In her first solo exhibition at St. Kate’s, Assistant Professor Bethany C. Rahn relies on her background in design, print, fibers, photography and digital fabrication to explore the iconography of higher-education and its role in telling our national story of student loan debt. Rahn invites viewers to participate in the exhibition via her Inducted Survey.

Artist Talk and Performance: Wednesday, October 18, 6:30pm (Free and open to the public. For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations, please email nmwatson@stkate.edu by October 11.)

Crowdfunding 50/50 Raffle Tickets: Exhibition viewers are invited to purchase 50/50 raffle tickets for a chance to win half of the money raised to go towards their student loan debt. The remaining money will go towards the artist's student loan debt. If you do not have student loan debt and would like to raise the money for someone that does, please enter their information on the ticket. Tickets are $25 each, and may be purchased in person in the gallery, or online here. For tickets purchased online, please Venmo payment to @BethanyRahn.

Educator & Visitor Guide: This guide is designed as a resource for all visitors, especially college educators and their students, who are eager to engage meaningfully with the artwork on view in the gallery. The content in this guide offers a range of learning opportunities and styles, with the goals of building observational skills, encouraging dialogue, cultivating critical thinking and personal reflection, and ultimately, appreciating art as a form of learning, understanding, and creating a pathway for building empathy, relationships and community at St. Kate’s and beyond.

As a designer, my work focuses on the role design plays within our society. Design has the power to move individuals emotionally and cause reflective thinking while serving as a cultural artifact. My practice is driven by research and process that utilizes different media—print, fibers, photography, and digital fabrication—to communicate the concept. Much of my work draws on ideas of identity, mortality, and social constructs, bringing vulnerable topics to a public space of viewing. 

As the pandemic-era pause on student loan payments comes to an end, Inducted highlights the morally laced publicity that is often associated with acquiring educational debt. Pennants and banners serve as celebratory emblems that question the narrative of higher education as a guaranteed pathway to future success and growth. I question the value and burden we place on merit-based achievements, along with the societal pressures associated with educational pursuits. The role technology plays in obtaining success is integrated throughout this body of work. 
 

Bethany C. Rahn is an artist, designer, and educator originally from Madison, WI. Her interdisciplinary approach to design often explores concepts of identity and addresses concerns within our contemporary society. 

Rahn received her MFA from Indiana University in Graphic Design. Her work has been shown in various group and solo exhibitions across the United States. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Art and Art History Department at St. Catherine University and teaches letterpress workshops at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. 
 

This exhibition is part of Twin Cities Art Week, a celebration of the vibrant local contemporary art scene in 24 venues across Minneapolis and St. Paul. From September 27 – October 1, the Twin Cities Art Week will offer a full calendar of events including a gallery crawl, live performances, exhibition walkthroughs, film screenings, artist talks, parties and more. Spearheaded by Dreamsong, the participants of Twin Cities Art Week include major institutions, small non-profit spaces, commercial galleries, artist-run spaces and university galleries dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art.

Twin Cities Art Week Events at St. Catherine University
St. Kate's Evening with the Arts: Saturday, September 30
6:00-8:30 PM
The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery and The O'Shaughnessy
SOCIAL HOUR (6-7pm) + PERFORMANCE (7:30-8:30pm)
 
Join St. Kate's for an evening of visual and performance art across campus! See our current exhibitions by Carol Lee Chase and Bethany C. Rahn during a social hour in the gallery (free), followed by Classical Uprising: The [UNCERTAIN] Four Seasons at The O'Shaughnessy (TICKETS $5 to $33). Attend both the social hour and performance, and receive a coupon for a free n/a drink or snack at the performance.