Artists at Pine Needles Gallery

Temporary exhibit | Level 4

Minnesota’s landscapes inspire art and science

Each year at the Pine Needles cabin on the St. Croix Watershed Research Station property, painters, writers, photographers, and artists explore where art and science meet in Minnesota’s environments.

Their work reveals new perspectives of familiar landscapes — the curving patterns of a river, flowing grasses in the wind, and even the glimmering sheen of a freshwater mollusk. Through words, pictures, and other mediums, the artists-in-residence tell stories of Minnesota’s changing landscapes, share their views with scientists to inspire new ways of thinking, and connect with local communities who share the same environment.

Currently on display

Take in a kaleidoscopic collection of art from 14 former Pine Needles creators, handpicked by their scientist peers who share in the beauty and dynamism that exist on the banks of one of the Mississippi River’s mightiest tributaries. 

For this year’s gallery, St. Croix Watershed Research Station staff and scientists selected pieces that drew their gazes and spoke to their understandings of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Posters, photographs, prints, and other works come together to create a landscape nearly as diverse and captivating as their subject in this temporary installation.