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Jaques Art Center Honors Distinguished MN Artist

The artist Francis Lee Jaques (1887-1969), who as a youth lived in Aitkin, holds a unique place in art and museum history. His large-scale landscape and wildlife paintings, gracing dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis, are considered to be among the finest ever created.

Today, visitors to Aitkin can explore the Jaques Art Center housed in a former Carnegie Library. One gallery exhibits original art by Francis Lee Jaques, and another hosts diverse art exhibits.

The Center holds classes on paper marbling, mosaic, photography, weaving, and painting for adults and youth. A gift shop offers prints and published works by and about Francis Lee Jaques, as well as unique handcrafted items by over 90 local and regional artists. The Jaques Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free; some workshop and class fees apply.

List Minnesota art museums:

• Central Minnesota
• Minneapolis / St Paul
• Northeast Minnesota
• Northwest Minnesota
• Southern Minnesota