Art spotlight: McKnight Fellowship winners

Opening Friday: Grants from the McKnight Foundation enable artists to pursue new projects, experiment with new materials, research ideas or just devote attention to their art rather than to earning a living. So kudos to the foundation for enabling four visual artists and seven ceramicists to produce the work featured in new shows at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) and the Northern Clay Center (NCC). The MCAD exhibitors are Christine Baeumler, Liz Miller, Elizabeth Simonson and Marcus Young, who got 2011-12 grants. The Clay Center's 2011 grant-winning exhibitors are Gerard Justin Ferrari and Mika Negishi Laidlaw, whose pillow-like sculpture is shown here. Additional support from the foundation enabled five artists -- William Cravis, Rina Hongo, Naoto Nakada, Kevin Snipes and David Allyn -- to use the clay center's kilns and studios during three-month residencies in 2010 and 2011. Their work also will be on view. (6:30-8:30 p.m. Fri., opening at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2501 Stevens Av. S., Mpls. Ends Aug. 17, free, 612-874-3700 or www.mcad.edu. 6-8 p.m. Fri., opening at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Av. E., Mpls. Ends Aug. 26, free, 612-339-8007 or www.northernclaycenter.org.) MARY ABBE