Discover the Artistic Marvel: Greg Volker’s ‘Looking Down’ Exhibition at Solar Arts
Event Dates: August 3 – August 12, 2023
Venue: Solar Arts Building, Second Floor Gallery
Opening Reception: August 3, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM 
Join us for an extraordinary journey into the creative world of the talented and versatile artist and musician, Greg Volker. Prepare to be awestruck by his newest collection, featuring captivating works on paper, enchanting clay masterpieces, magnificent bronze sculptures, and industrial-inspired iron creations.
Greg’s sculptures are more than just art; they’re a window into a world of imagination and wonder. His artistic brilliance shines through each piece, and his warm personality makes him one heck of a good guy to know!
The opening reception on August 3 promises an unforgettable evening filled with live music, adding rhythm and melody to the visual spectacle. Explore the second-floor open studios with over 32 artists, and the main gallery space where Greg’s masterpieces come to life, plus get a chance to meet the artists!
Families and kids are more than welcome to join us, as this event is open to the public and absolutely free. Let your creativity run wild as you immerse yourself in the beauty of art.
Need a refreshment? Indeed Brewing Company, located on the first floor, will be more than happy to quench your thirst during the event.
‘Looking Down’ exhibition will continue until August 12, with the closing reception also happening from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM on that day.
All other dates for the exhibit will be open by appointment only, so make sure you seize the opportunity to witness this artistic wonderland before it concludes.
Get ready for a sensational experience that blends artsy vibes, fun, and boundless creativity! Mark your calendars and invite your friends – let’s celebrate the magic of ‘Looking Down’ together!
About the Artist: Greg Volker was born in Stuttgart Germany and grew up in St Louis Park Mn. Attended the University of Minnesota for his BFA and left Minneapolis for San Francisco in 1990 to attend graduate school at San Francisco Art Institute. He spent 28 years in SF, Oakland and Sonoma Valley as an artist, musician, and builder. In 2018 he moved back to Minneapolis and set up shop in the California Building in the Northeast Arts District where he had a studio in ’90 when he left for California.
While in undergraduate school he started working in Curtis Hoard’s studio as an assistant which gave him a lot of great experience into what a working artist looks like. In and after grad school he began to work in several prominent artists’ studios as an assistant including John Roloff, Don Rich, Charles Splady, and Bruce Beasley. A great opportunity came along to work with Andy Goldsworthy on a large ceramic project at the Runnymede Sculpture Farm in Woodside Ca. He built a kiln on site and fired the large ceramic pieces Goldsworthy made from the clay they found and refined on-site.
Volker’s Pottery works cover a lot of ground. Starting with the Aerial Landscape Series he was taken with viewing farmlands while flying. The shapes made by irrigation, planting and harvesting along with the waterways’ squiggly lines moving through translate into strange logos and patterns when put onto the pots. The Dots and Lines Series is an abstraction of those shapes in the Aerial Landscape Series combined with his love of mid-century modern aesthetics. The Currents and Flow Series harkens back to his time mucking about in the pond behind the house where he grew up and Minnehaha Creek which traversed his home town of St. Louis Park. The lazy motion of the aquatic plants flowing so gently in the currents have been rediscovered since his move back to Minneapolis in 2018.
The Cup Holder Series comes from his sculptural work which included the little clay people crawling, wondering and laying about on the bases of his “log” pieces. During his treatment for Colon cancer, the figures where something he could make and carrying the cups they are a reference to the sisyphusian experience.