Saint Mary's Newsroom

WINONA, Minn. — Throughout March, Youth Art Month, the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) has filled the walls of the Valéncia Arts Center at 1164 W. Howard St. with Minnesota winners of the 2019 MN PTA Reflections arts program. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 are displaying artwork for the show titled “Heroes Around Us.”

For 50 years, the National PTA Reflections arts program has encouraged students across the nation to explore their artistic talents. PTA Reflections is designed to promote cultural arts in schools, encouraging students to create works of art in photography, literature, visual arts, music, dance, film, and special artist categories.

Out of hundreds of entries from throughout the state, 37 winners were selected. Eight winning entries from Winona include:

• Winona Middle School students Adele Jacobsen (Outstanding Interpretation in Visual Arts), Clay Cottrel and Lacey Kimmerle (Awards of Merit in Visual Arts);
• Washington-Kosciusko Elementary students Cael Hoarn (Outstanding Interpretation in Photography), Annie Colon (Award of Merit in Literature), Lindsey Langowski, and Kali Thompson (Awards of Merit in Visual Arts); and
• North Star Unit student Seamus Schwaba (Outstanding Interpretation in Literature).

Outstanding Interpretation entries have advanced to the National PTA competition in Alexandria, Va., for national level judging which is currently underway. The Minnesota PTA Reflections arts program is chaired by Lori Ortega of Winona.

This gallery exhibit is free and open to the public throughout March during office hours and while classes are in session. For more information about the National PTA Reflections program and Minnesota PTA, visit mnpta.org. Learn more about MCA at mca.smumn.edu.

Photo caption: Artwork of Adele Jacobson, seventh-grader from Winona, Minn., who was awarded first place in Outstanding Interpretation in Visual Arts and is going on to compete at the national level.

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University will host national award-winning mental health speaker and country singer Jason DeShaw on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in its Page Theatre.

For more than a decade, DeShaw has been performing across North America and Europe. The Montana native has released five albums and shared the stage with national country music acts including The Oakridge Boys and Little Big Town.

In 2010, doctors diagnosed DeShaw with bipolar disorder and alcoholism. As he began to recover, he became an advocate for mental health by combining his story and songs into a presentation titled “Serenity in the Storm.” Since 2013, he has presented in theatres, schools, and psychiatric hospitals across the nation.

DeShaw received the 2014 Champions Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an award that recognizes an individual with a mental illness who reduces stigma by “exhibiting courage, leadership, and service on behalf of people with mental illness.” in 2017, DeShaw presented his program to clinicians and researchers at Harvard’s McLean Hospital.

The community is invited to this free performance. No tickets or registration are necessary. Learn more about DeShaw at jasondeshaw.com.

Photo by Joy Novota

WINONA, Minn. — The Page Series at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will present a week-long residency with orchestral indie-rock band We Are The Willows on March 25-30 at locations throughout Winona. The residency culminates in a performance at the Page Theatre on Saturday, March 30, at 7:30 p.m.

We Are The Willows is a Minneapolis-based orchestral indie rock band featuring songwriter/frontman Peter Miller’s unique countertenor voice and guitar, supported by Jeremiah Satterthwaite (guitar/banjo), Leah Ottman (violin/voice/keys), Hilary James (cello/voice/keys), Travis Collins (bass), and Stephen Lindquist (drums/voice). We Are The Willows crafts dynamic, intimate songs with instruments and voices combining to create energetic rhythms, intricate melodies, and heartfelt arrangements that evoke shared nostalgic feelings of love and loss.

After performing at Twin Cities clubs and festivals like Mid West Music Fest, We Are The Willows has expanded the scale of their touring and residency work and will bring their concept album, “Picture/Portrait,” to the Page Theatre stage. Inspired by 350 letters written by Miller’s grandparents during World War II, “Picture/Portrait” explores themes of family, separation, life, death, and identity. The songs communicate complex ideas delivered with nostalgic, pop-sensible charm. Throughout the performance, images will illustrate Miller’s family stories. About the album, Andrea Swensson of “The Current” said, “ … in the hands of Miller, already and accomplished songwriter and vocalist, it becomes a story not just about his grandparents but about anyone who has ever been pushed down into the darkness and pulled out again.”

In the week leading up to the performance, the Page Series will offer free workshops, artist talks, and pop-up concerts with We Are The Willows:

• Rhythm and Muse Workshop: This three-part workshop invites Winona Friendship Center members to explore their own family histories and discuss creative processes, develop creative habits and practices, and explore songwriting and storytelling together. (March 26 and 27 from noon to 2 p.m. and March 29 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Valéncia Arts Center. To register, call 507-454-5212.)
• A Page in History: Miller will discuss the process of creating “Picture/Portrait,” and Winona County Historical Society staff will give an introduction to preserving family archives. (March 27 at 3 p.m. at the Winona County History Center.)
• Music Industry Panel: Representatives of We Are The Willows and Treedome Productions discuss album creation, recording, and navigating the music industry. (March 27 at 5:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall, Saint Mary’s Performance Center.)
• Artist Talk: We Are The Willows will discuss their music and creative process and offer a sneak peek of their March 30 concert. (March 28 at 12:10 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall, Saint Mary’s Performance Center.)
  Homeschool Music Workshop: A songwriting and music-making workshop for members of the Winona area homeschool community. (March 29 at 1 p.m. at the Valéncia Arts Center. To register, visit pagetheatre.org.)
• Willows Around Winona: Band members will offer short, pop-up performances as a preview to their March 30 performance.
  • Winona Public Library: March 25 at 4 p.m.
  • Senior Living at Watkins: March 26 at 5:15 p.m.
  • Blue Heron Coffeehouse: March 28 at 6:30 p.m.
  • Island City Brewing Company: March 29 at 5:30 p.m.
  • Winona Farmers Market: March 30 at 10 a.m.

To learn more about residency activities, visit pagetheatre.org. Tickets to the March 30 concert are $15 for the general public and $12 for youth ages 17 and younger. Tickets can be ordered online at pagetheatre.org, or by calling the Saint Mary’s Performance Center box office at 507-457-1715 (noon-6 p.m., weekdays).

About the Page Series

Now in its 32nd annual season, the Page Series connects professional performing artists from around the globe with thousands of Winonans each year. With events at the Joseph Page Theatre on the campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, as well as at locations across the Winona community, the Page Series offers dance, music, and theatre performances, workshops, classes, and more that inspire, uplift, educate, and invite community members to discover the relevance of the arts in their daily lives.

Page Series community programs are made possible, in part, through grants from the Xcel Energy Foundation and the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. We Are The Willows residency is made possible through a Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Tour grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will host an open house information session for adults who want to learn more about the university’s many graduate and professional school program options. The event, which is free and open to the public, is happening Monday, April 1, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Saint Mary’s Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow.

All are invited to attend, especially individuals who are interested in pursuing a Saint Mary’s program offered in Rochester or online, which includes a variety of bachelor’s completion and advanced-degree options.

Saint Mary’s offers more than 60 programs for adults through its Schools of Business and Technology, Education, and Health and Human Services. For a list of bachelor’s completion, master’s, graduate certificate, specialist, and doctoral degrees offered, visit smumn.edu/academics.

For more information on open houses or programs offered at Saint Mary’s, call 507-285-1410, email rochester@smumn.edu, or visit smumn.edu/admission.

WINONA, Minn. — In celebration of its heritage, Saint Mary’s University presented awards to the leader of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, as well as one faculty member, one staff member, and two outstanding seniors at its annual Founders’ Day celebration March 12 on the Winona Campus.

Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, Superior General of the De La Salle Christian Brothers received an honorary doctorate of educational leadership. In his position, Brother Robert leads the largest order of religious Brothers in the Church dedicated to education. The honorary doctorate recognizes Brother Robert’s dedication to the Lasallian charism, especially his service to the poor and his commitment to education. Prior to being named Superior General in 2014, Brother Robert served as General Councilor for the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). He also served as a trustee for Saint Mary’s University from 2011-2014. Brother Robert has said his mission is to “inspire the Brothers and all members of the worldwide Lasallian family to create and sustain communities of human and Christian education, especially for vulnerable young people who live on the margins of contemporary society.”

Dr. Tricia Klosky, Criminal Justice coordinator and department chair and associate professor in Social Science, received the Brother Charles H. Severin, FSC, Award. Given by the university every other year, this award is bestowed on a faculty member who demonstrates sustained excellence in teaching, contributes to the university outside of the classroom, builds community by serving as a model of the Lasallian spirit, and is a creative, passionate, and inspiring teacher. Dr. Klosky, who has taught at Saint Mary’s for 17 years, has successfully grown the Criminal Justice major and demonstrates her commitment to students both inside and outside of the classroom.

Alisa Macksey, executive director of the First Generation Initiative, received the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award. Presented each year, the award recognizes a member of the faculty, staff, or administration whose life of faith and service exemplifies the ideals of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The award is given by Lasallian institutions like Saint Mary’s in the Lasallian Region of North America of the De La Salle Christian Brothers to honor contributions and commitment to the Lasallian mission of education. Macksey has worked in various roles within the Lasallian network since 2000 and has led the First Generation Initiative at Saint Mary’s since 2015. She also has been instrumental in developing the AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education and the International Symposium on Lasallian Research.

Max Champa and Bailey O’Hare were named this year’s Outstanding Male and Female Seniors. Outstanding Seniors have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, service to colleagues and the university community, as well as genuine concern for the needs of others. Champa, son of Bill and Marykaye Champa of Bloomington, Minn., is a business intelligence and analytics major. O’Hare, daughter of Tim and Brenda O’Hare of Rushford, Minn., is a biology major. Other Outstanding Senior nominees included: males: Aldontae Guess, Zechariah Kitzhaber, Bailey Melz, and Nathan Young; females: Tatiana Jones, Marissa Kinzer, Erin McCoy, and Laura Sonday.

See more photos from the day at smumn.edu/founders2019.

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University has surpassed its goal of raising $20,000 for this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit recipient Joseph Row of Winona.

Joseph is the 11-year-old son of Darren Row who teaches in the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Department of Saint Mary’s University. Darren and his wife, Jill (Arens) Row are also alumni of Saint Mary’s (Darren obtaining a bachelor’s degree in 1999 and a master’s degree in 2000, and Jill earning her bachelor’s degree in 1999).

Joseph was diagnosed with leukemia in July 2018 and faces a three-year course of treatments. Proceeds from the dance — and a silent auction — are assisting the Row family with medical expenses and travel costs.

A student committee transformed the venue into “Super Joseph’s World.” The Hall of Fame Room in the Toner Student Center was transformed into the Mushroom Kingdom, complete with a Mario Kart photo booth and video game stations.

The dance, which was open to the public, took place on March 9 and featured music by the Johnny Holm Band. A silent auction was held on campus March 7 and 9 and included a variety of homemade goods, gift baskets, and specialty items.

The benefit has become an annual student tradition since its start in 2001 in honor of Taylor Richmond, son of Saint Mary’s staff member Nikki Richmond. Each year this event benefits someone in need who has ties to the university community. For more photos, go to smumn.edu/trbenefit19.

Photo caption: Joseph Row, this year’s Taylor Richmond Benefit recipient at Saint Mary’s, was able to attend to enjoy Super Joseph’s World.