitchell's works, featuring Lakeshore's Steinway piano, will celebrate the poetic lyrics, emotional depth, and groundbreaking style of the iconic folk artist. Yoga in the Gallery Tuesdays, November 18-December 16, 12:00-1:15 PM White Bear Center for the Arts Step into a sanctuary of tranquility and elevate your midday break with this yoga class in WBCA's Ford Family Gallery. This session blends mindful, purposeful movement with deep meditative practices, offering a powerful rest for your body during the lunch hour. "Annie" November 21-December 14, 2025 The Hanifl Performing Arts Center Join us for this delightful musical about the loveable orphan Annie! Featuring the famous tunes "It's a Hard Knock Life," "Easy Street," and "Tomorrow," this show is the perfect holiday treat for the whole family. You can find a full list of classes in WBCA's quarterly printed catalog and online at WhiteBearArts.org/ classes. Sculpting the self, exploring identity Some artists find themselves at the potter's wheel. Others, like Chloe Bischoff, White Bear Center for the Arts' clay studio assistant, find themselves in Red Wing, playing Clue with four other creatives in a historic tower that once housed writers, painters, and thinkers for decades. This past September, Chloe embarked on the Anderson Center's prestigious Early Career Artist Residency, a month-long immersive experience for emerging artists across disciplines. Nestled along the Cannon River in Red Wing, the Anderson Center is known as an oasis of community, giving artists the gift of time and space to dive deep into their practice. "My time at the Anderson Center was remarkable," Chloe says. "I've never had such an extended period where my only focus was to create art, think deeply, and take in my beautiful surroundings." The residency brought together five artists from across five different disciplines, sparking long, late-night conversations about craft, creativity, and everything in between. Chloe approached her residency with big questions: "What lies at the intersection of autotheory and animism? How can clay act as a mirror, facilitating and enriching the concept of the self? And how has her own relationship with clay informed the way she moves through the world? Rooted in queer ecology and the surrealist traditions of artists like Remedios Varo, her work at the Anderson Center explored identity as something fluid, entangled, and co- created with the natural world. The result was a sculptural self-portrait, a two-layered "mask" featuring a sculpted inner face, modeled after Chloe's own face, peeking through Courtesy of Chloe Bischoff an abstract outer shell referencing imagery from nature's architecture, such as skeletal formations, cellular organelles, and fungal growth. Inspired by Jane Bennett's concept of vital materialism, which suggests that all matter is inherently alive and energetic, Chloe approaches her artistic practice as a relationship between two entities, not merely shaping or using a lifeless material. Back in the clay wing at WBCA, Chloe brings that same philosophy: "I'm not simply firing kilns, I'm participating in a form of 'synthetic geology' in which I steer the physical and chemical forces that humans have partnered with for thousands of years to create long-lasting and well- loved objects from clay!" Growing green: Art meets sustainability This fall, White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA) is turning over a new leaf, literally. Thanks to a grant appropriation from the Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD), WBCA is offering a series of eco-conscious art classes designed to inspire deeper connections to the land, water, and sustainable living. The idea is to use art as a bridge to nature. Using art as a means for people to connect to nature creates a different access point for education and engagement with the land and water in ways that feel personal, meaningful, and approachable. One of the RCWD's goals is to work with local organizations and communities to help people better understand and care about water and the environment in real-world ways, and as RCWD's Outreach and Communications Manager, Kendra Sommerfeld says, "WBCA is a strong partner in that effort." So, this season, WBCA offered three free events that explore topics like native plants and regenerative gardening practices, each with a creative, hands-on experience, aiming to reach people who might not connect with traditional water quality data or technical reports. "The Rice Creek Watershed District has helped us to introduce conversations around water-conscious living through a creative approach," says WBCA Creative Director Sara Nephew. "If a handful of people walk away more curious and connected to this place we all share, that feels worthwhile. In September, a class led by Michelle Bruhn focused on no-dig gardening and Hügelkultur, two kinds of regenerative gardening methods that emphasize soil health and low-impact design. Coming up in December, landscape designer Kyle Manley will lead a Matrix Garden Design session focused on creating resilient, low- maintenance gardens using native plants tailored to the Upper Midwest. "This partnership with WBCA is a great example of how we can use art to build connections between people and the water in their own communities," Kendra says. "It helps make important water issues easier to understand and more relatable to people than other highly technical things like data and graphs." By blending art with environmental stewardship, WBCA's fall programming is planting seeds of change. Showing how creative expression can make environmental awareness more approachable to make a difference, one class at a time. Art in Community Upcoming events Teen Writers Speak : An Open Mic Night for Teens November 6 , 6 : 00-8 : 00 PM White Bear Center for the Arts Join fellow writers for an open mic night meant for teens to share their latest work , test new ideas , or simply soak in the words around them . Register in advance and let us know if you'd like to read . This event is for teens , but adults are encouraged to attend . Lori Dokken Presents : " Painting Joni " November 9 at 2:00 PM The Hanifl Performing Arts Center A performance of Joni Mitchell's works , featuring Lakeshore's Steinway piano , will celebrate the poetic lyrics , emotional depth , and groundbreaking style of the iconic folk artist . Yoga in the Gallery Tuesdays , November 18 - December 16 , 12 : 00-1 : 15 PM White Bear Center for the Arts Step into a sanctuary of tranquility and elevate your midday break with this yoga class in WBCA's Ford Family Gallery . This session blends mindful , purposeful movement with deep meditative practices , offering a powerful rest for your body during the lunch hour . " Annie " November 21 - December 14 , 2025 The Hanifl Performing Arts Center Join us for this delightful musical about the loveable orphan Annie ! Featuring the famous tunes " It's a Hard Knock Life , " " Easy Street , " and " Tomorrow , " this show is the perfect holiday treat for the whole family . You can find a full list of classes in WBCA's quarterly printed catalog and online at WhiteBearArts.org/ classes . Sculpting the self , exploring identity Some artists find themselves at the potter's wheel . Others , like Chloe Bischoff , White Bear Center for the Arts ' clay studio assistant , find themselves in Red Wing , playing Clue with four other creatives in a historic tower that once housed writers , painters , and thinkers for decades . This past September , Chloe embarked on the Anderson Center's prestigious Early Career Artist Residency , a month - long immersive experience for emerging artists across disciplines . Nestled along the Cannon River in Red Wing , the Anderson Center is known as an oasis of community , giving artists the gift of time and space to dive deep into their practice . " My time at the Anderson Center was remarkable , " Chloe says . " I've never had such an extended period where my only focus was to create art , think deeply , and take in my beautiful surroundings . " The residency brought together five artists from across five different disciplines , sparking long , late - night conversations about craft , creativity , and everything in between . Chloe approached her residency with big questions : " What lies at the intersection of autotheory and animism ? How can clay act as a mirror , facilitating and enriching the concept of the self ? And how has her own relationship with clay informed the way she moves through the world ? Rooted in queer ecology and the surrealist traditions of artists like Remedios Varo , her work at the Anderson Center explored identity as something fluid , entangled , and co- created with the natural world . The result was a sculptural self - portrait , a two - layered " mask " featuring a sculpted inner face , modeled after Chloe's own face , peeking through Courtesy of Chloe Bischoff an abstract outer shell referencing imagery from nature's architecture , such as skeletal formations , cellular organelles , and fungal growth . Inspired by Jane Bennett's concept of vital materialism , which suggests that all matter is inherently alive and energetic , Chloe approaches her artistic practice as a relationship between two entities , not merely shaping or using a lifeless material . Back in the clay wing at WBCA , Chloe brings that same philosophy : " I'm not simply firing kilns , I'm participating in a form of ' synthetic geology ' in which I steer the physical and chemical forces that humans have partnered with for thousands of years to create long - lasting and well- loved objects from clay ! " Growing green : Art meets sustainability This fall , White Bear Center for the Arts ( WBCA ) is turning over a new leaf , literally . Thanks to a grant appropriation from the Rice Creek Watershed District ( RCWD ) , WBCA is offering a series of eco - conscious art classes designed to inspire deeper connections to the land , water , and sustainable living . The idea is to use art as a bridge to nature . Using art as a means for people to connect to nature creates a different access point for education and engagement with the land and water in ways that feel personal , meaningful , and approachable . One of the RCWD's goals is to work with local organizations and communities to help people better understand and care about water and the environment in real - world ways , and as RCWD's Outreach and Communications Manager , Kendra Sommerfeld says , " WBCA is a strong partner in that effort . " So , this season , WBCA offered three free events that explore topics like native plants and regenerative gardening practices , each with a creative , hands - on experience , aiming to reach people who might not connect with traditional water quality data or technical reports . " The Rice Creek Watershed District has helped us to introduce conversations around water - conscious living through a creative approach , " says WBCA Creative Director Sara Nephew . " If a handful of people walk away more curious and connected to this place we all share , that feels worthwhile . In September , a class led by Michelle Bruhn focused on no - dig gardening and Hügelkultur , two kinds of regenerative gardening methods that emphasize soil health and low - impact design . Coming up in December , landscape designer Kyle Manley will lead a Matrix Garden Design session focused on creating resilient , low- maintenance gardens using native plants tailored to the Upper Midwest . " This partnership with WBCA is a great example of how we can use art to build connections between people and the water in their own communities , " Kendra says . " It helps make important water issues easier to understand and more relatable to people than other highly technical things like data and graphs . " By blending art with environmental stewardship , WBCA's fall programming is planting seeds of change . Showing how creative expression can make environmental awareness more approachable to make a difference , one class at a time .