Tamsie Ringler 

About

Tamsie Ringler’s MAEP exhibition explores the duality of the still life, the venerable art genre that celebrates pleasure even as it warns about the brevity of life. In traditional still-life paintings, human-made or natural objects are placed in a composed space, preserving them for time immemorial. Ringler’s compositions place familiar objects (a car, a canoe, a buffet) alongside natural forms rematerialized, like the Mississippi watershed cast in iron, to form a sculptural still life in the gallery. Placed within the context of the museum, Ringler’s exhibition speaks to the human need to preserve objects, protect moments of fragility, and illustrate our deepest potential for compassion.

Ringler’s artistic practice focuses on landscape sculpture and public art installations that engage environmental awareness. She studied at the University of Wisconsin and received her MFA from the University of Texas, Austin. She teaches at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities and serves on the board of directors of Franconia Sculpture Park. Recent exhibitions include Bascom Art Center, Highlands, North Carolina; Pedvale Open-Air Art Museum, Latvia; and the Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis. Ringler is a recipient of the 2017 McKnight Fellowship.