Global/Local

Vesna Kittelson paints bright, bold, optimistic portraits that defy the traditional rules of portraiture, but despite the cheer in her paintings, she has insights into the dark side of human nature generally and the dark side of immigration in the United States more specifically. Her view of immigration is not only dark, though—it is also lively and cheerful, as one can see in her Young Americans series of paintings, which appropriately includes the confident faces of ethnicities from all over the world. Her work is on display at Form + Content gallery along with sculpture that, in contrast with the bright color of her images, expresses her vision of a chaotic world.

Meghan had dreamed of studying abroad in Spain. But she never dreamed she would get an entirely different type of education serving two tours of duty in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard.

Lack of peace has affected the lives of my family and friends. My friend and colleague Adar Kahin had tears in her eyes when I asked about the civil war in Somalia. She described a time before the war when she "was young and famous;" in her perspective the world was the perfect world to live in. When the war began in Somalia, her world was turned upside down, with a separation from friends and family. It was the most obvious manifestation of a lack of peace for her. Kahin talked about her unbearable pain in the last 23 years. She had gone to Kenya as a refugee, and it had taken more than 20 years to reconnect with some of her family who had fled to different countries fearing for their lives.