Isder named Gallery Director at A Piece of Work, Inc.

A Piece of Work, Inc. announced the hiring of a new staff member to their Emporium of Original Art.

Haley Isder, a local Minnesota artist, has been hired as the Gallery Director. She will be the new face and driving force of the gallery, located at 1619 Hill Avenue in Spirit Lake. Duties of the Gallery Director include sales and recruiting new member artists for exhibition. Isder will also be responsible for creating and coordinating promotions, special activities and events at the gallery.

"Art has always been a part of my life," she said. "And now I have an opportunity to begin a career where I can use that interest to benefit both the gallery and its customers. Of course I'm excited."

Isder's work has been featured in multiple art shows throughout southern and central Minnesota, and has won awards in multiple juried art shows in 2005, 2006, and in 2009. She recently had a solo show displayed at the Nobles County Art Center in Worthington, Minn.

"It all started with my crayons in kindergarten, I suppose," said Isder, whose work as an artist originated with drawing cartoons.

She began art school expecting to stick with her drawings of anthropomorphic characters, but through various classes like printmaking and life-drawing, she discovered a talent for so much more. "It really opened my eyes, expanded my world ... just like art is supposed to."

It took about a year at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for her to realize her true calling was in the realm of photography.

"My work is still evolving," she said. "But from spending hours manipulating photos digitally to getting elbow deep in darkroom chemicals, photography is really what I am passionate about."

Her work will be on display at A Piece of Work, Inc. during the month of February in the gallery's Exhibition Cove.

"The motivation behind the technical treatment of my artwork is a drive for quiet extremes," she said. "It surfaces in many different ways, from extremely dramatic lighting to my extreme close-ups, or even in my extremely long -- more than 10 inches -- panoramic photographs."

The subject matter of her work, however, is much more homegrown.

"Because I wasn't born and raised in the Midwest," she said, " 'Normal' things seem exotic to me. In my photographs, I try to point out how incredible everyday life can be. I want to capture my images in such a way that they will evoke emotions like nostalgia, pleasure, intrigue and awe. My wish is that everyone could see the world like I do when I am creating my artwork. It's like a fantasy-land where tiny objects can be seen as giants, you can view a full 360 degrees without having to turn around, and broken books are really treasure." The reception will be held at A Piece of Work, Inc. on February 12 , from 5:30-7:30 p.m., with the Artist's Talk at 6 p.m.

The public is encouraged to stop by the gallery at 1619 Hill Avenue, in Spirit Lake, to welcome Haley to the family and also to browse the wonderful selection of original art on display there.

The gallery's hours are 10 a.m. -- 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday from September to April. Other news and information on special events can be found on the Web site, http://www.apieceofworkinc.com/ or by calling (712) 336-1077.