Artist Talk & Exhibition Reception
Friday, May 8th, 2026 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Walter Piehl’s work occupies a distinctive place in contemporary American art, shaped by three interwoven foundations: the discipline of the studio, deep engagement with regional history, and a long career as an educator. Across six decades, he has developed a visual language that merges gestural abstraction with rodeo imagery and Americana, situating the lived experience of the Northern Plains within broader conversations about regional identity, modernist painting, and the mythology of the American West.

About this Exhibition:

Presented by the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in partnership with the Northwest Arts Center at Minot State University, North Dakota, this exhibition brings together for the first time an immersive and expansive selection of Piehl’s paintings, drawings, prints, and collages across three galleries. Co-curated by Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at Paris Gibson Square, and Gregory Vettel, Director of the Northwest Arts Center, the exhibition draws from the Minot State University collection, Northern Plains Heritage Foundation collection, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, and private and artist holdings — offering a rare opportunity to encounter the breadth of Piehl’s artistic practice.

About the Artist:

Born in 1942 in Marion, North Dakota, Piehl grew up on a farm without running water, where wind-powered electricity illuminated daily life. In the 1960s, his father transitioned into rodeo production, introducing Piehl to the arena that would become central to his artistic vision. For more than forty years, Piehl worked as a “crow’s nest” announcer, observing the explosive motion of riders, horses, and bulls from above. This elevated vantage-point shaped how he would later translate the dynamism of the rodeo into paint.

Piehl’s paintings pulse with the motion and drama of the arena; bucking horses, twisting bulls, spinning ropes, are rendered through expressive brushwork and sweeping marks. Influenced by modernist painters such as Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, and Larry Rivers, he transforms rodeo action into gestural abstraction: arcs, diagonals, and layered fields of color that capture movement as both physical and emotional force. His studio, filled with photographs, rodeo memorabilia, maps, and music, functions as both workspace and laboratory where ideas are continually tested, revised, and reimagined.

America 250 — The Northern Great Plains

History plays a central role in Piehl’s work. For decades he has researched the Missouri River region and the settlement history of the Northern Plains, often incorporating archival photographs, maps, and printed materials directly into his compositions. These layered elements connect personal memory with broader cultural narratives. This engagement with place reached a significant milestone in 2015 with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area Art Suite, commissioned to explore genesis locus — the concept of origin and place — positioning the Plains as both geographic terrain and cultural landscape.

The exhibition also resonates with a broader historical moment. In 2026, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the country — and here in Montana — this event invites reflection on the nation’s history and the many stories that shape it. The America 250 Commission has set a goal of fostering civic engagement while expanding awareness of United States history, including the histories of Tribal nations. Within this context, Piehl’s work offers a powerful regional perspective on American identity rooted in the landscapes, cultures, communities, and traditions of the Northern Great Plains, comprised of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and extending into Canada.

Artist & Educator

Many of Piehl’s most recognized bodies of work emerge through thematic series that blend lived experience with symbolism and myth. In series (suites) such as Roping Fool, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Killer Heart, and American Minotaur, the gestures of rodeo performance evolve into metaphors for risk, ritual, and transformation. Human and animal forms merge within dynamic compositions that evoke both the immediacy of the arena and deeper mythological resonance. In contrast, the Cowgirl Suite celebrates the women of the West, reflecting Piehl’s commitment to equitable representation and expanding the narrative of western identity.

Equally significant is Piehl’s legacy as an educator. Over 47 years at Minot State University, he mentored generations of students, encouraging persistence, experimentation, and a deep engagement with place. His teaching extended his influence well beyond his own studio practice, helping to shape a vibrant regional artistic community while reinforcing the values that underpin his work.

Together, studio, history, teaching, and arena form the foundation of Piehl’s art. His layered, gestural paintings capture the rhythm of the rodeo, the depth of regional history, and the imaginative possibilities of the Northern Plains. In a moment when the nation is reflecting on its past and future, Piehl’s work reminds us that the story of America is not singular but regional, evolving, and deeply connected to the people and landscapes that shape it.

— Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator/Director of Curatorial Affairs

This exhibition is co-curated by Nicole Maria Evans, Chief Curator/Director of Curatorial Affairs at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) and Gregory Vettel, Director of the Northwest Arts Center at Minot State University. Exhibitions presented by The Square are supported in part by the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Square is funded in part by coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s cultural and aesthetic projects trust fund. Created in partnership with Northwest Arts Center- Minot State University and the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation. Collaboration and support from Prairie Public Television in North Dakota.

America 250 exhibition sponsors Steve L’Heureux & Carol Bradley and Gaines & Beth McFadden. Special thank you to featured artist Walter Piehl, Jr., celebrated cowboy poet Paul Zarzyski, and Elizabeth Dear. Additional funding or support is provided by museum members and the citizens of Cascade County, Davidson Family Foundation, D.A. Davidson, Montana Credit Union, Hotel Arvon, First Interstate Bank, an anonymous donor, and Kelly’s Signs & Design.