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ICEBOX GALLERY PRESENTS:

To Mom and Dad

To Mom and Dad / Mail Art 1977 - 2012 Gregory T. Ochs Exhibit features small personal mixed media artworks by Gregory T. Ochs sent as greeting cards to his parents over a period of 35 years.

Icebox Gallery presents an unexpected exhibition of personal artworks that had never planned to be publicly displayed until gallery owner Howard Christopherson saw the collection. The story of this unlikely exhibit is even more fascinating in this new age of electronic communications, cell phones, e-invites and fewer and fewer people using the mail to send hand made paper cards and letters.

LINK TO EXHIBIT

Recently Gregs mother Nan passed away. It had been several years since his father, Larry, had died. Greg and his sister Kate sorted out his mothers material things. It was at this time that Greg found that his mother had kept all of his cards carefully filed away in one box. Greg never thought he would see the cards again. It was at this time that Howard Christopherson, Icebox Gallery owner, saw them decided to present them in an exhibit. This came as a pleasant surprise to the artist Greg Ochs. The exhibit is meant to bring to light a personal collection of artwork created without the intent to sell or market them. The cards are personal communications and beautiful expressions of love.

Greg has offered the collection to be sold at modest prices with any profits from sales donated to the Icebox Highway 12 Road Trip Photography Workshop. Greg is the cook for the workshops that happen on two weekends each summer. Greg began collecting post cards when his Grand Father gave him his first album in 1958. Greg has a large post card collection that has grown and evolved ever since. He eventually inherited his grandfathers collection.

In 1973 Greg was in his senior year at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota when he began to send drawings, paintings and collage pieces as personal greeting cards to his family and friends. In 1973 Greg joined the Dominicans, a Roman Catholic religious order, and studied in Dubuque, Iowa. In 1978 he decided not to take his final vows (lifetime commitment to the Dominicans) and soon moved to Minneapolis and began his career in the arts in 1979.

Gregory T. Ochs has exhibited in several exhibits at Icebox including the first exhibit Crystallized Phantoms and his 1992 solo exhibit Anasasi Ladders and Windows. Greg began making larger mix media pieces and pastel drawings. Greg eventually moved out of his spacious live in studio space in Lowertown St. Paul and moved into a modest two-bedroom apartment. Gregs art was compressed to a smaller size at that time. At this point Gregs artwork became focused on cards and personal mail art pieces. For many years Greg has made small editions of hand made cards sent to his friends and relatives.

OPENING Saturday, February 8, 2014 8:00 ~ 11:00 pm / Artist will be present.

Attention Art Collectors: Each artwork in this exhibit is specialy priced at only $100.00 Incl. mat / unframed. The profits from sales will benifit the Highway 12 Road Trip Photography Workshop.
Greg is the cook for each workshop. This special offer ends when the exhibit ends. Sorry no presale of art. All sales, including phone sales, begin at 8:00 pm Saturday, February 8, 2014.

LINK TO EXHIBIT

Exhibit Closes April 12, 2014