Curating connections

The 4 p.m. Minnesota sunlight bathed Shawna Grapentine. The Ojibwe Cree artist stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Warroad RiverPlace gallery, waiting for the start of a public reception for her latest exhibit: “Immersed in Color, Inspired by Her Culture and Nature.”

Grapentine, a resident of Warroad and Rainy River, Ontario, and a home/school liaison for the Warroad Public Schools Native American Education Program, has considered art a passion since she was young. More recently, she started to sell her pieces online and has been involved in small art displays in the region. But the evening of March 21, at Warroad’s new arts, culture and events center – it was different.

“Walking in, it's kind of one of those moments of like, wow, I think I can call myself an artist,” Grapentine said, her bold paintings and sketches covering the white walls around her. “And not that I didn't before. It’s just that next level of people celebrating me and what I do. It's really hard to explain the emotions.”

Warroad RiverPlace opened in the community of 2,000 people in the fall of 2024. The 20,000 square-foot facility offers an expansive art gallery, a 320-seat performance hall and a classroom for creative education. Additionally, guests can experience an outdoor patio overlooking the Warroad River and food from the center’s commercial kitchen.

It may seem like a large undertaking for a small town. If it feels that way, you don’t know Warroad.

“It's gone above and beyond to exceed my expectations of how a community pulls together to help lift each other up,” said Samantha Thibert, Warroad RiverPlace Director of Operations and Events. “I've experienced that in some smaller communities, but never to the extent that we have here in Warroad. We have something really special.”

‘Making art and culture relevant’

Funding for the $20 million Warroad RiverPlace was made possible by generous community support and investment, with a lead donation from Frank and Margaret Marvin. But money was only one part of the equation. The nonprofit project’s board of directors needed someone with the vision to make the space exceptional. And they found that in their choice of John Davis as Warroad RiverPlace Executive Director.

Davis has gained notoriety over the past few decades for his work in bringing art access to small Minnesota towns like New York Mills, where he renovated an old farmhouse and barn to create an artist residency center. He noted that, in that community’s case, there was a thirst for the arts, but no pipeline for it.

“The idea was, how can you do two things at once – give artists an opportunity to expand their careers, especially emerging artists from bigger cities, and how can small towns be exposed to artists?” Davis said of his New York Mills project. “It wasn’t just about doing art for people, but about making art and culture relevant in people's lives.”

Warroad RiverPlace is the embodiment of Davis’ objective, this time in Warroad. The center’s spaces and programming create opportunities for local musicians and theater groups to perform before a crowd in a contemporary hall, for visitors to explore meaningful works by native artists and culture bearers, and for kids to attend immersive art classes.

Brenda Yanok, program director for Folk School Warroad, has begun to use Warroad RiverPlace’s classroom for some of the program’s crafting sessions, teaching soon-to-be-lost arts like embroidery or Native American ribbon skirt making.

“There are some classes that are just very conducive for this facility, and it's gorgeous,” she said, having just laid out supplies for the next class. “The arts is one way that you get to know each other. It's one way you get to share the different cultures, and it just builds a lot of friendships that way.”

Davis and his team continue to look for additional ways to foster connections into the future. They hope to add docks to create river access, so that skaters on the popular Riverbend Skate Path can stop by for hot cocoa or a moment by the fireplace.

As impressive and sophisticated as the building is, it’s impossible to deny the air of warmth and welcoming. It’s a space for everyone.

“It's not just for the community of Warroad. It’s for the region,” Davis said. “I've always been a big believer in promoting communities through arts and culture. It's a great way to drive people to come to regions and areas. It's good for economic development – the arts are economic engines. When you have a regional draw like this, it can be used as a tool to attract people to a community.”

The beat goes on

The public reception for Grapentine’s exhibit was a triumph, with the crowd swelling to shoulder- to-shoulder capacity at times. Soon, some visitors made their way into the performance hall for that evening’s concert. It was Warroad RiverPlace’s first ticketed show – a sellout for the Minnesota band Adessa & The Beat.

“This place is incredible! Oh my gosh,” gushed lead vocalist Adessa Cournoyer from the stage, as  the 300-plus audience applauded the band’s opening number.

Grapentine’s art will hang in the gallery until the middle of May, allowing hundreds more to see how she uses color and flow to create scenes of joy, memory and honor. She hopes a piece will inspire someone, just as this community has inspired her.

“Warroad has just accepted me and my family with open arms, and they've allowed me to contribute through my art and creating. So, this space here,” Grapentine said, taking in her surroundings, “what a wonderful opportunity for the area.”

If you’d like to learn more about Warroad RiverPlace and see a full list of events, please visit warroadriverplace.org. To access Shawna Grapentine's art, visit moonandbackcustomarts.com.

MAIN IMAGE: Artist Shawna Grapentine discusses her work with guests visiting her Warroad RiverPlace reception. (Minnkota/Jennifer Erickson)