During this season of gratitude and giving, The Arts Partnership is honoring artists and thanking local art supporters with “Commitment: 14 Years of Artistic Vision,” a pop-up gallery exhibition now open through Jan. 11, 2026 at West Acres shopping center in Fargo.
Each artist on display is the recipient of a TAP Individual Artist grant, made possible by donor-driven funding dedicated to local artists, according to TAP Executive Director Tania Blanich.
“Commitment” spans two areas of West Acres, one in a storefront near JC Penney, and another in a large display outside of Von Maur, giving mall-goers a chance to view and interact with the art as they pass by or take a breather.
For shoppers who see something that catches their eyes, some art is for sale and contact information on individual artists is available in the galleries. Blanich recommends individuals reach out to the artists for more information or contact The Arts Partnership.
“It’s kind of fun that at the mall you can view the paintings, photography, ceramics, jewelry and writing of more than 40 local artists,” said TAP Program Manager Christina Johnson, who spent weeks working with Blanich and grantee artists on curating, designing and assembling the exhibition. “Each artist on display has had their careers enhanced because donors showed up and believed in them. As a fellow artist, I know that can make all the difference.”
Contributed / Dennis Krull
Artists transforming communities
But the real heart of the exhibition is being able to showcase local artistic talent and recognize the critical importance of community support in growing that talent.
“You might not know it, but some of your neighbors are in the FM Symphony. A coworker could be a ceramic artist. Some of your church pals are poets,” Blanich said, adding that Individual Artist grantees not only use the money to build their art practice, but to enhance community strength and connection as well.
“These are also the people beautifying our public spaces, bringing art therapy to those in need and making differences in ways that aren’t always seen, heard or celebrated,” she said.
Contributed / Annie Hough
Being seen, heard and celebrated is what Moorhead playwright Annie Hough is all about.
The children’s playwright and disabilities advocate received a $2,500 Individual Artist grant to fund her summer 2025 production of “River Adventures,” offering the performances to audiences in a fully ADA-compliant space, for free, and with ASL interpretation and audio descriptions.
Because Hough doesn’t charge admission fees, costs for creating and producing plays all come out of her own pocket. So when plans for “River Adventures” began unfolding in 2024, Hough needed to find a way to pay.
“Scripts, programs, marketing and ASL interpretation of the play were things I needed,” Hough said. “I went scrambling for funding,” Hough said.
Fortunately, the timing was perfect. She was able to apply for an Individual Artist grant just in time for the 2025 season — and with great success.
Hough said she’s always grateful for the funding, and the validation that her community is willing to show up to support her work.
Contributed / Dennis Krull
“Artists don’t always advocate for themselves, and it’s not something they’re necessarily encouraged or taught to do,” Blanich said. “We want to help them see the promise inside of themselves. That’s what an Individual Artist grant can do.”
Blanich said creating access where it didn’t exist before resonates immensely for families, particularly those who have children with special needs.
Hough’s grant was also supported in part by the Susie Yakowicz Creative Arts Scholarship Fund, which partners with The Arts Partnership to support one artist each year.
If the difference donors have on artists through the Individual Artist grants isn’t seen, then it’s felt. Blanich said former grantees often show up years later to thank TAP, though the gratitude really goes to those who saw the need and filled it.
“I get emails, notes, letters and calls from grantees all the time saying things like ‘that money came to me at just the right time,’ or ‘this opened doors,’,” Blanich said. “This is our community making a difference in a very special way.”
Contributed / Carlos Roybal
Carlos Roybal, a digital illustrator who is participating in TAP’s Artist of Color Cohort, is grateful not only for the financial support but also the opportunity for his work to stand next to other grantees in the exhibition.
“Seeing my work hanging alongside the works of a lot of people I have looked up to during my young artistic career is really a surreal experience,” Roybal said. “I started my artistic journey maybe four years ago when I decided to go to NDSU and a lot of the names in this show have been incredibly supportive friends and mentors that I have made along the way. A show like this was a full circle moment for me.”
While Blanich celebrates and thanks artists and donors, she also hopes the community sees the value in supporting individual artists throughout the community with funding that “can and often does change the course of artists’ careers,” she said.
‘Commitment’ featured artists
- Kenneth Andersen
- Brad Bachmeier
- LesleyAnne Buegel
- Donald Clark
- Dayna Del Val
- Oscar DeLeon
- Ellen Jean Diederich
- Meghan Duda
- Sewit Eskinder
- Tara Fermoyle
- Tylar Frame
- LexX Francis
- Zhimin Guan
- Annie Hough
- Kary Janousek
- Anna Johnson
- Eric A. Johnson
- Jill Johnson
- Whitney Johnson
- Anne Kaese
- Warren Kessler
- Jeff Knight
- Dan Koeck Photography
- Dennis Krull
- Ashley Kunz
- Tim Lamey
- Zeapoe Matalda
- Cynthia McGuire Thiel
- Alicia Underlee Nelson
- Jen Nelson
- Karena Ness
- Jon Offutt
- W. Scott Olsen
- Chris Orth
- Maranda Pederse
- Carlos Roybal
- Scott Seiler
- Jon Solinger
- Meg Spielman
- J. Malcolm Thompson
- Emily Vieweg
- Anna Wang
- Laura Youngbird
- Josh Zeis
- Tobias Zikmund
This article is part of a content partnership with The Arts Partnership, a nonprofit organization cultivating the arts in Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. For more information, visit
