Artists recall 911 and the decade of wars it launched

Photo by Minneapolis artist Laura Crosby will be shown in "Deceptive Distance" at St. Paul's College of Visual Arts

The destruction of New York's World Trade towers 10 years ago sparked a decade of wars, broadly against the international threat of terrorism, and specifically in Iraq and Afghanistan. While the battlefields are far from the Midwest, artists here have responded with two exhibitions.

"Deceptive Distance" sponsored by St. Paul's College of Visual Arts, features war-themed photos, paintings, sculpture and installations by six Twin Cities women. Participants are: Harriet Bart, Laura Crosby, Vesna Kittelson, Ana Lois-Borzi, Megan Nozik Rye and Megan Vossler. (Opening reception 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.; panel discussion, 7 p.m., Sept. 15, free. Temporary College of Visual Art gallery located in Lower Level, Blair Arcade, 165 Western Av. N., St. Paul. Exhibition ends Oct. 16, free. 651-757-4080 or www.cva.edu)

"No Glory," showcases work by 13 international artists who focus on the "material and human costs of war," in photos, installations, paintings and other work. The show's title comes from writer Jay Wenk, a WWII veteran, who observed about way, "There's horror enough. No glory." It grew out of a 2010 residency at Blue Mountain Center in the Adirondacks during which a group of artists formulated 10 Years + Counting, an organization for creative response to the country's ongoing wars. See http:www.10yearsandcounting.org/ for details.