Pieper Bloomquist Art Exhibition Opens at ND Heritage Center & State Museum

BISMARCK, N.D. – "Fantastical Flourishes: The Folk Art of Pieper Bloomquist," a new exhibition at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, features the artworks of the Grand Forks artist.

In 2023, Bloomquist received a Governor’s Award for the Arts. The award celebrated her achievements telling contemporary stories using three traditional Scandinavian artforms: rosemaling, dalmålning, and bonadsmålning. She began exploring these decorative styles in 1993. 

Drawing on the imagery of folk art, Bloomquist renders a fanciful modern world using traditional materials such as linen/jute canvas, homemade gesso primer (made of eggs, flour, chalk, and sometimes animal glue), and egg tempera paint. Her artworks are inspired by family traditions, her experiences as an oncology nurse, rural life in the Upper Midwest, and current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bloomquist is represented in several galleries and is an instructor at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota, and at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. In 2022, she was profiled in the PBS “Postcards” series and in “Prairie Mosaics.” 

"Fantastical Flourishes: The Folk Art of Pieper Bloomquist" will be on exhibit through November 2024. The ND Heritage Center & State Museum is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. Find upcoming events at history.nd.gov/events.